6 : The Rejection

Aaira

My mother walked toward us, her eyes scanning the hall. The moment her gaze landed on me, her eyes widened in shock.

For three years, I had told her that I was the respected and beloved Luna of Ethan's pack. Yet now, she had found me being held by guards while wearing a maid's uniform at my own pack's biggest event.

My chest tightened painfully as I realized how pathetic I must have looked.

"What is going on here?" she demanded as she walked past me and scrutinized Ethan.

Ethan and the others looked shocked by her sudden arrival. He quickly composed himself and bowed to my mother. "Queen Isadora, it's an honor to finally meet you."

The others followed suit, lowering their heads in respect. Even the guards who had been holding me released their grip and bowed before her.

However, the Queen didn't acknowledge any of them. Instead, her gaze remained fixed on me as she asked, "Why do you have... this woman being held by the guards?"

Vanessa quickly stepped forward. "My Queen, we were simply punishing this useless maid for making a terrible mistake involving our pack's respected Elder."

My mother's eyebrows rose at her words.

"She's a maid, you say?" she asked, and I clutched the hem of my skirt, wishing I could disappear from the face of the earth. "If she's the maid, then who is the Luna?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes at me.

I could sense that she was questioning whether I had lied to her about my status in this pack for all those years.

"I am, my Queen," Rue declared as she stepped beside Ethan with a sweet smile. "I've been looking forward to meeting you for so long. I hope you'll enjoy this event."

"I can't say I will," my mother replied bluntly. Rue's smile faltered. "The first thing I see after entering this hall is chaos. Is this how you welcome your guests?" Mother asked, crossing her arms.

"Please forgive us, my Queen," Vanessa said on Rue's behalf, already behaving like a protective mother-in-law. She had never defended me when I was questioned or insulted, but she had no problem standing up for her son's mistress.

"It was this good-for-nothing omega's fault for ruining the event," she continued, sneering at me. "She's always been this incompetent. I warned Alpha Ethan to kick her out because nobody wants a useless omega in their pack."

My eyes widened in shock as I listened to her blatant lies.

"So, what you're saying is that this woman has always been a maid in this pack?" my mother asked.

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

Rue answered this time. "Yes, my Queen. We let her stay out of kindness, thinking that someone so poor and low in status would have nowhere else to go. But she took advantage of our generosity."

She spoke with feigned sadness, but her eyes gleamed with smugness as she looked at me.

She was deliberately using her temporary position to humiliate me further in front of the Queen.

"As the Luna, I'll make sure this stupid maid is properly punished for her crimes. She needs to be made an example of so that everyone in the pack understands the consequences of such behavior," Rue declared, lifting her chin proudly.

The others nodded in agreement and praised her.

My stomach twisted painfully. I felt an overwhelming urge to defend myself, but what could I possibly say when I had already ruined my reputation in front of my mother?

This was all my fault for trusting Ethan.

"You claim to be the Luna, but I don't smell the Alpha's scent on you, nor do I see a bonding mark on your neck," my mother declared.

Rue's face paled. I sighed in relief. My mother was a practical woman who wouldn't be fooled so easily.

"I... It's because they haven't had the ceremony yet, my Queen," Elder Cruz interjected, sweating profusely under my mother's scrutiny.

"But I heard that the Alpha has been married for quite some time," Mother countered. "A Luna should be marked by her Alpha shortly after their marriage. Is your pack attempting to insult our sacred traditions?"

Her eyes narrowed as she glared at them.

Everyone stiffened, and a few people whimpered as my mother unleashed her lycan aura. They knew they couldn't get away with any more lies.

Ethan finally stepped forward, his jaw clenched. "It is true that I've been married... to Aaira." He pointed at me, and I froze.

Mother looked from him to me. Something flickered in her eyes, and she seemed about to speak, but Ethan interrupted her.

"But she turned out to be worthless and undeserving of this position," he complained, making my heart leap into my throat.

Mother looked shocked by his accusation. "And why do you say that?" she asked, scrutinizing him.

He sighed as if the very thought of me exhausted him. "It's because she's a wolfless omega. She seduced me and climbed into my bed, manipulating me into bonding with her. Otherwise, an Alpha like me would never have married her."

My stomach dropped. How could he say that?

After everything we'd been through, after all the time we'd spent together and how desperately he'd once wanted to marry me, he was now making it seem as though I'd forced him into our marriage.

