Not Your Luna Anymore

Chapter 2 What Am I To You?

Moronia

The sound of Maximilian's truck faded into the distance. I thought I knew where he was going. A sob tore from my throat. Isa howled in anguish, the sound echoing through our bond. But no answering howl. The silence was deafening.

I curled up on Maximilian's side of the bed, burying my face in pillow. His familiar scent was everywhere. My heart ached. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Maximilian's face, heard his dismissive tone as he handed me the divorce papers.

I made a good wife, a good Luna with all my heart. I thought he was a good husband, too.

I found my tears had got the pillow wet. I left the bed and decided to go wash my face. A sudden sharp pain lanced through my neck, right where Maximilian had marked me. Isa let out a long, agonized wail that reverberated through my entire being.

The pain made me dizzy for a moment. But I quickly realized what had happened. Our mate had violated the sacred bond in the most fundamental way. He had been intimate with another woman. With Vanessa. He f****d her.

Roar and tears mixed together. A slight pain in my stomach made me stopped. I took a deep breath. I wiped my tears away. "I'm sorry, little one," I whispered, "I'm so sorry you're being born into this mess."

As I rinsed my mouth and splashed cold water on my face, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My green eyes were bloodshot with dark circles underneath. My honey-blonde hair was a tangled mess, and my skin was pale, almost sickly. No. I told myself. I had someone to protect now, someone who needed me to be strong.

"We'll be okay," I told my reflection, one hand still resting on my stomach. "We have to be."

I made my way back to the bedroom and picked up the divorce papers I'd discarded on the floor. Taking a deep breath, I began to read. The legal jargon swam before my eyes, but the meaning was clear enough. I would lose almost everything – the house, my position as Luna, likely even my place in the pack. There was a settlement, a sum that looked generously large.

And there is one clause caught my eye. "In the event of the dissolution of this marriage, the Beta shall escort the former Luna to the pack borders within 24 hours of the divorce's finalization."

He wanted to exile me.

We all know what will happen to a she-wolf in exile, not to mention an abandoned Luna. No pack will take a stray Luna.

Werewolves should never betray their fated mate. It is a sacrilege against the goddess Luna. But people never condemn the man, let alone an alpha. Being abandoned is because the Luna didn't do her job well enough.

In such a situation, I would become a rogue. That means slow death. I have never seen a rogue that is older than 30 years old. Losing the pack means your wolf no longer has its spiritual home. Usually a rogue goes mad within a few years. My child won't even live to adulthood if he was born rouge.

A growl rumbled in my chest, my wolf bristling at the indignity of it all. The papers were meticulously drafted, every 'i' dotted and 't' crossed. This was no hasty decision, no spur-of-the-moment choice. This had been planned, calculated. For how long, I wondered? How long had Maximilian been plotting to discard me?

I needed answers. I needed to look Maximilian in the eye and ask him why. Why he'd started this marriage if Vanessa had always been his true choice. Why he'd let me believe in our love, our future, if it had all been a lie.

I forced myself to the kitchen. I poured a glass of milk, the rich scent turning my stomach. But I thought of my baby, of its need for nutrients, and managed to drink it down.

"You're the priority now," I murmured, patting my still-flat belly. "I won't let you down."

I showered and dressed, then wore my black jeans, boots, and a deep green sweater that brought out my eyes. I did not want to be a softie today. I let my wolf rise closer to the surface, drawing on her strength and ferocity. We were in this together, my wolf and I, bound by something deeper than even a mate bond, the love for our unborn child.

The drive to the pack house was surreal. Pack members waved and called out greetings as I passed. "Good morning, Luna Moronia!" called out Eliza, one of our younger wolves, as I parked in front of the main building.

I forced a smile, the expression feeling foreign on my face. "Good morning, Eliza."

"Is everything okay?" she asked, her brow furrowing in concern. "You smell... different."

"Just didn't sleep well," I lied smoothly. "Nothing to worry about."

She nodded, though she didn't look entirely convinced. "If you say so, Luna. Have a good day!"

As she bounded away, my heart ached. How many more times would I hear that title? How many more friendly greetings would I receive before I was cast out, forgotten?

