Rejected Luna

Chapter 1: Rejected

My mother named me Luna. She said it meant moon. But in this pack, that name never brought me any light.

Five years ago · Blackwood Pack

My name is Luna. A half-blood with no father and a mother who died too soon.

In the Blackwood Pack, my existence was a joke. They called me "mutt." Said I tainted the purity of the bloodline. Day after day of mockery and humiliation — I got used to it. So I kept my head down. Never looked anyone in the eye. Ate in corners, trying to make myself as small as possible. That was how I survived.

That night was the Blood Moon Festival. The whole pack was drunk on celebration. But like always, I snuck into the garden.

I shouldn't have gone there. It was the biggest regret of my life.

Kael Blackwood — the Alpha's eldest son, the next in line — was leaning against an old oak tree. Moonlight silvered his sharp profile. His amber eyes were half-closed, like he was drunk, or maybe waiting for someone.

I tried to run. But he caught my wrist.

"Who are you?" he slurred, pulling me closer. His nose brushed my neck. Then his pupils dilated. "...Mate."

I knew what that word meant. Every wolf had only one fated mate. But I didn't believe it. How could I — a half-blood mutt the pack despised — be the future Alpha's mate?

It had to be the alcohol clouding his mind.

That night, he didn't let me go. Or maybe — I didn't want to push him away.

"Before dawn, I woke up alone. He was already gone. Nothing left but the imprint of his body on the grass, and his jacket draped over me."

I told myself it was just a dream.

But two weeks later, I started gagging in the mornings.

I was pregnant.

---

I gathered my courage and went to find him. His study door wasn't fully closed.

Kael sat on the sofa, a woman in his arms.

Blonde hair. Emerald eyes. Elegant and untouchable. I recognized her — Seraphina Vance. I'd heard she was first promised to Kael's younger brother. But when the brother died, they gave her to Kael instead. Just another transaction in the pack.

She saw me first. Her red lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Oh. It's you. The mutt."

I stood there, my hand instinctively pressing against my stomach.

"Kael, I... I need to tell you something."

He glanced at me. His eyes were cold, like I was a stranger.

Seraphina didn't give him a chance to speak. She clicked across the room in her heels, stopped in front of me, and her voice — soft as a blade — sliced through the air:

"You're not going to try to trap him with that bastard in your belly, are you? Too bad — Kael had a vasectomy years ago."

I froze.

"Don't believe me? You think he'd sleep with you without protection? Idiot."

She turned back to Kael, her voice syrupy sweet: "Honey, your driver told me this woman's been loitering around the pack clinic. She's trying to pin it on you."

Kael's face shifted through several shadows. Finally, he stood and walked toward me.

"Get rid of it," he said, his voice flat, lifeless. "Then leave. I don't want to see you again."

I wanted to tell him: They're your children. You're my mate.

But Seraphina's sneer — "mutt" — and his frozen stare choked every word out of me.

I turned and ran.

Out of the manor. Past the pack's borders. Down the mountain road until my knees gave out, until blood trickled down my thighs —

I collapsed on the dirt path, clutching my stomach, sobbing so hard my whole body shook.

I swore that would be the last time I ever showed weakness in front of them.

---

Five years later · New York Central Court

I took a deep breath and stepped onto the marble staircase in my ten-centimeter heels.

Charcoal gray suit. A silver balance pin on my lapel. My hair was wound into a tight bun, my makeup sharp and cold.

Today's case was a lawsuit against one of Kael Blackwood's family companies — corporate fraud.

I was the lead counsel for the plaintiff.

Someone tapped my shoulder in the hallway.

"Luna, here's the supplemental evidence they just submitted."

I opened the folder.

The signature line read: Kael Blackwood.

Five years. I never thought we'd meet again like this. Kael, are you ready for my revenge?

---

The gallery was packed.

I stood at the plaintiff's table and delivered my final statement.

"...Therefore, my client demands thirty million dollars in damages, plus all legal fees."

The judge turned to the defense.

Kael rose to his feet.

He was leaner than five years ago, his jaw sharper. But the way he looked at me — it wasn't cold anymore.

Shock. Disbelief. Something else — something I didn't dare name.

"Your Honor," his voice cracked, "the defense... requests a ten-minute recess."

---

He stopped me in the hallway.

"Luna."

I didn't pause.

"Luna!" He grabbed my wrist. "I found out the truth. Seraphina lied to me. I never had a vasectomy. The twins... they're mine, aren't they?"

I pulled my hand free and stared at him, cold.

"You stopped me just to confirm paternity? Should I call for a blood test right now?"

"No..." His eyes were red. "I wanted to say I'm sorry. I've been looking for you for five years."

"Looking for me? To throw me and the kids out again?"

"I was a bastard back then." He stepped closer, his voice scraping out of his throat. "I shouldn't have believed her. I should have investigated myself. I should have trusted you."

I was silent for a moment. Then I raised my head and looked at him.

"You and her — you were on the same side. From the very beginning. So what are you kneeling here for? To beg me to forgive you for doing nothing?" A bitter laugh escaped me. "Pathetic."

His shoulders jerked.

Then, in that crowded hallway, he dropped straight to his knees.

Gasps echoed around us.

"I'll do anything to make it right." He bowed his head, his forehead nearly touching the cold tiles. "Just... give me another chance."

I looked down at him. The once-invincible Alpha. The heir to a business empire.

Something in my chest loosened — just a little.

But I couldn't tell if it was tenderness, or if my heart had simply stopped feeling anything at all. Probably the latter.

"Kael," I said quietly, "my answer — you'll hear it in court today."

I turned and walked back into the courtroom. My heels clicked a sharp rhythm. Like I'd made up my mind.

Through the window, I saw his reflection slowly rise to his feet.

I didn't look back.