I gritted my teeth. He was trying to play the victim in front of the Queen.

Ethan put on a pained expression before continuing. "I gave her multiple chances to prove herself, but she failed every time. There was nothing I didn't provide for her, yet she remained ungrateful for my generosity. In fact, she was the reason my pack was looked down upon for so long."

My jaw dropped.

I couldn't believe how effortlessly he twisted the truth to make me seem responsible for his pack's miserable condition. If it weren't for my efforts, he wouldn't even have been able to host this Lunar Ball.

"That's not true!" I shouted, unable to remain silent any longer. "I've worked hard to help this pack—"

"Shut up!" Vanessa snapped at me. "How dare you use that filthy mouth of yours to shout in front of the Queen?"

I wanted to tell her that the Queen was my mother. But when I looked at her, my face paled at the cold expression in her eyes.

She was deeply disappointed in me.

I had fought with my mother and left her behind just to be with Ethan. Now, everything had backfired, and I couldn't bring myself to claim my place as her daughter again. What if she no longer wanted me in her life?

A wave of regret washed over me, and I pressed my lips together.

Ethan shot me an annoyed look before turning back to my mother.

"I'm sorry for her disrespectful behavior, my Queen. As you can see, a reckless omega like her, who has neither status nor money to her name, isn't suitable to stand beside me, the Alpha of a powerful pack. That's why I want to reject Aaira and start fresh with Rue, the daughter of our Gamma Commander. She's far more suitable for the position."

He said it without the slightest hesitation, making my heart thud painfully against my chest.

"It would be wonderful if you could grant our Alpha and his future Luna your approval and blessings, my Queen," Elder Cruz added, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "It would be a tremendous honor for our pack."

I clenched my fists.

He had never looked this pleased when Ethan introduced me as his Luna to the pack. None of them had ever been happy to have me by their side.

My mother remained silent for a while. Her expression was unreadable as she studied Ethan, and I had no idea what was going through her mind.

"Alpha Ethan, are you certain that you no longer want Aaira as your Luna? Are you willing to go through the rejection process for Rue?" she asked.

For a moment, Ethan looked at me, and his eyes softened with uncertainty. Through our bond, I could sense that he didn't want to let me go completely.

But the hesitation didn't last long. His gaze turned cold again, and he answered firmly, "Yes. I no longer want Aaira as my Luna, and I will reject her."

Ethan's mother and the Elders smiled at his answer, as if they were finally relieved that I would no longer stand by his side.

Meanwhile, tears filled my eyes as I looked at him. I had known this moment was coming, yet it still hurt more than I could bear.

In the past, my mother had asked me if I would still choose Ethan as my husband if he were the Alpha of a small, impoverished pack. I had said yes without a moment's hesitation, never caring whether he could provide me with the stability and status that other powerful Alphas could offer.

Yet here he was, openly rejecting me as his Luna in front of my own mother in favor of another woman, without giving it a second thought.

"If that's what you want, then so be it," Mother declared.

Everyone erupted into cheers.

The sound made my heart ache, but when I met my mother's gaze, my stomach twisted painfully. I finally understood why she hadn't revealed my identity as her daughter to them.

I had not only failed to keep my promise to her but had also disrespected her by choosing Ethan over her warnings.

Shame and sadness weighed heavily on my chest as I lowered my head.

"Why are you still standing here?!" Vanessa shouted at me. "The Queen has approved my son's decision to marry Rue."

She smiled at me triumphantly.

"Finally, a fatty like you won't be his Luna anymore."

"She attempted to disrespect the Queen in front of everyone and caused trouble at the Lunar Ball when she wasn't even supposed to be here," Ethan declared, glaring at me. A shiver ran down my spine as he continued, "As the Alpha, I can't tolerate such behavior. Until the rejection, she needs to be locked up."

"No!" I cried, trying to break free and run away. But the guards caught me and twisted my wrist painfully. "Ah!" I screamed.

Vanessa sneered at me. "This fat omega needs to be taught a lesson. She'll never make the mistake of insulting us again."

She raised her hand, and I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the slap. But the blow never came.

When I cautiously opened my eyes, I saw that my mother had caught Vanessa's wrist.

Her eyes burned red with fury as she unleashed her lycan aura, making Vanessa whimper in fear. “M-my Queen?” she asked. 

Mother growled, her voice thundering through the hall. "How dare you raise your hand against my daughter, the Lycan Princess of this country?!"