REJECTED LUNA:THE MOON GODDESS’S LOST HEIRESS

Aurelia’s POV ​The silver chalice clinked against the wooden table, and the sound seemed to echo across the entire banquet hall. I kept my head down, keeping my eyes fixed on the grain of the wood, but I could still feel every glare in the room drilling straight into my back. Three years had passed since I married Alpha Kael Blackthorne, and for three years, this exact room had grown steadily colder toward me. ​"She is still sitting there like she belongs at the high table," a sharp whisper drifted from the third row of benches, and I recognized the voice of Evelyn, an elder's daughter who had never hidden her disdain for me. ​"The Moon Goddess clearly cursed her with that ugly mark on her collarbone, so it is no surprise her womb is just as barren," another woman replied, laughing softly behind her wine goblet. "Three years and not a single pup to show for it, while the pack needs an heir to secure our borders." ​I instinctively pulled the collar of my tunic higher, trying to hide the dark, irregular patches of skin near my neck, but the movement only drew more muffled snickers from the crowd. ​"Aurelia," Elder Thomas said, his heavy boots thudding against the floorboards as he walked up to my side, not even bothering to lower his voice. "The pack is growing restless, and the people need to see a future for the Blackthorne lineage, which you have failed to provide." ​"I am doing everything I can, Elder Thomas," I said, keeping my voice level despite the tightness in my chest, and I gripped the edge of the table to stop my hands from shaking. "The pack healers are still looking into new remedies, and Kael and I are—" ​"The healers have done enough, and Kael needs a real mate who can actually secure his line," Thomas interrupted, waving his hand dismissively before turning away to join the other elders near the back exit. ​I couldn’t sit there and take the staring anymore, so I slipped out of the side door into the dim stone corridor, hoping the cool night air would clear my head. The hallway was empty, but as I walked past the council room, the heavy oak door was cracked open, and the sound of Kael’s voice made me freeze in my tracks. ​"She has been a dutiful Luna, Thomas, and I will not throw her to the wolves just because the pack is impatient," Kael said, his tone deep and strained, though there was a lack of conviction in it that made my stomach drop. ​"Dutiful does not lead an army, Kael, nor does it bear the next Alpha," Thomas countered loudly, and I heard the sound of a fist hitting the table. "Selene is already three months pregnant with your child, and she is a strong wolf from a respected bloodline, so the choice is simple." ​"Selene’s pregnancy was an accident, and you know that," Kael muttered, but he didn't immediately shoot down the suggestion, which hurt worse than any insult the pack women had thrown at me earlier. ​"An accident that solves our biggest problem," another elder chimed in, his voice eager. "The pack will never accept Aurelia after this festival, especially when they find out another woman is carrying your heir, so you must announce the change tonight before the rumors destroy your authority." ​My breath hitched in my throat, and I backed away from the door, my heels clicking slightly against the stone floor, but before I could run back to the safety of my quarters, the council room door swung wide open. ​Kael stood in the doorway, his tall frame blocking the light, and his dark eyes locked onto mine with a mixture of guilt and sudden anger. ​"Aurelia, how long have you been standing out here?" he demanded, stepping out into the corridor and closing the door behind him, though the elders remained visible through the glass pane. ​"Long enough to hear that you are planning to replace me with Selene," I said, my voice cracking slightly, but I forced myself to look him directly in the eyes. "Is it true, Kael, are you really going to banish me for something I cannot control?" ​Kael rubbed his face with both hands, looking older than his twenty-five years, and he sighed heavily before stepping closer to me. "The pack is on the verge of a rebellion because the neighboring territories are looking for any sign of weakness, and a barren Luna is exactly what they want to see." ​"So you are choosing your pride over your wife," I whispered, shaking my head as the reality of his words settled in. ​"I am choosing my pack, Aurelia, because that is what an Alpha does," he said, his voice hardening as he regained his composure, and he reached out to grab my arm, not roughly, but with enough force to keep me from walking away. "Come with me to the courtyard, because the entire pack is waiting, and we need to end this discussion now." ​He didn't wait for my response, pulling me along the corridor toward the main exit where the sounds of the festival were growing louder, and the dread in my chest multiplied with every step we took toward the crowded square.