From His Luna to His Rival's Mate

SELENE Darkness pressed in like a living thing, thick and suffocating, my wrists burned where the rough ropes cut into my skin, cutting off blood flow until my fingers went numb. My ankles were bound just as tight, forcing my body into a painful, awkward sprawl on the freezing concrete. Every shallow breath hurt. My head throbbed from the hit that knocked me out, but none of that compared to the pain in my chest. I remembered everything. Just hours ago, the Nightshade Pack grounds had been glowing with lights and laughter. Lanterns hung from the trees, tables overflowed with food and wine, and music mixed with happy howls under the night sky. The whole pack had come out to celebrate Elara’s safe return. Elara... Calder’s precious sister. She’d been kidnapped three days earlier, but tonight she was back, and my husband had thrown the biggest welcome party I’d ever seen. He wanted everyone to know how much she mattered to him. I had stood on the edge of it all in my simple silver gown, one hand resting on my belly, trying to find the right moment to tell him I was three months pregnant with his child. I kept hoping... stupidly hoping that this time he would look at me with something real. But while everyone was laughing and toasting Elara’s return, I stepped away from the crowd for just a moment of quiet, that was when they grabbed me. Now, a rogue werewolf crouched in front of me, yellow eyes shining with sick excitement as he spun a jagged blade between his fingers. “Your husband refused to pay the ten million ransom,” he sneered. “Said his sister was worth more. So he made us a better offer… you.” My stomach dropped. While the pack was throwing a huge party for Elara, Calder had traded me away like I was nothing, his own wife, the mother of his unborn child. A broken, bitter laugh tore out of me. Eight years, eight years of marriage, and this was how it ended. The rogue’s phone rang and he put it on speaker. Calder’s voice came through, cold and detached. “I already paid you there.” The line went dead and something inside me shattered. The rogue stepped closer and crouched in front of me again, a crooked smile tugging at his lips. “See?” he said almost lightly. “He says he has no money. So now…” His gaze dragged slowly over me. “You’re the collateral.” “Eight years…” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I gave you everything. My heart, my body, my future. I stood by your side through every cold night and every silent dinner. I convinced myself that if I loved you hard enough, you would eventually love me back. And this… this is what I get?” Tears slipped down my cheeks even as I tried to hold them back. My wolf whimpered inside me, weak and heartbroken. The mate bond I once treasured now felt like rusted chains around my soul. The rogue laughed. “Talking to yourself? Cute.” He pressed the blade to my thigh, the first cut was shallow, but it still burned like fire. I gasped, biting my lip hard enough to draw blood. The second cut went deeper. I screamed as he moved to my other leg, then my arms, sawing slowly through skin and muscle. The pain was blinding, blood ran down my skin. Through the haze, I stared at my belly. “I’m so sorry, baby,” I whispered brokenly. “Mommy tried… I really thought love would be enough.” Pure hatred surged through me, burning away the last pieces of the girl who had begged for scraps of affection. If the Moon Goddess gave me another chance, I would never be this weak again. I would never love a man who saw me as disposable. The rogue raised the blade toward my throat, then a loud bang. The warehouse door slammed open and heavy footsteps echoed through the dark. A tall, powerful silhouette appeared in the doorway. Broad shoulders, sharp jaw with eyes that burned with something I couldn’t read. Kael Voss. My old university rival, the arrogant, brilliant wolf who always came in first while I fought for second. The one who used to drive me crazy with his smirks and challenges. We hadn’t spoken since I married Calder. Why was he here? Our eyes met for a heartbeat and something raw flashed across his face... surprise, rage, maybe even pain, before it disappeared. The rogue spun around. “Who the hell...?” Pain swallowed me whole. My baby’s presence inside me grew terrifyingly still and then… nothing. But death didn’t take me. I gasped awake, lungs filling with warm, steamy air that smelled like expensive soap and warm skin. My body felt whole again. I blinked, completely disoriented. I was in a luxurious hotel suite with marble floors. Steam curling from a huge sunken bathtub, and sitting inside it was Calder Vance... shirtless, water sliding down his sculpted chest, silver-gray eyes hazy with alcohol and lust as he stared at me. I looked down at myself and horror slammed into me. I was wearing nothing but tiny black lace lingerie that barely covered anything. My body was posed seductively on the edge of the tub, one leg draped over the side, back slightly arched, hand trailing through the water like I was trying to tempt him. This night, the exact night seven years ago when I had thrown myself at him like a fool, desperate for his attention, the night that led to our forced marriage and eight years of heartbreak. Not this time. My heart pounded so hard it hurt, the memories of the warehouse crashed over me like a wave. Fresh grief twisted in my chest, but underneath it, something colder and sharper burned, determination. I was reborn, I had another chance. I snatched a thick white bathrobe from the floor and yanked it around my body, stumbling backward on shaky legs and water splashed everywhere. Calder’s hand shot out, strong fingers wrapping tightly around my wrist. His touch, the same one that used to make me melt, now felt like chains. “You were so enthusiastic a few minutes ago,” he drawled, his voice low and rough. A dangerous smirk curved his lips. “Throwing yourself at an Alpha in heat, practically begging. Now you want to run? Take responsibility, little wolf.” He rose from the water, towering over me, droplets sliding down his abs. He reached for my waist, clearly planning to pull me toward the bed. I didn’t think, I just reacted. My palm cracked hard across his cheek, the sharp sound echoed through the marble bathroom. Calder froze, stunned, no one had ever dared hit the Alpha of the Nightshade Pack. I ripped my wrist free, heart racing with terror and triumph, and ran for the door. I had to get out of here, this time, I was rewriting everything.