The rejected Luna

You won’t survive

The next morning, the dining hall was quiet except for the soft clink of cutlery.

I sat at the long table with the rest of the household. My mother, Luciana, sat two seats away from me, her posture straight and calm as always. She had barely spoken since I woke, but her eyes kept drifting to the empty space at my throat where the pendant used to rest.

I had just lifted my cup when the doors slammed open so hard the wood cracked against the wall.

Riven stormed in.

Before I could stand, his hand locked around my wrist and yanked me out of my chair. Pain shot up my arm as he dragged me forward.

“Elara!” His voice was raw with fury. “What did you do?!”

I stared at him, confused. “What did I do, Alpha? I did nothing.”

He didn’t let me finish.

The doors opened again. Two maids entered, supporting Clarissa between them. Her face was pale, lips trembling, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She looked weak… carefully weak.

“Alpha, don’t blame Elara,” she said softly. “I… I don’t think she meant it.”

My mother slowly rose from her seat. “What is going on?”

“I don’t know, Mother,” I answered.

Riven’s grip tightened until my bones ached. “After I put that pendant on Clarissa last night, her nightmares became worse. She woke up coughing blood. What did you do to it?!”

A bitter laugh escaped me.

“I did nothing, Riven. You came into my room. You forced the guards to take my father’s keepsake from my neck and gave it to her.” I looked past him at Clarissa. “That is all that happened.”

Riven’s face twisted. “Elara! How did I ever fall for a girl like you in the first place? My father has spoiled you far too much.” He pulled me closer. “Clarissa has nothing. Yes, she was your handmaid, but she is the one I truly love. Get used to it. Whatever you did with that pendant… undo it before I lose my temper completely.”

My mother stepped forward.

The sound of her palm striking Riven’s face echoed through the entire hall.

Even I froze.

Clarissa’s eyes went wide. “You dare hit the future Alpha of Blackridge?! Do you have a death wish?!”

My mother did not even look at her. Her finger trembled as she pointed it at Riven.

“How dare you.” Her voice was low and shaking with rage. “That pendant was given to my daughter by her father before he died. Elara has carried the nightmares of the night the rogues tore through Blackridge ever since. She still sees them ripping people apart in her sleep. That pendant was the only thing that kept those memories from destroying her. And you took it from her… and gave it to her handmaid.”

For a single second, something like guilt flickered across Riven’s face.

It disappeared just as quickly.

“Is that enough reason to hit me, “You struck your future Alpha. If I ignore it, what example does that set for the pack?” he spat.

I stepped between them. “Riven, you’re going too far.”

He laughed.

“And? What will you do?” His eyes were cold. “You act as if the debt my father owes yours has not already been paid. Yes, your father died protecting mine. But can you return all the resources this pack spent raising a useless wolf like you, Elara?”

The words hit harder than the slap my mother had given him. I felt my chest tighten.

Clarissa quickly stepped forward and took Riven’s hand, eyes glistening. “Alpha… I’ll just return the pendant. It seems Elara doesn’t want me to have it.” A soft, trembling tear slid down her cheek.

Riven immediately pulled her against him. “No, Clarissa. You’re not giving it back. Whatever she did, she will undo it.”

Then he turned to the guards standing near the doors, his voice rising.

“And as for that old hag take her to the dungeon. Let her reflect on the consequences of striking the future Alpha.”

My eyes widened. “Riven! You’re sending my mother to the dungeon for a slap? What has gotten into you?!”

He looked at me and smiled, cruel and almost amused.

“Oh, come on, Elara. You’ll be my mistress someday… or I can make you a chambermaid instead. Your mother will still be part of this family either way. She should get used to her place.”

The two guards seized my mother’s arms.

I lunged forward, trying to pull them off her, but one of them shoved me hard. I hit the floor, the impact jarring the still-healing wound in my chest.

“Riven!” My voice cracked as tears blurred my vision. “Do you think your father would allow this if he were here?!”

Riven looked down at me. For a moment something cold and calculating settled in his eyes.

“It’s a good thing he’s not around,” he said quietly. “Besides… he’s getting old. One day he’ll have to give up the throne. And when that day comes, you’ll serve me too.” He crouched slightly so I could see his face clearly. “Learn to behave, Elara, and you and your mother will be fine.”

My mother’s voice cut through the hall, sharp with disgust.

“I don’t know how Alpha Eric gave birth to a disgraceful son like you.” Her eyes burned as she stared at him. “I bet he regrets every second of it.”

The words were still leaving her mouth when Riven’s hand moved.

The slap was so hard her head snapped to the side. The sound cracked through the dining hall like a whip.

Everything went silent.

Even Riven froze, staring down at his own hand as if he couldn’t quite believe what he had just done. The guilt flickered across his face for less than a second before pride swallowed it whole.

“Take her to the dungeon,” he ordered, voice rough. “Right now.”

Something inside me broke.

I scrambled up from the floor and threw myself at him, claws out, nails scraping across his arm and chest as I shouted.

“You just hit my mother!” My voice was raw. “What is wrong with you?! All these years we’ve known each other does none of it mean anything to you? I was by your side for years! First you broke our mate bond, then you took the last thing my father left me… and now you’re hitting my mother?!”

The guards began dragging Luciana toward the doors.

I spun toward Riven, breathing hard.

“She’s old. She won’t survive the dungeon.” My voice dropped, steady and desperate. “Riven… let me take her place.”

He stared at me for a moment, then let out a short, ugly laugh.

“So eager, huh?”

I met his eyes without flinching. “Just let my mother go.”

Behind me, my mother struggled against the guards. “Elara, no!”

I didn’t look away from Riven. “Mother, I can’t let you go there. That place is horrible. You won’t survive it.”