The Luna Who Bought Her Alpha

"Aria, stop staring at the moon." I pulled my eyes away from the window. My stepmother stood behind me, her fingers working the silver clasp on my dress. "Tonight isn't the night to look nervous," she said. "You're eighteen. Act like you know what you're doing." I forced a smile. "I do." It was a lie. My heart had been racing since sunset. Tonight was supposed to change everything. For eighteen years, I had waited for my wolf. For eighteen years, I had listened to the other girls talk about their first shift, their heightened senses, their connection to the Moon Goddess. And for eighteen years, I had wondered why nothing ever happened to me. But tonight was different. Tonight was my birthday. And tonight, Alpha Jaxon Thorne was coming. My mate. Or at least, that was what everyone had told me. I had known Jaxon since I was a child. He was five years older than me, already being trained to lead the Thorne Pack while I was still learning how to keep my emotions in check. When he entered a room, people moved aside. When he spoke, people listened. And when he looked at me, I forgot how to breathe. I had spent years believing that tonight would prove I wasn't broken. That my wolf would finally appear. That Jaxon would stand before everyone and claim me. That I would finally belong somewhere. My stepmother finished adjusting my necklace. "Whatever happens tonight," she said quietly, "don't embarrass this family." I frowned. "Why would I?" She didn't answer. She opened the bedroom door instead. Music drifted upstairs from the ballroom. The celebration had already begun. "Come." I followed her downstairs. The moment I entered the ballroom, hundreds of eyes turned toward me. Crystal chandeliers glittered above us. Pack members filled the room in expensive clothes. The Alpha family occupied the raised platform at the far end. And there he was. Jaxon. He stood beside his father, dressed in black. My breath caught. He was tall, calm and powerful. Exactly as I had imagined him. His eyes met mine. For one brief second, everything else disappeared. Then his expression changed. His jaw tightened. He looked away. My smile faded. Maybe he was nervous too. Maybe he was trying not to reveal anything before the ceremony. I held onto that thought as I walked toward my family. The musicians stopped playing. The pack elder stepped forward. "Tonight, we celebrate Aria Vale's eighteenth year." Everyone applauded. I tried to breathe normally. The elder raised his hand. "Aria, step forward." I stepped forward. My palms were sweating. The elder placed his hand over my forehead. "By the Moon Goddess, may your wolf awaken." Nothing happened. I waited. The room went painfully quiet. The elder tried again. Still nothing. Someone coughed. Then someone laughed. A whisper followed. "Still wolfless." Another voice answered, "At eighteen?" My face burned. The elder slowly lowered his hand. "I am sorry." My stomach dropped. "No." The word escaped before I could stop it. I looked at Jaxon. He wasn't looking at me anymore. "Try again," I whispered. The elder shook his head. "Aria, the ceremony is complete." "No." I turned toward Jaxon. "Please." He finally looked at me. There was something cold in his eyes. "Jaxon?" He walked toward me. My heart lifted. Maybe he would still choose me. Maybe the wolf wasn't necessary. Maybe being his mate was enough. He stopped in front of me. "Aria." My fingers trembled. "Say it." His brow furrowed. "What?" "That you're my mate." Silence fell. Someone behind me whispered, "Oh, Moon Goddess." Jaxon glanced at the crowd, then back at me. "I can't." My smile disappeared. "What?" "I said I can't." "You're my mate." His voice hardened. "And you're wolfless." The ballroom went silent. I felt as if everyone had stopped breathing. "That's why?" "Aria…" "That's why you're rejecting me?" He looked away. "An Alpha cannot take a wolfless woman as his Luna." My throat tightened. "You knew I didn't have a wolf." "I didn't know it would still be absent at eighteen." "So you waited until tonight to humiliate me?" His face remained expressionless. "I am doing what is necessary for my pack." I looked at him. The boy who used to sneak sweets into my hands when I was little was gone. In his place stood an Alpha who couldn't even look at me with kindness. "Say it properly," the elder ordered. Jaxon looked straight into my eyes. "I, Jaxon Thorne, reject Aria Vale as my mate." The words hit harder than any slap. My knees nearly gave way. A few people gasped. Others began to whisper. "Wolfless." "Poor girl." "She'll never be Luna." I couldn't hear anything clearly anymore. Only one sentence kept repeating in my head. “I reject you. I reject you. I reject you.” Jaxon stepped closer. For one stupid second, I thought he might apologize. Instead, he whispered, "Don't make this harder." I stared at him. "You already did." His expression flickered. Then he walked away. Just like that. The musicians started playing again. People returned to their conversations. The celebration continued, as if my heart hadn't just been ripped out in front of everyone. I turned and ran but I didn't make it to the stairs. My stepmother caught my arm. "Where are you going?" "Let go of me." "You've embarrassed us enough." I stared at her. "I'm your daughter." Her expression hardened. "No. You're the debt your father left behind." I froze. "What?" She looked around before lowering her voice. "The Thorne Pack has been waiting years for payment." "What are you talking about?" "You heard me." "I don't understand." She pulled me toward a side corridor. My heart began pounding again. "Your father borrowed money from the Thorne family before he died. The debt was never settled." "Then sell the house." "We did." "My mother's jewelry?" "Gone." "Then what do you want from me?" She looked me directly in the eyes. "You." I stopped walking. "What?" Her lips curved into a smile I had never seen before. "The debt must be paid tonight." A door opened behind us. Two unfamiliar men stood there. Rogues. My blood turned cold. I pulled my arm free. "No." My stepmother stepped back. "You're eighteen now. You're old enough to pay for your family's mistakes." "Where are you sending me?" She didn't answer. One of the rogues grabbed my wrist. I screamed but nobody came to my rescue. I fought, kicked, and clawed at his hand. "Jaxon!" My voice echoed through the corridor. Nothing. I screamed again. "Jaxon!" The rogue dragged me toward the back entrance. As the door opened, cold night air hit my face. I looked back one last time. My stepmother was standing beneath the chandelier. She stood there watching. Not helping. Not crying. Watching. Then she said the words that broke whatever was left of my hope. "Take her to Black Valley." The rogue smiled. "And the Alpha?" My stepmother turned away. "He won't come for her." The door slammed shut. And as the carriage began moving into the darkness, something inside my stomach suddenly moved. I pressed both hands against it. My eyes widened. "No..." A second movement came. Stronger this time. I wasn't alone. And somewhere beneath my skin, the rejected mate bond suddenly burned. Hard. Hot. Alive. Then a voice whispered inside my head. "Mother."