Rise Of The Fallen Luna

Chapter 2

••• Leicia’s POV •••

I came from one of the strongest packs in the area—the Dawn Guardians Pack.

The men in my family were warriors, each of them proud, fierce, and loyal to the crown. My seven older brothers, all elite guards to the Alpha King, carried our name with honor. I was the youngest and the only daughter. They spoiled me relentlessly, always shielding me, always watching out for me.

Unfortunately, around four years ago, a war, or more specifically, some strong packs in the North, tried to take parts of the area under the Alpha King.

At that time, the Alpha King had just ascended to his throne, so he needed warriors to ensure those packs wouldn’t be successful.

He sent his warriors, not to cause any wars but to reach some type of agreement with them, a negotiation for a treaty of some sort, but instead of reaching an agreement, it became a full-blown war.

My dad and brothers went with other warriors, trusted by the Alpha King to return successfully. Yet, one day, I felt their links snap, and I broke down, knowing what had befallen them, how they would never return to us again.

My family wasn’t the only one mourning for them. Werewolves across the kingdom honored their sacrifice. Still, no statue, no howl of remembrance could quiet what my mother became.

After that, she forbade me from marrying any warriors. She’d already buried her mate and seven sons. She wouldn’t want to bury her daughter either.

So when Matthew, my old university friend, who had long harbored a harmless crush, approached her and asked for my hand in marriage, my mom agreed without hesitation. He wasn’t a soldier, wasn’t powerful, wasn’t anything that could draw the war to our doorstep. He was… safe. That was what she wanted.

At first, I was against it. I didn’t feel any attraction to him at all. Even though it was rare for werewolves to find our fated mates, I felt like if I had to marry, I at least had to feel an attraction toward my chosen mate.

But I had seen the way my mom crumbled and how she became a shell of her old self after feeling the snap of the matebond, and the links to all her seven sons.

My mom pleaded for me to marry Matthew, and in the end, I married him for her. I entered his pack as his Luna. Unfortunately, on the first day of our marriage, after marking each other, the Alpha King made an announcement that they needed reinforcement at the war zone, and Matthew volunteered himself.

I sighed and closed my eyes. If only my mom knew that in the end, the mate she chose for me would still go to war… But still, I hoped her spirit was at peace with my dad and brothers now.

Yes, the war lasted for a long time, but I guessed it had ended now since Matthew was back—with a mistress.

Even though I didn’t love him, the mate bond throbbed like an old wound reopening. I didn’t flinch. But my wolf did.

I never wanted him. But this—this insult? It lit a cold fire inside me.

Then I made a decision, one I knew I wouldn’t regret.

I sat in the study, quietly drafting our divorce agreement. Matthew didn’t know yet. He wouldn’t—until I was ready. I slid the document beneath a stack of estate papers just as the door opened.

“Leicia,” he called my name as he strode inside and sat on the chair opposite me, still with that smug look which made me want to slap it away. “From now on, Lydia will stay here with us. You don’t have to worry about your position as the Luna of the pack, though. She will only be my mistress.”

His words sliced clean and deep. Not because I loved him—I didn’t—but because betrayal by a mate always echoes beneath the skin.

Still, I stared back without a flicker of emotion. Silence stretched long enough that he shifted in his seat.

“She’s... different,” he continued. “Full of life. Strategic. She helped secure the treaty. Even the Alpha King plans to reward her.”

His reasoning was just so laughable my lips couldn’t help but curl into a mocking smile, and I asked, “So, because she helped in the war, I, as the Luna of the pack, as your mate, should welcome her as your mistress with open arms? That I should allow myself to see the two of you looking all lovey-dovey and be gracious enough to let you bed her under our roof?”

Matthew actually had the decency to look ashamed when he heard my words.

“Don’t be so—”

“Lewd?” I arched a brow. “You brought her here to sleep with her, Matthew. At least be honest about it.”

His expression soured. “You’re twisting this.”

“Am I?” I leaned back. “Are you telling me you won’t sleep with her?”

“What do you think about it?” he snapped. “She’s my mistress. It’s natural for us to get intimate.”

I hummed and nodded, and Matthew looked relieved as if I had given them my blessing. “So, you agree with the arrangement, then?”

This time, I laughed out loud and looked at him coldly. “Matthew, do you remember what you promised my late mom when you asked for my hand in marriage?”

His face drained of color so fast, and I smirked inwardly.

“It seems you remember your promise,” I kept my calm tone. “You swore never to betray me. No mistresses. No she-wolves. You even swore on your mother’s health.” I tilted my head. “And how’s she doing, by the way? Frail, isn’t she? Funny how karma works.”

“So, Matthew, tell me, then,” I continued without giving him any chance to speak. “I distinctly remember you said I could divorce you if you ever have any other relationship with another she-wolf.”

Matthew stood up abruptly, causing the chair to topple to the ground. “You can’t seriously want to divorce me.”

I crossed my arms. “And why not? I wasn’t the one who broke my promise. You broke your vow. I waited for you to return, kept this pack running while you were off pretending to be a hero. I cared for your mother and your sister. And now I get called petty for not clapping when you come home with another woman?”

He sneered as he began looking down on me.“And where will you go after you divorce me?” “Your whole pack had been annihilated. You think you can live as a rogue?”

The words hit, but not like he wanted. I didn’t show pain. Just smiled.

Before I could respond, the door opened and Lydia swept in, her presence as subtle as a thunderclap. She immediately latched onto his side like a leech in silk.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“She doesn’t want to accept you,” Matthew scowled at me.

Lydia turned her eyes on me, dripping with sympathy so fake it should’ve come with a warning label. “Leicia, Matthew told me you have no family. If you leave him, you’ll be all alone.”

How touching. The mistress offering charity…

“I’m not taking your title,” Lydia continued. “You’ll still be Luna. Matthew’s being generous.”

She actually said it with a straight face.

I scoffed inwardly. Either these two have the same mind, or they had discussed this before.

“With the Alpha King recognizing us,” she said, puffing up, “The Whitemaw Pack will thrive. Don’t be petty, Leicia. He just fell in love with someone else.”

I looked at them as if they were clowns. I should be grateful? He should be the one who felt grateful because my mom asked me to marry him. He should be grateful because when he was at war, I was the one who kept the pack running.

I stood up, getting tired of hearing their nonsense. “Well, if the pack gets recognition and becomes prosperous, Matthew won’t need me anymore. He has you, after all,” I told Lydia.

As I walked past them, Matthew caught my wrist. “I will give you until tomorrow to change your mind about divorcing me. You know you won’t be able to survive without being in a pack. You will regret it if you really divorce me.”

I yanked my hand back, disgusted by his touch and told him coldly, “The only thing I regret is ever marrying you. If my mom didn’t ask me to, I would never have gone through with the marriage.”

Then I walked away, but I heard Lydia shouting after me, “Do you think the Alpha King will allow it to happen?”

I paused only to smirk because Lydia didn’t know about my history with the Alpha King or how loyal he was to the Luna Queen. I didn’t think Matthew even knew about it either. He only knew that my brothers were the most elite members of the Alpha King’s warriors, and my parents were close to the Alpha King and Luna Queen.

If they thought the Alpha King would stop me from divorcing Matthew, then they had a surprise coming their way.