From Broken to Queen: The Rejected Luna's Rise

I shattered my knee jumping in front of a silver bullet meant for him.

The poison seeped into my marrow, putting my wolf into a coma and leaving me crippled.

I thought my sacrifice would secure his love forever.

Instead, five years later, Brennan stood in a warehouse while a Rogue held a silver-laced dagger to my throat.

Beside me sat Debbi, his mistress-a spy who had staged the whole kidnapping.

"You can only save one," the kidnapper sneered.

Brennan didn't even hesitate.

He looked me in the eye, his gaze cold and devoid of the bond we once shared.

"I choose Debbi," he said.

He walked out with her in his arms, leaving his Fated Mate to bleed out on the concrete floor.

As the blade dug into my skin, I felt the mate bond snap.

He thought I died in the explosion that followed.

He spent weeks howling in grief when he finally realized Debbi was a traitor and he had killed the only woman who truly loved him.

But he was wrong.

I didn't die.

A federal agent pulled me from the fire, and the trauma didn't kill my wolf-it woke her up.

A year later, Brennan walked into a small bistro in Italy, looking for redemption.

He fell to his knees when he saw me standing there, healed and glowing with the aura of a White Wolf.

"Alyssa," he wept, reaching for me. "I'm so sorry. I'll do anything."

I looked him dead in the eye, my gaze icy blue.

"Get out," I said. "We don't serve traitors here."

Chapter 1

Alyssa POV:

My knee throbbed, a grinding ache radiating up my thigh-a souvenir from a silver bullet five years ago.

I adjusted the flower arrangements in the grand hall of the Sterling Pack house. Tonight was the pack's anniversary celebration. As the Alpha's daughter-well, the former Alpha's daughter-it was my duty to ensure everything was perfect. Even if I was now just the crippled, non-shifting wife of the current Alpha.

I limped toward the study, intending to ask Brennan about the wine selection. The heavy oak door was slightly ajar. I raised my hand to knock, but a voice stopped me.

It wasn't a spoken voice. It was the Mind-Link.

Wolves within the same pack share a telepathic frequency. Usually, it's background noise, but strong emotions or direct projections cut through the static like a radio broadcast.

She is an embarrassment, Brennan, my sister-in-law Brianne's voice echoed in my head, sharp and cold. Look at her. Dragging that leg around like a wounded deer. The Sterling Pack needs a strong Luna. A Luna who can Shift.

My hand froze in mid-air.

I know, Brennan's mental voice replied. It was deep, the voice that used to make my heart flutter. Now, it just sounded tired. But her father's loyalists are still watching. I can't just throw her out.

We have a plan for that, Brianne sneered. The eviction notice is ready. And Debbi... she is ready to take her place. She is perfect, Brennan. Young, fertile, and she looks at you like you are a god.

Debbi, Brennan mused. She makes me feel powerful. Not like Alyssa. Every time I look at Alyssa's leg, I am reminded that I was weak. That she had to save me.

A cold shiver went down my spine. That leg... I shattered it jumping in front of a silver bullet meant for him. The silver poison had seeped into my marrow, putting my wolf to sleep. I couldn't Shift anymore.

I will protect Debbi, Brennan projected, his tone firm. I will protect her the way Alyssa protected me. But this time, I will be the hero.

He was twisting my sacrifice into a romantic vow for his mistress.

I pushed the door open.

Brennan sat behind the massive mahogany desk, Brianne perched on the edge. They both jumped.

"So that's it?" I asked, my voice trembling. "I took a bullet for you, Brennan. I lost my wolf for you. And now I'm just a reminder of your weakness?"

Brennan stood up. His eyes, usually a warm hazel, darkened. The air in the room grew heavy. The Alpha's Aura flooded the space-a suffocating pressure meant to force submission.

"You were eavesdropping," he accused, his voice low.

"I am your wife," I spat back. "I am your Fated Mate, Brennan! The Moon Goddess paired us!"

"Look at you!" Brennan roared. He slammed his hand on the desk. A crystal glass shattered, and a shard flew across the room, slicing my cheek. I didn't flinch. "A Pack needs a Luna who can bear strong pups! A Luna who can run with the pack! You are... broken."

"Then let me go," I whispered. "Reject me. Break the bond."

Brennan's face twisted. He walked around the desk, towering over me.

