All Chapters of The Luna He Rejected, The Queen He Lost: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

NadiaThe guard rotation started the next morning. Two Ashford warriors trailed a careful distance behind me at school, blending in as older students, while Kade barely left my side between classes."This feels excessive," I said, glancing at the two warriors pretending to study a bulletin board near my locker."Six scouts breached a defended border two nights ago," Kade said. "Excessive is relative."I couldn't argue with that, even though the constant watching made my skin itch. Priya noticed immediately, of course."Okay, either you have secret bodyguards now," she said at lunch, eyeing the warriors at a nearby table, "or those guys have a very specific interest in the salad bar.""They're bodyguards," I admitted. "Long story.""With you, it's always a long story." She didn't push further, just squeezed my hand once under the table, a small gesture of solidarity that meant more than she probably realized.Days passed with no further incidents, though the tension never fully faded.

NadiaThe attack, when it finally came, didn't happen where anyone expected.It was a Friday night, three weeks into training, and the Ashford pack was hosting a smaller gathering — nothing like the fall bonfire, just a quiet dinner between the three allied packs meant to strengthen ties after weeks of tension. My father agreed to attend, cautiously optimistic that visible unity might discourage Draven from moving at all.He was wrong.The first sign of trouble was the lights.Halfway through dinner, every light across the Ashford compound cut out at once, plunging the hall into darkness. Shouts erupted outside almost immediately, warriors scrambling, the unmistakable snarl of shifting wolves cutting through the night air."Perimeter breach!" someone shouted. "Multiple points, north and east!"Kade was on his feet instantly, pulling me up beside him. "Stay close.""I'm not hiding this time.""I didn't say hide." His eyes were sharp even in the dark. "I said stay close. There's a diffe

NadiaThe trading post looked exactly as abandoned as Row's scouts had described — half-collapsed roof, broken windows, river running quiet behind it. I walked in alone at dawn, exactly as Draven's terms demanded, every nerve in my body aware of the warriors hidden in positions we'd spent days preparing.Draven was already waiting, flanked by six rogues, arms crossed, confidence radiating off him despite the setback three weeks earlier."You actually came," he said. "Braver than I expected. Or more desperate.""I want this to end," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Whatever that takes.""How refreshing." He studied me carefully, circling closer. "No father hovering nearby. No mate posturing at your side. Just you, finally sensible enough to accept what's coming.""I'm here to talk. That's all I agreed to.""Talk." He smiled, cold and humorless. "There's nothing to discuss, Nadia. I claim you, the bond seals, and every pack watching finally understands I'm not some rogue scraping toget

NadiaThe formal bonding ceremony was set for the following month, giving both packs time to prepare and giving me time to adjust to a life that no longer required hiding anything about myself. My father handled most of the political details, while Kade's mother, Alpha Ashford's wife, insisted on helping with the parts that had nothing to do with politics at all."Every bonding ceremony needs proper preparation," she said, arriving at Royal territory with fabric samples and a notebook full of plans. "Not just the formal exchange. The celebration after matters too, especially given everything the two of you have already survived together.""I don't need anything elaborate," I said, though I appreciated the effort."Nonsense. You spent eighteen years without a single normal celebration in your honor. Let us fix that." She smiled warmly, already sketching ideas. "Besides, three allied packs deserve a proper reason to celebrate something joyful, after everything with Draven."I couldn't a

NadiaThree weeks after the ceremony, life began settling into a rhythm neither of us had experienced before — official, structured, and entirely new. I split my time between finishing my last stretch of school and shadowing my father during Royal Pack business, learning the parts of leadership that had nothing to do with fighting and everything to do with patience."Territory disputes are rarely about territory," my father explained one afternoon, reviewing a minor boundary complaint from a smaller allied pack. "They're about respect. Handle the respect, and the land usually settles itself.""That sounds exhausting.""It is," he admitted, smiling slightly. "Welcome to leadership."Kade split his own time similarly between Ashford territory and Royal grounds, the two of us often crossing paths mid-afternoon between separate meetings, stealing a few minutes together before returning to entirely different responsibilities."This is the least romantic part of being bonded mates," he said