Shatter Me

"Chapter 1: The Rejection The weight of the silver chains around her wrists cut deep, a reminder of the betrayal she could not escape. Luna stood in the center of the grand hall, her heart thrumming like a caged animal in her chest. The murmurs of the pack around her faded into the background, but their whispers were louder than any words spoken. Rejected. Discarded. A Luna stripped of her dignity. She could feel the heat of Alpha Zane’s gaze burning into her, sharp and furious. He stood beside his mistress, his hand casually resting on her waist, as though Luna’s presence was nothing more than an inconvenience. His eyes—a storm of gray—betrayed only anger, no remorse, no apology. Luna’s breath caught in her throat, the sting of his betrayal cutting deeper than any physical wound. ""You dare reject me?"" Zane's voice sliced through the room, low but filled with venom. Her knees trembled beneath the weight of his words, but Luna’s gaze never faltered. She had spent too long living in the shadow of his false love. Too long bearing the weight of his lies. Now, she could no longer pretend. She clenched her fists, the silver chains biting into her skin, but she refused to show weakness. ""Yes,"" she whispered, her voice steady despite the trembling within. ""I reject you, Zane. You are not the mate I thought you were."" There was a sharp intake of breath from the pack members—shocked, confused, as if Luna’s declaration had shattered the world they knew. But Zane's face twisted with anger, his eyes narrowing with contempt. He stepped toward her, his presence suffocating. ""You reject me? After everything I’ve done for you? You are nothing without me!"" He sneered, his voice rising. ""You are mine, Luna. You’ll never be anything more than mine."" The words stung like a slap, but they only strengthened her resolve. Luna’s heart ached, but she felt the surge of power within her, a power she had always suppressed. The power of the Luna bloodline, the very essence of her being, had been stifled for too long. She would no longer let him control her. Her gaze flickered toward the pack’s mistress—the woman Zane had so easily chosen over her. The woman who had been allowed to strut through the pack without fear of consequence, while Luna had been silenced. She had been humiliated enough, and the wounds of betrayal were still raw, but Luna knew this was the moment of reckoning. ""You were never mine to begin with,"" Luna said, her voice firm and clear. ""I see now who you truly are. And I am done. I reject you."" Zane’s expression faltered for a split second—anger mixing with disbelief. He opened his mouth to speak, but Luna didn’t wait. She would not allow him to manipulate her further. ""Take me to the dungeons if you must,"" she spat. ""But I am done being your pawn."" The room was silent for a moment, thick with tension. And then Zane’s voice broke the quiet, cold and hard. ""You will regret this."" His command echoed through the hall, and the guards moved swiftly, surrounding Luna. The silver chains around her wrists were tightened, cutting into her flesh as they pulled her toward the dungeon below. But Luna’s heart was no longer with Zane. Her spirit was no longer bound to the life she had known. This rejection, this painful moment of severance, had unlocked something within her—something ancient, raw, and powerful. As the cold stone walls of the dungeon loomed before her, Luna refused to bow to the fear that tried to creep in. She felt it—the connection to something greater, something that pulsed beneath her skin, deep within her soul. As they threw her into the dark, damp cell, Luna’s gaze remained fierce. ""You’ve made a mistake, Zane,"" she muttered to herself, her voice echoing in the silence. ""This is only the beginning."" The sound of the dungeon door slamming shut rang in her ears, but Luna only took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She could still feel the pull of her power, faint but undeniable, like a flicker of light in the darkness. Her time in the pack was over. But there was something more. Something she was meant to do. And she would escape. She would rise. Her destiny awaited."