Betrayed By My Mate, Crowned By An Alpha.

Chains or shields

(Aria)

The whispers started right after Ashley's defeat. At first, I thought I was imagining things. Pack members would be talking normally when I walked into a room, then suddenly go quiet. Eyes would follow me as I passed by. Conversations would stop mid sentence.

But I was not imagining it.

I was sitting in the common room, trying to review patrol schedules, when I heard Sarah talking to two other girls near the fireplace.

"I always thought something was strange about how fast it happened," Sarah was saying. "One day she is rejected, the next day she is Luna? That does not just happen by accident."

"Ashley said she caught Aria watching the Alpha during meetings," Michelle added. "Like she was studying him or something."

"That is so gross," Tara said. "Imagine planning to steal your best friend's boyfriend's father. What kind of person does that?"

My hands stopped moving on the papers. They were talking about me. About Kael. About how we became mates.

"She probably threw herself at him the minute Daniel rejected her," Sarah continued. "Poor Alpha Kael, he probably did not even know what hit him."

I stood up, the chair scraping against the floor. All three girls turned to look at me, their faces going red with embarrassment at being caught.

"Ladies," I said, keeping my voice calm. "Is there something you would like to say to me directly?"

"No, Luna," Sarah said quickly. "We were just talking."

"About me. And my mate. And how I supposedly manipulated him."

The room had gone completely silent now. Other pack members were watching, waiting to see what would happen.

"We did not mean anything by it," Tara said.

"Of course you did not." I walked closer to their little group. "But next time you want to discuss your Luna's personal life, maybe you should make sure she is not in the room."

I left them there and walked out, but I could feel the weight of everyone's stares following me. As soon as I was gone, the whispers would start again. I knew they would.

The Luna bond pulled at me as I climbed the stairs to Kael's office. I could feel his presence, his emotions, his wolf. Sometimes it was comforting. Other times, like now, it felt like a chain around my neck.

Thunder was restless today. I could sense his agitation through the bond, his need to hunt, to fight, to assert his dominance. It made Ember pace anxiously in my mind.

The bond was different from what I had shared with Daniel. Stronger, more demanding, impossible to ignore. With Daniel, I could sometimes forget we were connected. With Kael, the bond was always there, pressing against my consciousness like a weight.

I knocked on his office door and waited for permission to enter. Even though I was Luna, even though this was supposed to be my home too, I still felt like I needed permission for everything.

"Come in," Kael's voice called.

He was standing by the window, looking out at the training grounds. His shoulders were tense, and I could smell his frustration in the air.

The moment I stepped into the room, the bond intensified. His dominance washed over me like a wave, making Ember want to bare her throat in submission. I fought the urge, keeping my chin up and my back straight.

"The rumors are getting worse," I said without any greeting.

"I know." He turned to me, his eyes steady. "I hear them too."

"You know, and that is all you have to say?"

He crossed the room and stopped in front of me. His presence was powerful, but his voice was softer now. "Aria, listen to me. I cannot stop whispers. The pack is free to agree or disagree, to doubt and to question. What I can do is make sure none of them ever act against you. I will protect you. No one will touch you, no one will disrespect you in my presence."

"You could still support me publicly. Make it clear that you will not tolerate this kind of talk."

"You are my Luna. I have marked you. Everyone knows where I stand. But if you want me to say it out loud, I will. I will remind them who you are and what you mean to me."

I moved closer to his desk, each step requiring effort as his dominance pressed down on me. "Half the pack thinks I seduced you to steal the Luna position."

"Then they are fools. I chose you because the bond chose us. That is not something anyone can fake. Do not carry their doubts on your shoulders."

The words eased some of the tightness in my chest, but the constant pressure of his presence made it hard to relax completely. "They make it sound like I do not deserve this."

"Then prove them wrong. Not by fighting every rumor, but by standing tall as my Luna. Let them see your strength. I will be right beside you." His hand brushed my arm, and through the bond I felt the sharp edge of Thunder’s protectiveness aimed outward, not at me.

"I want to believe that is enough," I whispered.

"It is enough," Kael said firmly. "You are enough. The pack may whisper, but they will learn. And if they do not, I will make them."

The honesty comforted me more than I expected. For once, I felt his confidence flowing through the bond instead of doubt, and it gave me strength to hold my head higher.

"I am handling it," I said, though my voice trembled slightly.

"You are doing more than handling it. You are proving every day that you belong here. And I will keep proving that I stand with you."

The pressure of his dominance was still there, but the weight felt different now, less like a chain and more like a shield.

"I need some air," I said after a moment, backing toward the door.

"Go breathe, but come back to me when you are ready," Kael told me. "You are not alone in this, Aria. Never forget that."

I left his office and walked quickly toward the stairs. The bond pulled at me, but this time it was not suffocating. Each step away from him made it a little easier to breathe.

Outside, the sun was bright and warm. The further I got from the pack house, the weaker the bond became. It was still there, always would be, but at least I could think clearly again.

I walked into the forest, needing space to sort through everything I was feeling. The rumors, the doubt, the constant struggle between who I was and who I needed to become.

Maybe Ashley was wrong about me. Maybe I was strong enough to be Luna after all.