The night of Rejection

Chapter one

I woke before dawn with my eyes open and my heart beating too fast.

I did not sleep.

Not after last night.

Damon was only meant to walk me back after the council dinner. The night had been quiet, the path empty, the air cool against my skin. Nothing about it should have stayed with me.

But it did.

Halfway to my chambers, he stopped. I turned to ask why, but the look in his eyes held me still. It was not the calm Alpha I knew. Something in him looked unsettled, like he was standing on the edge of a decision he did not want to make.

“Iris,” he said. “You should rest. Tomorrow is important.”

I nodded and turned to leave.

His hand caught my waist.

I froze.

He pulled me back, close enough that I felt the heat of him through the thin fabric of my dress. His fingers moved along my arm, slow and careful, like he was memorizing something he was about to lose.

His breath touched my neck.

He leaned in.

I thought he would kiss me.

He didn’t.

He stopped.

Then stepped back like he had gone too far.

Neither of us spoke after that.

But the moment stayed with me.

It followed me into my room. It stayed with me through the night. It sat in my chest until morning came.

Today was my wedding day.

I pushed myself out of bed and walked to the window. The sky was just beginning to change, light breaking through the darkness in soft lines.

A small smile came to my face.

This was the day everything would change.

I would become Luna.

Damon’s Luna.

I had waited years for this. I had held on to that hope even when the whispers started, even when the looks followed me wherever I went.

The pack house was already awake. Movement filled the halls, voices rising, footsteps passing quickly. Decorations were being placed, flowers carried from one end of the building to the other.

Still, the whispers found me.

“They say she’s cursed.”

“She’s not fit.”

I heard them.

I walked past them.

Damon chose me.

That was enough.

“My lady.”

I turned at the familiar voice.

“Ylva.”

She stood by the door, holding part of my dress carefully in her hands. Her hair was pulled back the way it always had been when she worked, her face calm, but her eyes watched me closely.

She had been with me since I was a child.

Before the whispers.

Before the doubt.

Before everything became complicated.

“You’re awake early,” she said.

“I didn’t sleep,” I replied.

She stepped closer without asking more. She helped me into the dress with careful hands, adjusting each part with quiet focus.

“You don’t have to prove anything today,” she said after a moment.

I looked at her.

“I know.”

But I still stood straighter.

Still held my head high.

Because today mattered.

She fastened the back of my dress and stepped aside.

“Turn.”

I did.

I faced the mirror.

For a moment, I did not recognize the girl staring back at me.

The dress fit perfectly. The embroidery caught the morning light, soft but bright enough to draw attention. My posture changed the way I looked at myself.

Stronger.

Worthy.

“You look like a Luna,” Ylva said.

I held her gaze through the mirror.

“Do I?”

“You always have,” she answered.

Something in my chest eased at that.

The door opened.

“Iris.”

I turned.

“Ophelia.”

She walked in with a smile, moving straight toward me. Her eyes moved over my dress, my hair, my face.

“You look perfect,” she said.

“I can barely breathe,” I replied.

She laughed lightly, reaching to adjust the front of my dress.

“Beauty has a cost.”

Ylva stepped back slightly, giving her space, but she didn’t leave.

Ophelia’s fingers moved quickly, fixing small details, making sure everything looked exactly right. Up close, I noticed something in her expression that didn’t sit well.

A tightness.

Gone before I could name it.

“What is wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing,” she said. “I’m just thinking about how everything changes after today.”

I nodded slowly.

“That’s the point.”

She smiled again, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Ylva noticed it too. I could tell by the way her attention stayed on Ophelia for a second longer than usual.

“Almost ready,” Ylva said, stepping forward to fix a small crease near my waist.

Ophelia reached into her sleeve and pulled out a ring.

“For the bond,” she said, placing it in my hand.

I looked at it briefly before closing my fingers around it.

“Love is what holds a bond,” I said.

Ophelia’s smile paused for a second.

Then returned.

“My lady,” Ylva said softly, “it’s time.”

My heart began to beat harder.

I took one last look at myself, then turned and walked out.

---

Damon stood in his chamber, staring at the ceremonial cloak before him.

He had not touched it.

Something felt wrong.

“Damon.”

He turned.

“Ophelia. You shouldn’t be here.”

She stepped inside anyway.

“You don’t look ready,” she said.

“I am.”

“You don’t sound like it.”

He didn’t respond.

She moved closer.

“Iris is not ready for this.”

His expression changed.

“That is not your place to say.”

“She is weak,” Ophelia continued. “She will not survive what comes with being Luna.”

He turned away.

“She couldn’t protect her own family. She hides when things become difficult.”

Silence.

“I stood and fought for my pack,” Ophelia said. “I know what it takes to lead. You need someone who understands power.”

Her hand brushed his arm.

“You deserve more,” she added. “Someone who can stand beside you.”

His jaw set.

“Why say this now?” he asked.

“Because no one else will,” she replied. “And because I care about you.”

He grabbed her wrist.

“Enough.”

But she smiled.

“The elders agree,” she said. “She is not right for you.”

He let go slowly.

The doubt had already taken root.

---

The ceremony gathered the entire pack.

Everyone watched.

Everyone waited.

Elder Aldric stepped forward.

“A true Luna binds not only her mate, but her people.”

I stood where I was meant to stand.

Then I saw him.

Damon.

Dressed in black and silver.

Perfect.

But something was wrong.

He didn’t smile.

His gaze did not soften when it met mine.

It felt distant.

“Iris, daughter of Kael,” the elder said, “do you take Alpha Damon as your mate?”

“I do.”

My voice held.

I meant it.

The elder turned.

“Alpha Damon, do you take Iris as your mate and Luna?”

Silence.

Too long.

The crowd murmured

A whisper rose.

Damon stepped forward.

Then he turned to face them all.

“I reject this union,” he said. “The Moon Goddess does not bless a broken Luna.”

The words fell without mercy.

No hesitation.

No pause.

I stood there, the ring still in my hand.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

Everything I had believed in ended in that moment.

Not loudly.

Not violently.

Just… gone.

And I understood something clearly.

I had just been rejected.

And in that moment I understood something .............

I was no longer his .