"And let you run to your father's old friends? Let you paint me as the villain?" He shook his head. "No."

Suddenly, an invisible weight slammed into my shoulders. My knees buckled. I gasped for air, unable to move a muscle.

"I command you to stay still," Brennan growled.

The Alpha's Command bypassed my will completely, locking my joints. I stood there like a statue, tears streaming down my face, blood dripping from my cheek.

"You are mine, Alyssa," he whispered, leaning into my ear. "You are my property. You will stay here, and you will watch as I make this Pack great without you."

He released the command. I collapsed to the floor, gasping.

The next morning, the humiliation began.

I walked into the dining hall and saw photos scattered on the table. Grainy, edited images of me in a hotel room with a Rogue.

"Disgusting," Brianne said loudly as I entered. "Cheating on the Alpha with a Rogue."

The pack members whispered. Their eyes, once full of respect for their former Alpha's daughter, were now filled with disgust. Brennan sat at the head of the table, saying nothing. He let the lie stand.

I turned around and walked out, the sound of my cane hitting the floor echoing like a countdown.

I went to my room and pulled out a burner phone I had hidden under the floorboards. My hands shook as I dialed a number I hadn't used in years.

"Carroll," I whispered when the line clicked. "It's time. Initiate the protocol."

I wasn't just going to leave. I was going to die. Or at least, that's what Brennan would believe.

Alyssa POV:

The knock on my door wasn't a request; it was a demand.

"Luna Alyssa," a young Omega squeaked from the hallway. "The Alpha... he ordered that your belongings be moved."

I opened the door. The Omega, a girl named Sarah who I had once protected from bullies, couldn't look me in the eye.

"Moved where?" I asked.

"The basement," Sarah whispered.

Before I could respond, the sound of high heels clicking on the hardwood floor announced their arrival. Brianne strutted down the hall, and beside her was a girl who looked like a porcelain doll.

Debbi.

She was petite, with big, innocent doe eyes and blonde curls. But as a wolf, I focused on one thing: her scent.

Every wolf has a unique scent. Brennan smelled like rain and pine. I used to smell like wildflowers before the silver poison masked it. Debbi smelled... sweet. Sickly sweet. Like vanilla syrup trying to mask the scent of something rotting.

"Oh my," Debbi said, covering her mouth. "Is this the room? It has such a lovely view. Brennan said I would love the morning sun here."

"It's perfect for you, Debbi," Brianne cooed. She looked at me with a smirk. "Pack your trash, Alyssa. The future Luna needs space."

"I am still the Luna," I said, straightening my back. I tried to push my aura out, to assert dominance, but my wolf was deep in a coma. Nothing happened.

Brianne laughed. It was a cruel, barking sound. She reached out and snatched the wolf-tooth amulet hanging around my neck-a gift from my father.

"Oops," she said, tossing it into the trash bin. "Clutter."

"Don't touch that!" I lunged forward, but my bad leg gave way. I stumbled.

Debbi stepped forward, pretending to help, but her heel came down hard on my fingers.

Crunch.

"Ah!" I cried out, yanking my hand back.

"Oh no!" Debbi shrieked, throwing herself backward onto the floor. "She attacked me! Help! Brennan!"

It was a performance so calculated it made my blood run cold.

Within seconds, the air pressure in the hallway dropped. A growl vibrated through the floorboards. Brennan came sprinting around the corner, his chest heaving.

"Debbi!" He fell to his knees beside her.

"I tried to be nice," Debbi sobbed, burying her face in his chest. "I just wanted to say hello, and she... she pushed me! She tried to claw my eyes out!"

Brennan looked up at me. His eyes were flashing gold-his wolf was near the surface.

"I didn't touch her," I said, cradling my throbbing hand. "She stepped on me."

"Liar!" Brianne shouted. "I saw it! She's jealous, Brennan! She's crazy!"

Brennan stood up. He didn't even look at my hand, which was swelling rapidly. He was blind to the distress rolling off me-the scent of his Mate in pain. He only saw the tears on Debbi's face.

"You have forgotten your place," Brennan said, his voice cold as ice. "I thought letting you stay in the house was mercy. I see now that mercy is wasted on you."

"Brennan, please," I begged. "Use your senses. Smell the air. She's lying."

