Rejected Luna, Desired Queen

Monster,huh?

***Ivy***

“The Directors have been informed. You’re to arrive in London within a week.

The divorce papers you asked for are also ready.”

Stephan’s message read.

I looked up from my phone, at the massive building in front of me. Golden Hen corporation, Jarett's company.

It's been a week since the incident,

and my wounds have healed enough to allow movement.

I secured my scarf tightly, making sure it hid most of my bruises, and I walked in.

The company was bustling, as always. Paparazzi crowding the lobby, brand ambassadors strutting around.

I had worked here for five years as Jarett's secretary, but in the shadows, I was more like his partner.

While he recovered from a terrible sickness after his mother's death, I put in all I had, making sure his company rose to the top.

At least I’d helped Jarett achieve all this, before leaving.

“Hello, welcome to Golden Hen Corporation. How can we—?”

A young female voice paused.

Carol’s face brightened the moment she recognized me.

“Luna Ivy! Where have you been?”

Her eyes widened as they trailed over me.

“What happened to you?”

“I tripped and fell. It’s nothing serious.” I forced a small smile.

She nodded softly.

“Alpha Jarett hasn’t been around lately, but he came in today… with that lady,” she said suggestively. “I know she's your sister, but that woman is a green snake under the green grass.”

“Ivy, I heard Renee is going to take over your position as Luna soon,” her worried expression melted my heart. “If that happens, I'll stage a protest.”

A soft chuckle left my lips. I still had someone who cared for me around here. It's a shame I couldn't tell her about my plans of leaving for good. It's better no one knew about it.

“Thanks, Carol. I’ll see you around,” I said softly.

Internally, my heart raced, my wolf jumping at the idea of seeing our mate.

I reached the door to his office and froze.

His scent, familiar and intoxicating, seeped through the cracks.

Other scents too.

“Your group is growing faster than imaginable, Jarett. Golden Hen is in the top three companies in New York. What are you still doing with that glorified wolfless housemaid?”

My hand stilled on the doorknob.

“A dumb housewife with nothing in her brain,” someone sneered. “Ivy and Renée may be sisters, but they’re opposites. Renée is a licensed doctor and one of the most sought-after in New York. She should be the Luna, not that pathetic opportunist.”

My heart squeezed painfully.

“Ivy’s just a placeholder,” another voice chimed in. “Everyone knows she tricked Jarett’s mother into choosing her.”

“Funny how Luna Guinevere died mysteriously after the wedding, isn’t it?”

“Are you saying Ivy—?”

“The Luna adored her. A little too much. Ivy knew the only thing standing between her and the Luna title was Jarett’s mother. And boom. She died.”

A tear trailed down my cheek.

No.

Luna Guinevere had been the only mother figure I ever had. The only person who believed in me.

When I found out about her sickness, I brewed herbs daily, watched over her, kept her company till she began to improve.

And yet… I was the last person who saw her alive.

“Jarett, why are you still mated to that leech?” someone scoffed. “Just divorce her.”

“It was my mother’s last wish,” came my mate’s chilling baritone. “I just wish she was here to see the kind of monster she made me marry.”

Monster.

A bitter laugh almost escaped my lips.

For three years, I paused my dreams of studying medicine just to stay by his side.

When his mother died and he fell apart, I was the one who held him up.

I worked beside him, built this company with him.

But none of that mattered.

“But all these years and still no love for her?” a man asked, chuckling. “She’s your mate. Haven’t you touched her at all?”

“Of course we have s*x,” Jarett replied coldly. “She needs to give me an heir. But she knows not to expect special treatment.”

Tears fell freely now.

I pushed the door open.

Silence swallowed the room as they all turned.

“Monster, huh?” I said quietly as I walked in.

Looking at him, a longing feeling swelled in my chest.

Jarett never failed to turn heads anywhere he was. He's good looking, responsible, and he led one of the most powerful packs. If only loyalty could be added to his attributes.

Renée was seated close to him, with her hands perched protectively on his thigh.

“If you hate me that much, let me make it easy for you.” I dropped the file containing my resignation letter on the table. “I quit.”

Confusion flickered across Jarrett's face. He picked the file, reading the contents.

Then he looked up at me, sighing.

“What kind of sick joke is this, Ivy?” he asked. “Another silly stunt? Is this why you skipped work for a week without notice?”

I didn't think he'd notice.

Lincoln, Jarett’s Beta, chuckled.

“Jarett told us about your little lie about being attacked and wanting him to play hero. This is low, even for you.”

My blood chilled, and my hands folded at my sides.

“That wasn't a lie,” I seethed. “I was attacked by the Nightshade rogues.”

“Really? Then how are you still alive? The NightShade rogues don't ever leave their victims alive.”

That was true. Every victim of the NightShade rogues had always winded up dead. That night still felt like a blur to me.

“I escaped.”

Mock laughter filled the room.

“You expect us to believe that you escaped with no bruises?”

I didn't know what it was, but for once, I wanted them to believe me.

Slowly, I yanked off the shawl, my face and neck coming into view.

Gasps filled the room.

The scars on my face and neck glistened under the office light.

“Does this answer your questions?” I snapped.

For a split second, a tiny, fragile second, I saw something like shock flash through Jarett’s eyes.

Then it was gone.

Renée sprang up theatrically.

“Oh my God, Ivy! This is my fault. I should have let Jarett answer your call and none of this would have happened!”

“No, it’s not your fault,” Jarett said. My eyes followed his movement as he pulled her close by the waist. “She shouldn’t have been outside at night. That’s why she was ambushed.”

Bile burned my throat.

“For all we know, you could have inflicted those on yourself,” Jarett said.

A bitter scoff escaped my lips.

“Big sis, I'm really sorry you had to go through this. I feel like it's my fault. I told Jarett to call you back and figure out what's wrong, but he didn't want to,” Renee said, her voice carrying a mock sweetness.

She couldn't even pretend to care if she tried.

Her eyes glazed over, fake tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.

“I-if I'm the one in the way of your marriage, I'm willing to leave.”

Her voice came out shaky.

“No need,” I answered curtly. “I don’t want to get in the way of you two, either,” I muttered.

I saw Jarett's jaw tick at my response, but I didn't dwell on it. I turned around, leaving the office.

I stepped into the hallway before I realized I’d left my scarf behind.

Being on the top floor meant fewer staff lingering around. I looked around, figuring out the quietest exit.

“It must be tough being the one nobody wants, right, big sis?”

I turned.

Renée was walking toward me, hands behind her back, a victorious smirk on her lips.

“Even if you were run over by a truck,” she said lightly, “Jarett will always choose me.”

I wonder where she threw the solemn, mournful act she had on a moment ago.

“You’re just a mistress, Renée,” I replied calmly. “Even if you have him now, you weren’t the one Luna Guinevere chose. You’ll always be a mistress.”

Her eyes darkened a little, then she plastered on her fake smile again.

Concluding that she wasn't worth the trouble, I turned to leave.

“How was the beating, hmm?” she called out. “You know, when I gave the rogues your location, I didn’t expect you to follow them like a s*x-starved b*tch.”