Rejected By My Alpha, Chosen By His Ruthless Brother.
"Since my brother rejected what belongs to the Moon Goddess, I'll claim her instead."
The words landed like a verdict, echoing across the frozen clearing loud enough to reach the very back of the crowd, loud enough to travel with every witness back to their own territories by morning, whispered in kitchens and war rooms alike until the story outgrew the truth of it entirely. Aurora felt the weight of it settle over her shoulders like a second skin she hadn't asked for, terrifying and, somewhere beneath the terror, strangely steadying.
Kael made a strangled sound, lunging forward on pure instinct, only to be stopped by his own guard's frozen hesitation, none of them willing to put a hand on t