"The only thing I smell is your jealousy," he spat. "Get her out of my sight. Put her in the containment cells."

"The cells?" I gasped. "That's where we keep Rogues."

"Exactly," Brennan said. He scooped Debbi up into his arms, treating her like she was made of glass. "Do you remember the Pack laws, Alyssa? 'Harm to the Alpha's Chosen is treason.'"

He turned his back on me.

Two warriors grabbed my arms. They dragged me backward. I watched Brennan carry another woman into the bedroom that was supposed to be ours, the bedroom where we had marked each other.

They threw me into the basement cell. The floor was cold concrete. The air smelled of mold and old blood.

I sat in the darkness, clutching my broken fingers. In the corner, illuminated by a sliver of light from the high window, I saw something.

It was a framed photo, glass cracked, discarded in a pile of junk. It was from our Mating Ceremony. Brennan was looking at me with such adoration.

I crawled over to it. I touched the glass, cutting my finger. A drop of blood fell onto Brennan's smiling face.

"You promised," I whispered to the photo. "You promised to cherish me."

But promises, I was learning, were just words spoken by liars.

Alyssa POV:

The basement door creaked open. The heavy, metallic scent of iron and rust wafted in.

Brennan walked down the stairs, followed by Brianne and Debbi. Debbi had a bandage wrapped around her wrist-a wrist I hadn't even touched.

"My father built this Pack," I said, my voice hoarse from the damp air. "You drag his daughter into the dungeon?"

"Your father was a weak man who let outsiders walk all over us," Brennan replied. He stopped in front of the cell bars. "Debbi told me about your threats. About how you plan to use your father's old connections to stage a coup."

"What?" I looked at Debbi. She hid behind Brennan, peeking out with a triumphant smirk. "I never said that."

"She's afraid, Brennan," Debbi whimpered. "She said because she can't give you pups, she'll make sure no one else can."

It was a brilliant lie. It targeted Brennan's deepest insecurity: his fear that he was only Alpha because he married me, not because he was strong.

"Open the gate," Brennan ordered the warrior guarding the door.

The metal gate swung open. Brennan walked in. The small cell felt instantly claustrophobic.

"The Pack laws are clear," Brennan said. "Physical punishment for harming the future Luna."

"She is not the Luna!" I screamed. "I am!"

Brennan stared at me, his expression unreadable, almost bored. He turned to Brianne.

"Handle it," he said coldly. "Make sure she understands her position."

He turned on his heel and walked out of the cell, pulling Debbi with him. He didn't look back.

"No," I pleaded, reaching through the bars. "Brennan, don't leave me with her!"

The heavy door at the top of the stairs slammed shut.

Brianne smiled. It was a predator's smile. She pulled a small pouch from her pocket.

"He's gone, Alyssa," she whispered. "And now, we can have some fun."

She signaled the warrior to hold my arm against the wall. She dipped her fingers into the pouch and pulled out a pinch of glittering dust.

Silver filings.

"Brennan said punishment," Brianne said, her eyes gleaming with malice. "He didn't specify the method."

"Brianne, please," I begged. "We were sisters."

"You killed Marco," she hissed.

She pressed the silver dust into the cuts on my palm.

A scream tore from my throat. It felt like he had pressed a branding iron into my flesh. The silver sizzled as it touched my blood. Smoke rose from my hand. The pain was blinding, white-hot, shooting up my arm and into my chest.

I slumped against the wall, sobbing, cradling my burning hand.

Brianne wiped her hands on a handkerchief and dropped it on the floor. "Let that be a reminder."

She turned and walked up the stairs, the lock clicking behind her.

I was alone in the dark. The silver in my hand continued to burn, a relentless fire.

I looked at the handkerchief she had dropped. It was one I had embroidered for Brennan for our first anniversary. It had a little wolf stitched in the corner.

With my good hand, I took a lighter from my pocket-one I kept for lighting candles during prayer to the Moon Goddess.

I flicked the flame. I held it to the fabric.

I watched the little embroidered wolf catch fire. The fabric curled and blackened, turning to ash.

"Burn," I whispered, the pain in my hand fueling the rage in my heart. "Burn it all down."

I realized then that I had been holding onto hope. I had been holding onto the idea that my Mate was still in there somewhere. But he wasn't.

Brennan was gone. And I was done being the victim.