Chapter 2 Public Rejection

The words hung in the air like smoke from a dying fire, choking me, burning my lungs with each desperate breath I tried to take.

I do not.

Logan had spoken three words, and with them, he had shattered my entire world.

Around us, the gathered pack stood in stunned silence. I could feel their eyes on me, hundreds of wolves watching their Luna crumble before the ceremony could even begin. The candles still flickered their warm light, the flowers still perfumed the air, but everything had changed in the space of a heartbeat.

I do not accept this woman.

My hand remained extended, frozen in the space where Logan had held it moments before. Now his arms hung at his sides, his body turned away from me as if I were nothing more than a stranger who had wandered into his hall.

Logan, I tried to speak, but my voice emerged as barely a whisper. Please. Tell me why.

He did not answer. His back remained to me, broad and unyielding, the ceremonial black fabric stretching across shoulders I had dreamed of touching for years. I reached for him through the bond, that golden thread that had connected our souls since we came of age, and found nothing but cold emptiness.

The rejection had severed it completely.

Pain unlike anything I had ever known ripped through my chest. It was physical, emotional, spiritual all at once. I felt as though my heart was being torn from my body, as though my wolf was screaming inside me, clawing at the walls of my mind in agony.

A murmur rippled through the crowd, and I heard fragments of whispered words. What happened. The Luna. Rejected. Alpha Logan.

I forced myself to look away from Logan, to face the pack I was supposed to lead. Faces I had known my entire life stared back at me with shock, pity, confusion. Some looked away quickly, unable to meet my eyes. Others whispered behind their hands, and I could imagine the rumors already forming.

My gaze drifted across the crowd, searching for some friendly face, someone who might explain what was happening. Beta Ethan stood near the front, his expression dark with barely contained anger. Our eyes met for just a moment, and I saw something in his gaze that looked like guilt.

Then my attention caught on movement near the side of the hall.

Selena Frost stood slightly apart from the crowd, her blonde hair gleaming in the candlelight, her blue eyes fixed on me with an expression that made my blood run cold. She was smiling. Not the gentle smile of sympathy one might offer a woman in distress, but something else entirely. Something victorious.

The world tilted around me as understanding began to dawn.

Selena had always been close to Logan. Too close, some had whispered, though I had dismissed their words as jealousy. She was beautiful, confident, everything a future Luna should be. I had tried to befriend her when I learned I would be Logan's mate, but she had always held me at a distance with cool politeness and eyes that watched my every move.

Now those eyes glittered with triumph.

Alpha Logan, the Elder spoke carefully, his aged voice trembling slightly. The ceremony is not yet complete. Perhaps there has been some misunderstanding.

There is no misunderstanding. Logan's voice cut through the hall like a blade. I reject Aria Nightshade as my mate and as Luna of this pack. She has betrayed my trust and proven herself unworthy of the bond the Moon Goddess saw fit to give us.

Betrayal. The word hit me like a physical blow.

What betrayal? I managed to force the words past my numb lips. Logan, I have done nothing. I have been loyal to you since the moment we met.

He finally turned to face me, and the coldness in his blue eyes stole my breath. His handsome face, the face I had loved for years, showed no emotion whatsoever. He looked at me as though I were a stranger, as though the nights we had spent talking under the moon meant nothing, as though the bond we shared had never existed.

You know what you have done, he said flatly. Do not insult us both by pretending otherwise.

I shook my head, tears burning behind my eyes. I swear to you, Logan. I swear by the Moon Goddess herself, I have never betrayed you. Tell me what I am accused of, and I will prove my innocence.

His jaw tightened, and for just a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his gaze. Doubt, perhaps. Or pain. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by that terrible coldness.

It does not matter now. The rejection is complete. You are no longer my mate, and you are no longer welcome in this pack.

The words were formal, final. I felt them like stones dropping into my chest, heavy and crushing.

Around us, the pack stirred restlessly. Some looked uncomfortable, shifting on their feet and avoiding eye contact. Others watched with open curiosity, eager for the drama unfolding before them. And Selena still smiled that terrible smile.

Guards, Logan called out. Escort this woman from pack lands. She has until dawn to remove herself and her belongings.

Two wolves stepped forward, their faces carefully blank. I recognized them both, wolves I had trained beside, shared meals with, celebrated pack victories alongside. Now they reached for my arms as though I were a criminal.

I pulled away from their grasp, drawing myself up to my full height. The ceremonial gown felt like a costume now, a mockery of everything I had believed this night would bring.

I will walk on my own, I said, and was proud that my voice did not shake.

I turned away from Logan, away from the life I had thought would be mine, and began the long walk through the hall. The pack parted before me like water around stone, none willing to meet my eyes or offer comfort. I was already dead to them, already a ghost in the place I had called home.

As I passed Selena, her soft whisper reached my ears alone.

Enjoy your exile, Luna.

I stopped walking and turned to face her fully. Up close, I could see the triumph blazing in her eyes, the smug satisfaction curling her lips. She did not even try to hide it.

This was her doing. I knew it with every fiber of my being.

Selena, I said quietly. Whatever you have done, the Moon Goddess sees all. She knows the truth.

Something flickered in Selena's expression, a flash of uncertainty quickly masked. But she lifted her chin and met my gaze without flinching.

The Moon Goddess chose Logan as Alpha, she replied softly. And she chose me to stand at his side. Accept your fate.

I held her eyes for a long moment, then continued my walk toward the doors. Behind me, I heard the buzz of conversation rising as the pack processed what they had witnessed. Somewhere, Logan stood in silence, and I wondered if he felt anything at all.

The night air hit my face like a blessing as I stepped outside. Above me, the moon hung full and bright, the same moon that had guided my ancestors for generations. I looked up at it and felt tears finally spill down my cheeks.

I had done nothing wrong. I had loved Logan with my whole heart, served the pack with everything I had, believed in the bond the Moon Goddess had given us. And still, I had been rejected, humiliated, cast out.

The guards followed me to my chambers and waited outside while I gathered what little I could carry. I stripped off the ceremonial gown with shaking hands, leaving it crumpled on the floor where it fell. I would not take it with me. I wanted nothing that reminded me of this night.

When I emerged with a small bag containing clothes and a few precious keepsakes, the guards escorted me to the pack border. At the tree line, they stopped.

You cannot return, one of them said quietly. By Alpha's order, you are banished.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I walked past them into the darkness of the forest, feeling their eyes on my back until the trees swallowed me whole.

Behind me, the Silver Moon Pack celebrated the mating of their Alpha to a new Luna. Ahead of me lay only uncertainty and pain.

But as I walked through the dark forest, something stirred deep within me. A power I had never felt before, ancient and strong, whispered through my blood. And in the distance, I heard the howl of a wolf that was not of my pack.