The Luna He Never Deserved

The Luna He Never Deserved POV: Ariana Ravenwood The first sign that my life was about to fall apart wasn't Alpha Damon's rejection. It was the way my wolf refused to howl. The Moonfire Pack Hall glowed beneath silver chandeliers as warriors, elders, and guests gathered for the ceremony that was supposed to make me their Luna. I stood outside the grand doors, smoothing invisible wrinkles from my white gown while trying to calm the frantic beat of my heart. For five years, Damon had promised this day would come. Tonight, I would finally stand beside my mate before the Moon Goddess and our entire pack. Yet Nala remained silent inside me. She had never been silent around Damon. "You look beautiful." I turned to find Beta Rowan smiling warmly. He adjusted the ceremonial cloak resting on my shoulders before lowering his voice. "The Alpha is waiting." I smiled back, though the strange knot in my stomach refused to disappear. "I know." The doors swung open. Music filled the hall as every eye settled on me. I walked slowly toward the altar, my gaze fixed on Damon. He stood tall in his Alpha robes, but something about him felt... distant. He wasn't looking at me the way he always had. There was no love in his eyes. Only hesitation. The High Elder raised his staff. "Tonight, under the blessing of the Moon Goddess, we witness the union between Alpha Damon and his fated mate—" "Stop." The single word echoed through the silent hall. My steps froze. Confused whispers spread among the guests as I looked at Damon, waiting for him to smile and admit this was some terrible joke. He never smiled. "I can't continue this ceremony." The blood drained from my face. "What are you talking about?" He exhaled slowly before meeting my eyes. "I won't make you my Luna." The words struck so hard that I forgot how to breathe. A murmur swept through the crowd. Someone gasped. Someone else laughed nervously. I searched his face for regret. I found none. Before I could speak again, the massive doors behind me opened once more. A woman walked into the hall wearing a crimson dress that clung elegantly to her figure. Her hand rested protectively over the slight curve of her stomach as she made her way toward Damon with quiet confidence. Selene. The daughter of Alpha Victor. She stopped beside Damon, and without hesitation, he slipped an arm around her waist. The hall erupted. My heart shattered. "Damon..." My voice barely rose above a whisper. "Tell me this isn't real." "It is." His answer came without emotion. "Selene is carrying my child." The room spun around me. "No." It was the only word I could force out. "You promised me..." "I changed my mind." The cruelty in those four words hurt more than the confession itself. For years, I had stood beside him through every battle, every council meeting, every hardship our pack endured. I had believed every promise he whispered beneath the full moon. Forever. Future Luna. My mate. Every one of them had been a lie. "I've made my decision," Damon announced, turning toward the gathered pack. "Selene will be my Luna, and the mother of my heir." Silence lingered for only a heartbeat before scattered applause broke out across the hall. I looked around in disbelief. People I had grown up with lowered their eyes. Others smiled at Selene. No one stood beside me. No one questioned him. In that moment, I understood something far more painful than betrayal. I had already been replaced. Selene stepped closer, her smile sweet enough to fool anyone who didn't know her. "You should leave with what's left of your dignity." I stared at her, then at Damon. "If loving you made me weak..." I said quietly, fighting back the tears burning my eyes, "then rejecting me is the greatest mistake you'll ever make." I turned before either of them could answer. Every step toward the exit felt heavier than the last, but I refused to let them watch me fall apart. My hand had just reached the door when a terrified warrior burst into the hall, covered in blood and barely able to stand. "Alpha!" His desperate shout silenced the celebration. "We have enemy wolves at the western border." The hall exploded into chaos. Damon's expression hardened immediately. "How many?" "We... we don't know." The warrior swallowed hard. "They only sent one message." His trembling gaze shifted across the room until it landed on me. Then he spoke the words that made every person in the hall turn in my direction. "They aren't here for the pack." "They came for your rejected mate."