The Rejected Rogue Luna

Aurora looked at her pale reflection in front of the broken mirror standing in her front. She had gotten even more slender than she formerly was and there was barely any life in her eyes; her dark, naturally curly hair flowed down softly behind her. She observed herself dressed in a long lilac gown; her fingers trembled slightly as she fastened the belt on the gown, making it firmer around her tiny waist. She looked weak and fragile; she knew it; she only wished she could be strong, just for tonight. Tonight was the night, and it was her big night. All those months and years of pain, rejection and ridicule had led up to this particular night, and she was feeling so nervous, more nervous than she normally was. She could feel her beating heart, and it was beating so hard in her chest, she felt like it would c***k her ribs. Aurora had always been afraid of the Moon Ridge Pack’s annual ceremony. Every year, she never looked forward to it, but not this year and definitely not tonight. Tonight was different. Tonight, she was not an invisible omega, who was always hiding in the shadows, like she did all the time. Tonight, she was Damon’s mate; she was going to be his Luna. Or so she had thought. After they found out they were each other's mates, they had kept their bond a secret for months. There were nothing but secret glances and short encounters in the middle of the night between them. Her fingers slowly made their way to her neck, where Damon’s mark rested, half complete and faint. She knew that would change tonight too, so she wasn't bothered. She remembered all the promises Damon had made to her. Promises of claiming her, when the time was right and the time was here. A hurried knock at the door snapped Aurora out of her thoughts and she snapped back to reality. “Come in.” She said to whoever was at the other end of the door. When the door opened, Mila’s head poked in. Mila was Aurora’s only friend in the pack. Mila’s eyes scanned Aurora from head to toe, and they widened in amazement when she saw Aurora’s appearance. “You look so beautiful, Rory. Damon definitely won't be expecting this tonight,” Mila complimented her. Aurora looked at herself in the mirror again. She wasn't feeling the way Mila had described her, she wasn't feeling beautiful. She sent a nervous smile in Mila’s direction, “That's even if he wants to see me tonight.” Mila quietly shut the door behind her and fully entered the room; she walked closer to Aurora and reached out for her hands, holding them in hers, “Stop that, Aurora, don't do that tonight.” “Do what?” “Don't make yourself feel less or tell yourself that you don't deserve this. Damon is your mate; he chose you, remember? "And tonight, everyone, even those idiots that called you weak and mocked you, everyone will see it,” Mila declared. Aurora felt something in her chest, she felt hope growing in her chest. She had imagined this moment for a long time. She had imagined the shocked gasps and the look of disbelief on people's faces when Damon would pull her into his warm arms and declare her his Luna. She had pictured how everything would go. Nothing must go wrong tonight, she thought to herself. “I just….. "I just want everything to go right tonight, Mila.” She confessed. Her fingers instinctively brushed her flat belly as her nerves increased. “It will”. "Everything will be fine, Rory". "I promise you". "Now let's go make those idiots eat their words," Mila said jokingly and Aurora laughed. And just like that, her nerves calmed down a bit. Together, hand in hand with Mila, they left her room and went downstairs where the ceremony would be taking place. As they entered the large space that had been cleared out in the backyard of the Packhouse, Aurora was blown away by the beauty of it. Who knew the ordinary backyard she saw every day could be transformed into something like this? Truly, everything could be made beautiful; she knew it now. Seeing the transformation of their backyard lifted her spirits even more. She was positive tonight would be a good one. The ceremony was in full swing already; members of the pack littered every corner of the open space, and they were all dressed in their best and finest clothing. The air was filled with excitement and anticipation, everyone could feel it. In the middle of all the dancing, excitement, and food, in the middle of it, stood Damon. He stood out in the crowd because of his tall frame; his aura exuded the magnetic power only the Lycan king could possess. He knew he was unrivaled, and he enjoyed every second of it. Aurora noticed his dark eyes scanning the room. She wondered if he was searching for her. His eyes continued to scan the room till they landed on her. The second Damon’s eyes landed on Aurora, time froze for a split second. That was it; it was time for her to take her rightful position and that was beside Damon, as his Luna. Aurora stepped forward, her heart filled with pride as she kept her gaze on Damon and his lips curved into a smile. Just as she was about to take another step forward, Damon turned his attention to somewhere else and his smile became even wider. Aurora turned to look at what he was smiling at and, to her greatest surprise, he was smiling at another woman. She couldn't believe the scene that was unfolding right in front of her. She blinked in disbelief, struggling to breathe. The woman who Damon had been staring at walked past Aurora, and she recognized her immediately. Victoria. “He will never accept you.” She whispered quietly beside Aurora and continued walking like nothing had happened. Aurora watched her in her bright red gown, with her blonde hair flowing down behind her. She continued to watch till she made her way to Damon, and he reached out for her hands. Without any hesitation, Victoria slipped her hand into Damon’s own, and he pulled her close. “Tonight is a very special night for me,” Damon started, and the crowd fell silent. “Tonight, I am honored to present to you all my mate, my Luna, Victoria,” he announced. Loud noise of celebration and cheers broke out from the crowd and Aurora’s world shattered at the same time. “No.” She whispered in disbelief, taking fearful steps back as tears blurred her vision. This couldn't happen. She dared to look at Damon again and his eyes were so cold and distant; he looked nothing like the man she had been seeing in the past few months. She realized she didn't even know Damon. Victoria stood beside Damon, a smug look in her eyes as well. Aurora couldn't take it; she stumbled back; the cheers and claps felt like she was being stabbed over and over again. The betrayal crushed her chest and the pain was indescribable. As if that wasn't enough, Damon looked at her again and, with a loud voice, he declared, “And to you, Aurora, the weak omega who thought she was fit enough to stand beside me, I hereby reject you.” Loud gasps filled the air as all eyes turned to Aurora. The pain of the rejection knocked the air out of her, and she fell to her knees; their bond immediately tore like an ordinary piece of paper. A loud cry of pain escaped from her lips and she got on her feet and ran; her tears blinded her vision, but she continued to run. “Aurora!!” She heard Mila calling behind her, but she didn’t stop. Instead, she ran further into the dark woods. There was only one thought on her mind, “I have to get away.” By the time Aurora stopped running, she was out of breath and her lungs burned; the pack house was no longer visible behind her. She realized she had run far into the woods. She collapsed by a tree and held her chest tightly as sobs wracked her body. Her body was in pain, but her heart was hurting more; it felt like it had been ripped out of her chest. And every cruel word her packmates said to her flashed through her mind. “Weak. Ugly. Useless. Omega trash.” She remembered everything and now, she had been rejected by her mate, thrown away to the side like she was nothing. “I don't want to be weak anymore, I'm done being the weak omega.” She whispered to herself, but as she attempted to stand up, the pain of the shattered bond, together with the exhaustion from running, overpowered her and dragged her into darkness. Aurora suddenly heard footsteps behind her, and she opened her eyes immediately. Fear came to her as figures emerged from the trees. They were wolves she didn’t recognize, and their eyes were filled with anger and hatred. “Looks like we just caught a little stray,” one of the wolves said and stepped closer to Aurora. “What are you doing here alone, little one?” Another wolf sneered at her. Aurora attempted to move back, but there was nowhere for her to go. “Master Xavier will be pleased.” They praised themselves. Aurora saw an opening and tried to run, but she was overpowered and outnumbered. “Grab her!!” She screamed as rough hands grabbed her, dragged her up and everything went black.