The Rejected Luna and Her Three Protectors

BELLA'S POV Belladonna. Before I knew what it meant, I'd always liked my name. I thought it was pretty, even though it's strange. Then, when I was eight, I overheard my mother--or at least that's what I thought she was--tell one of the maids something that put my whole world to a standstill. "She's named after a poison because that's what she is. The bastard child of an unfaithful husband with a woman of no bearing and no shame. She's a poison my husband brought back to our home. That's all." Those four sentences destroyed me completely. At that moment, I understood why my mother had always been cold. Why she never smiled at me. Why she never accepted my handmade cards. And why she always went stiff whenever my father made me hug her in public. She pretended to care about me, but she never showed me the same affection she did to my sisters Regina and Georgina. I realized my true status from that point on. I wasn't a beloved child of one of the noblest clans in our pack. I was merely an illegitimate one. A mistake that my father, according to my stepmother, had the gall to bring home. When my father died, I was almost disowned, if not for Alpha Kieran. Strong, handsome, and just, he was the perfect man to lead the Silver Glade pack. The day of my 16th birthday, he made a giant declaration. He announced to the whole pack I was his chosen mate. And the future Luna of Silver Glade. That news sent shock to everyone, especially my stepmother and Georgina. Especially Georgina. For years, there were rumors that Kieran and my other sister, Regina, were dating, but when she ran off to London with a man she met at college, that rumor was cut off. A few months later, Kieran began pursuing me. He treated me like a princess. He paid attention to my needs. He would even bring me expensive gifts from Lunula Port, the richest city in the whole county. He knew my favorites. He spent a lot of time with me. He pampered me, showered me with appreciation, and respected my decisions, even if it clearly pained him to do so. Most importantly, he showed me the kindness I had never experienced before. Not even from Regina, whom I thought was my best sister. Unlike Georgina who never accepted me, Regina would always include me in everything. Not even from my assistant and best friend Pam, who was my most trusted confidante during the days when I wasn't sure whether I should accept Kieran's courtship. Not even from good old Moses, the house butler, who would give me dinner when my stepmother banished me to the attic for existing. Kieran was the kindest, sweetest man in the world. Little did I know it was all an act. Everything was a lie, and all of them were in it to deceive me. Especially Regina. And even my beloved Kieran.