I made my way to Maximilian's office. All these memories assaulted me. Here was where Max had first shown me around, his hand warm on the small of my back. There was the conference room where I'd led my first pack meeting, terrified but determined to prove myself worthy of my role.

Now it all felt like a cruel joke.

I paused outside Maximilian's door, gathering my courage. I could hear him inside, the scratch of his pen on paper, the steady rhythm of his breathing. Familiar sounds that now felt alien.

Before I could knock, his voice called out, "Come in, Moronia."

Of course. He'd sensed me, smelled me. Just as I could still sense him, even through the pain of our fractured bond.

I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. Maximilian sat behind his massive oak desk, the very picture of an Alpha in control. His dark hair was perfectly styled, his crisp white shirt a stark contrast to his tanned skin. He looked up, his storm-gray eyes meeting mine, and I searched desperately for any sign of the man I'd loved. But there was nothing there but cool indifference.

"Have you signed the papers?" he asked without preamble, his tone clipped and businesslike.

The casual cruelty of his question stole my breath for a moment. Three years of marriage, of sharing a life and a bed and a future, and this was all he had to say to me?

"No," I managed, my voice steadier than I felt. "I haven't signed anything, Max. I came here for answers."

He sighed, the sound heavy with impatience. "There's nothing to discuss, Moronia. The terms are clear, and they're not negotiable. Sign the papers, pack your things, and let's end this civilly."

"Civilly?" I repeated. "There's nothing civil about this, Maximilian. You're throwing away our marriage, our mate bond, as if it meant nothing. I deserve to know why."

Maximilian leaned back in his chair, regarding me with a mixture of irritation and something that looked almost like pity. "It wasn't working. We want different things. It's as simple as that."

"Simple?" I could feel my temper rising, my wolf snarling beneath my skin. "None of this is simple! Why did you even start this marriage if you've always loved Vanessa? Did our vows mean nothing to you? Did I mean nothing?"

For a moment, something flickered in Maximilian's eyes. Regret? Guilt? But it was gone so quickly I might have imagined it.

"Our marriage was... convenient at the time," he said slowly, "The pack needed stability, and you were... suitable. But things change. Feelings change."

Each word was a dagger to my heart, but I forced myself to press on. "And what about our family? The children we talked about having? Was that all a lie too?"

Maximilian's jaw tightened, a muscle ticking in his cheek. "Children were always your dream, Moronia, not mine."

I stared at him, shock rendering me momentarily speechless. "You shouldn't have slept with me, then," I finally spat, "What if I had gotten pregnant? What if I was carrying your heir right now?"

Maximilian stood abruptly, his hands slamming down on the desk. "Don't play games, Moronia," he growled, his eyes flashing Alpha red. "You're many things, but I never took you for a schemer. I've been on birth control. There's no chance of a pregnancy."

The world tilted beneath my feet, the room spinning as the implications of his words sank in. Birth control. For how long? The entire three years of our marriage?

"You... what?" I whispered, my voice barely audible. I stumbled back, my legs hitting the chair behind me.

All those months of trying, of hoping, of praying to the Moon Goddess for a child. All the tears I'd shed, the treatments I'd endured. And all along, Maximilian had been actively preventing it from happening.

"How could you?" I breathed, tears blurring my vision. "How could you let me go through all that? Watch me suffer, month after month?"

For the first time, something like shame crossed Maximilian's face. But it was quickly replaced by a hardness. "Don't play the victim. You and I both know that you're only trying to get pregnant for your Luna reputation.." he said.

"You bastard!"I stared at him, "if that's how you see me, why are you wasting so much time? What am I to you? A placeholder? A body to keep your bed warm?"

Maximilian's silence was answer enough. Good. I can't hold back any more. My wolf was being torn inside me. I was about to respond, to unleash all the pain and fury building inside me and sign the s**t, when a knock at the door interrupted us. I froze, my nostrils flaring as a familiar scent wafted through the air.

Vanilla and jasmine, with an undercurrent of something spicy. A scent made my stomach turn.

Maximilian's eyes lit up, all traces of annoyance vanishing from his face. "Come in," he called, his voice warm in a way it hadn't been for me in a long time.

As the door began to open, I braced myself. I knew who I would see, but nothing could have truly prepared me for this moment. The moment when I came face to face with the woman who had stolen everything from me.

My stepsister, Vanessa.