Luna Seraphine

Three weeks after the rejection, Luna Seraphine came to see me.

I was in my room because that's where I spent most of my time now l, avoiding people. Avoiding the stares and whispers.

Avoiding the pack house where I might run into Kael. Someone knocked and I almost didn't answer. But then a voice said "Dian? It's Luna Seraphine." And I scrambled off my bed so fast I nearly fell.

The Luna. The actual Luna was at my door. I opened it and there she stood. Beautiful even in simple clothes. Her white-gold hair caught the light. She smiled at me and it was kind. Actually kind. Not pitying. "May I come in?"

I nodded because words weren't working. She came in and closed the door behind her. Looked around my small room. I was suddenly aware of how tiny it was. How plain. How the bed was unmade and I hadn't cleaned in days.

But she didn't seem to care and just sat on the edge of my bed like it was normal. Like Lunas visited low-ranking wolves in their messy rooms all the time. She had a cloth bag with her. Set it down between us. "I brought you something." My throat was tight. "You didn't have to do that." "I wanted to." She opened the bag. Pulled out bundles of dried herbs. "These will help with the pain. The physical symptoms from the damaged bond. Margot's remedies only do so much. These are stronger."

She showed me each bundle. Explained how to brew them. How often to drink the tea. Her hands were graceful and sure.

She knew exactly what she was doing. "My grandmother taught me these recipes. From the old ways." I took the herbs carefully. Like they might break. "Thank you." My voice cracked. "I don't understand why you're being kind to me.

Everyone else..." I trailed off. She studied my face. Those blue eyes saw too much. "How are you really doing?" Not the polite question. The real one. I could've lied. Probably should've. But something about her made me tell the truth. "I hurt all the time. I can't shift. My wolf won't come out. And everyone thinks I'm either cursed or that I deserved it."

"You didn't deserve it." She said it firm. Certain. Like fact. I looked up at her. "Kael said I was too weak. From the wrong family. He said the bond was a mistake." Saying it out loud made my chest tight. Seraphine's expression hardened.

Just for a second. "Kael is young and under enormous pressure from his father. Beta Thornridge has very traditional ideas about bloodlines and power. But that doesn't make what Kael said true." She reached out. Took my hand. Her grip was warm and strong.

"Listen to me carefully. The moon goddess doesn't make mistakes. I know that's hard to believe right now. But mate bonds form for reasons we don't always understand immediately."

"Then why did she bond me to someone who didn't want me?" The question came out broken. She was quiet for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe the bond wasn't the mistake.

Maybe how Kael responded to it was." She squeezed my hand gently. "Or maybe this pain has a purpose you can't see yet." I wanted to believe her. Wanted to think this agony meant something. But mostly I just wanted it to stop. "Strength comes in many forms," she continued. "Physical power is only one kind. And often not the most important." I'd heard that before but it sounded different coming from her. "That's not what the pack thinks." "The pack is wrong about many things." Her voice had an edge. Almost bitter. "We hold onto traditions without questioning if they still serve us. We value the wrong qualities and overlook others that matter more."

I'd never heard anyone talk about the pack like that. Especially not the Luna. She seemed to realize she'd said too much. Her expression smoothed. "I just mean that you have strengths Kael was too blind to see. You're intelligent. Observant. Kind even when you have every reason not to be." "That doesn't matter if I'm too weak to be a proper mate." The words tasted like ash. "You're not weak. You're small. There's a difference." She looked at me intently. "Some of the most powerful wolves I've known were small. Power isn't always about size or physical strength." Something in her tone made me think she meant more than she was saying. But before I could ask she stood. "I should go. The Alpha doesn't like me wandering too long these days."

She moved toward the door then paused. Looked back at me. "Use the herbs. They'll help. And Dian?" I waited. "Don't let this break you. I know it feels impossible right now. But you're stronger than you think. Stronger than this pack gives you credit for." She said it like she knew something. Like she could see something I couldn't. Then her expression shifted. Became troubled. Distant. For just a second she looked worried. Actually scared. Then it was gone. Smoothed back to calm. "Rest. Heal. Remember what I said about strength." She left before I could ask what that look meant.

I sat on my bed holding the herb bundles. The room felt warmer somehow. Less empty. Luna Seraphine had called me strong. Had said the moon goddess doesn't make mistakes.

Had implied the pack was wrong about a lot of things. It was the first time since the rejection that anyone treated me like I mattered. Like I was worth something beyond being Kael's failed mate. I didn't understand why she cared. But I was grateful. So grateful I started crying again. Not sad tears this time. Something else. Something like hope. Maybe.

That night I brewed the tea exactly how she'd shown me. It tasted bitter but not bad. Within an hour the constant ache in my chest had dulled. Not gone. But bearable.

For the first time in weeks I slept through the night without pain waking me up. I dreamed of white-gold fur and a voice saying I was stronger than I knew. When I woke up the herbs were still on my bedside table. Proof it hadn't been a dream. Proof someone believed in me. It wasn't much. But right then? It was enough.