Rejected Luna, Claimed By The Heartless Alpha

Evelyn. The mirror in my cabin is cracked right down the middle. It’s been like that for months, and even though I could’ve asked someone to fix it, I didn’t. Strangely, the broken glass comforted me. It reminded me that I was not the only thing wrong in Blackthon’s territory. Inserting the final pin into my braided crown, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The woman I’d become these last two years was nothing but a shadow of the girl I once was. That girl no longer existed, and in her place was me. Evelyn Raid, Luna of the Blackthorn Pack. Mother to a dead pup. My heart ached at the last thought. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling, but it still stung with the freshness of a new wound. Today marked two years since I lost the one good thing I thought would come from my waning existence. Two years of surviving on dust and cold glances. I didn’t even get the chance to hold him. I had passed out from the blood loss and woke up hours later only to be told that my son was already gone. I never even saw his body. Rowan believed it was best that way and would’ve only caused me more pain. I wasn’t a stranger to loss. I’d lost both my parents when I turned sixteen and had to fend for myself most of my life. But there was a difference in the loss of a child. It felt like my entire world had shattered completely. Like I was suffocating and drowning with no way to get out. I couldn’t bear it at times, and time had done nothing to numb the pain. At first, people were sympathetic to my pain, but their comforting words didn’t take long to twist into ugly remarks. Rumours of how the Luna had lost the Moon goddess’s blessing sprang to life and consumed the pack like wildfire before I could even stand on my feet again. At first, I fought the rot of their words. I refused to believe that the goddess had forsaken me, or that my grief was a sign of some divine punishment. But as the weeks bled into months, the rumours and isolation did their work. It didn’t take long for Rowan to banish me from the main estate to this drafty, remote cabin at the boundary line, stripping me of what little dignity I still held as Blackthorn’s Luna. Pack members mocked me openly, and even the servants made no secret of their disdain. It didn’t help that the pack’s strength was slowly deteriorating, and we were turning into a laughingstock. And because I was branded as a cursed Luna, Rowan let the fault fall to my shoulders. It didn’t matter that he was the Alpha and the one responsible for our army. His leadership was unquestioned. A heavy knock rattled my cabin door, tossing me back to reality. My lips parted to answer whoever it was, but the door creaked open before I could. Mara, one of the main estate’s oldest maids, sauntered into my chambers. She didn’t bow, nor did she offer any of the customary greetings owed to a Luna. She tossed a black, faded cloak onto my unmade bed and curled her lips in disdain at me. “Alpha Rowan is expecting you at the Grand Banquet in fifteen minutes,” Mara said, her tone devoid of an ounce of respect. “Thank you for informing me.” “I do not understand why the alpha still wants to be seen with you. The elders are already complaining that your shadow will sour the winter yields.” I didn’t give her the satisfaction of a reply and rose from the vanity and picked up my cloak. Wrapping the worn fabric over my shoulders, I left the cabin and walked through the path toward the grand banquet hall lit up in the middle of the pack’s territory. The moment I stepped into the hall, I felt the shift in the air. Pack members clutched their children’s hands, pulling them away from me like I was some disease-ridden rogue, while scorching me with their glances. I tried not to let it get to me like I always did, but this time it proved difficult. Two years ago, these same people had bowed their heads and brought me offerings while singing my praises. Now, I was nothing more than an ill omen to them. Eventually, I straightened my spine and kept moving forward. I handed my cloak over to one of the servants and retreated into a forgotten corner at the edge of the hall where my presence would be of no disturbance. From across the room, Alpha Rowan sat at the centre table, radiating authority. He looked entirely unbothered by the rot spreading through our territory, drinking from a silver goblet while laughing at a joke made by one of the pack elders. Not far away from him was Selena. As an omega, she occupied a low rank, but Rowan was fond of her for the same reasons the rest of the pack was. She was kind. He sent her to comfort me during the early days of my grief, and she’d been kind enough to still visit me from time to time throughout the years. Unlike me, pack members didn’t pull away as she glided through the hall. They welcomed her. Some even smiled at her, while others let her hold their children. As she neared the main table, her eyes drifted to Rowan. For a fleeting second, I thought I imagined the timid expression on her face shift into something else, but it was gone before I knew what to make of it. Eventually she noticed me. Her eyes met mine, and I watched her expression melt into one of deep fondness. “Luna Evelyn”, Selena called, loud enough for nearby pack members to hear. “How wonderful it is that you made it. I was worried you wouldn’t come. You look so…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes dragged up and down my frame. “Tired. Have you been resting well?” “I have,” I lied. The truth was I hadn’t rested properly in the last two years. “Well, I am glad you are here. Excuse me for a moment; I have to go back to my cabin for my foster son. You recall that I adopted an orphan, yes?” I nodded. I did recall. Selena’s kindness apparently had no bounds. She recently adopted an orphaned pup and was now his sole guardian. The thought twisted something inside me—a reminder of what I would never have. “You aren’t staying?” “I intend to come back with him. I just popped by to make sure everything was in order since I wasn’t sure you’d be here, but now that I know you are, I’ll be sure to spend the rest of my evening wisely.” She bowed her head and turned away, once again leaving me all alone. I watched her leave the hall, and once she was gone, I stared silently at the floorboard and wondered how long it would take for this nightmare of an evening to end.