All Chapters of Rejected By My Mate, Reborn As The Luna Sovereign: Chapter 21 - Chapter 29

The day after the fake engagement announcement I woke up to the sound of rain hitting my windows and immediately felt a sense of dread that had nothing to do with the weather. Rain on a Thursday in early autumn with that specific smell of wet earth and dying leaves was exactly how it had been the day everything started falling apart in my old life.I tried to tell myself it was just a coincidence because rain happened all the time and there was no reason to panic about precipitation, but then I went downstairs and found my mother in the kitchen making her special honey cakes which she only made on very specific occasions."Good morning sweetheart," she said while pulling a tray from the oven. "I thought you might want some comfort food with everything that's been happening lately."In my old life she'd made these exact cakes the morning before the council announced they were replacing me as the preferred Luna candidate with Calista because apparently I wasn't strong enough to lead the

The day of the Northern Alliance meeting arrived with perfect sunny weather and absolutely no ominous signs from fate, which somehow made me more nervous than if there had been thunder and lightning and ravens circling the house. I spent two hours getting ready and managed to only smudge my makeup twice and trip over my dress hem three times, which felt like a personal record for preparation efficiency."You look beautiful," Ren said when I finally emerged from my room wearing a formal blue gown that made me look important and also had enough fabric that I could probably hide several small weapons in the skirts if needed."You look like you're about to either attend a royal wedding or declare war," Zayen added while adjusting his own formal jacket. "Both of which seem appropriate for this situation.""I'm going for intimidating but approachable," I said while checking my reflection one more time. "Like I could either be your best friend or your worst enemy depending on how this meetin

We eventually moved apart after standing there like awkward statues for what felt like an hour but was probably only thirty seconds, and I tried very hard to pretend that my heart wasn't racing from being that close to him while he tried to pretend he hadn't noticed my heart racing which we both knew was a lie because werewolf hearing made privacy impossible."So alliance terms," I said while settling back into my chair and putting a safe distance between us. "What exactly does your pack need to avoid being destroyed by the Western Coalition?"Kieran took a moment to compose himself before sitting across from me and pulling out more documents from his apparently endless supply of folders."We need a formal declaration of alliance from Arcadia that clearly states any aggression toward the Northern Alliance will be considered aggression toward your pack as well," he explained while spreading papers across the table. "The Western Coalition won't risk open con

I spent the walk back to my room trying to figure out how to explain to my three magically bound Lykoras that I'd just agreed to continue the fake engagement with Kieran for several months, and every scenario I imagined ended with someone getting upset or jealous or both. By the time I reached my door I'd worked myself into enough anxiety that I didn't notice the door was already open until I walked in and found all three of them waiting inside like some kind of intervention committee."We need to talk," Zayen said from where he was sitting in my reading chair with his arms crossed."That's never a good way to start a conversation," I said while closing the door and leaning against it because my legs suddenly felt shaky. "But yes, I also need to talk to you about something.""About why you were in a compromising position with Kieran Blackwater?" Elias asked from his spot by the window where he'd probably been brooding dramatically."It wasn't comp

The feast was going surprisingly well for about ten minutes before I managed to spill wine on myself, drop a fork that somehow landed in the lap of a visiting diplomat, and accidentally elbow Kieran hard enough to make him choke on his bread while I was gesturing enthusiastically about pack politics I didn't actually understand."I'm so sorry," I said for what felt like the hundredth time while dabbing at the wine stain on my dress. "I swear I'm not usually this much of a disaster.""You're exactly this much of a disaster," Lily called from three seats down. "This is actually pretty normal for you.""Thank you for that helpful commentary," I said while glaring at her."Just keeping everyone's expectations realistic," she replied cheerfully while raising her wine glass in a toast.Kieran was still recovering from my elbow attack and I noticed he'd moved his plate slightly out of my reach, which was probably a smart survival strategy given