He Chose Glass Over His Diamond Luna

My husband, the Alpha, refused to mark me for three years, claiming he was waiting for the "perfect moment." Yet, he had no trouble claiming the "stray" rogue we took in.

I found Alessandro in his study, mocking me as a cold "ice sculpture" while Aria sat in his lap. He didn't just give her his affection; he gave her my life.

He cleared my sanctuary, the greenhouse, to plant cheap tulips for her. He drained the Pack's emergency funds to buy her a five-million-dollar necklace meant for a Luna.

But the ultimate betrayal happened in the stables.

My saddle snapped mid-jump. The fall shattered my leg, and the wound sizzled with liquid silver-sabotage meant to maim me permanently.

When the evidence pointed to Aria, Alessandro didn't punish her. He ordered the evidence buried.

He looked me in the eye and said a broken leg might finally teach me some humility.

He destroyed my reputation to boost his own ego, protecting a woman who was actually sleeping with half his council behind his back.

He thought I would break. He thought I would beg.

Instead, I stood before the entire Pack, played the footage of his mistress's treason, and uttered the words that would destroy him.

"I, Katarina De Luca, reject you."

Chapter 1

Katarina POV:

The mahogany door of the Alpha's study was thick, designed to keep state secrets inside. But it could not block out the sound of a woman's laughter.

It was a high, tinkling sound. Like cheap glass shattering on a tile floor.

I stood in the hallway, my hand hovering inches from the brass handle. My posture was perfect, my spine a steel rod. I was Katarina De Luca, the Luna of the De Luca Pack. I did not eavesdrop. I did not tremble.

But my nose twitched.

Wolf senses are a curse sometimes. Even though my inner wolf, Winter, had been silent for years, my physical senses were still sharp.

I smelled it this morning when I fixed Alessandro's collar. A cloying, sweet scent. Vanilla and synthetic sugar. It was Omega bait, the kind of drugstore pheromone spray teenagers used to mask their scent.

It was not my scent. My scent was cool mint and rain.

I pushed the door open just a crack.

My husband, my Fated Mate, was sitting on the edge of his massive desk. Alessandro looked more alive than I had seen him in three years. His hands, usually so stiff when he touched me, were roaming freely over the woman in his lap.

Aria.

She was small, fragile-looking, with big doe eyes that seemed permanently filled with tears. The "stray" we had taken in two months ago. The poor, defenseless Rogue who needed protection.

"You are so strong, Alpha," Aria cooed, running her fingers through his hair. She released a wave of pheromones that hit me like a physical slap. "I feel so safe with you. Not like... her."

Alessandro chuckled. It was a dark, throaty sound. "Katarina? She doesn't need safety. She is an ice sculpture. Beautiful to look at, but cold to the touch."

"It must be lonely," Aria whispered, tracing his jaw. "Sleeping next to a statue."

"It is," Alessandro murmured. He leaned in and kissed her neck. "You make me feel like a man, Aria. Like a true Alpha."

I felt a sharp pain in my chest. It wasn't a metaphor. It felt like a rib snapping inward.

Deep inside my soul, I heard a whimper. It was Winter. My wolf. She had been dormant, sleeping because Alessandro had never completed the Mating Bond. He had never marked me. He claimed he wanted to wait for the "perfect moment."

Now I knew the truth. He didn't want to mark a statue. He wanted a cheerleader.

I stepped back, letting the door click shut silently.

As I walked down the grand staircase, a voice echoed in my head. It was the Mind-Link, the telepathic web that connected every member of our Pack.

Did you see the Alpha with the stray? a kitchen maid projected, thinking I couldn't hear the lower frequencies.

Yeah. Finally, he has a woman with some heat. The Luna is just... empty, a guard replied.

They were mocking me. In their heads, where I couldn't punish them.

I walked into the master bedroom. It was pristine. Cold. Just like me.

I walked to the mirror. I saw a woman with platinum blonde hair and eyes like frozen lakes. I was beautiful, yes. But I looked tired.

I touched my neck. The skin was smooth. Unbroken. No bite mark. No claim.

"Father was right," I whispered to the empty room. "The White Wolf bloodline is proud. We do not beg."

I opened my jewelry box. Inside lay a heavy silver necklace with the De Luca crest. Alessandro had given it to me on our wedding day, promising eternal loyalty.

I took it off.

The metal felt cold in my hand. I dropped it into the bottom drawer of the nightstand.

Then, I picked up the file Mark, the Pack Gamma, had left for me.

Mark was the only one who did his job. The file was thin, but the contents were explosive. Aria Diaz. Not an orphan from a destroyed pack. She had been kicked out of the Blackwood Pack for theft and "inappropriate conduct with mated males."

She was a professional homewrecker. A Rogue.

My phone buzzed. It was a notification from the estate manager.

Memo: Alpha Alessandro requests the Moonlit Greenhouse be cleared. He wishes to plant tulips for Miss Aria.

The Moonlit Greenhouse. My sanctuary. The place where the rare night-blooming lilies grew, flowers that only a Luna could cultivate.

He was giving my throne to a thief.

I didn't cry. Tears were for people who had hope.

I picked up my encrypted phone and dialed the number of the old family butler, a man loyal only to my bloodline.

"Prepare the accounts, Giovanni," I said, my voice steady. "Winter is here."

Katarina POV:

Breakfast was a silent affair. Usually.

Today, however, Aria was seated at the table. She was wearing one of my silk robes. It was three sizes too big for her, making her look like a child playing dress-up. She wanted to look small. She wanted to look like she needed saving.

Alessandro sat at the head of the table, reading a newspaper. He didn't look at me.

"The coffee is cold," I said.

Aria jumped, spilling milk onto the table. "Oh! I'm so sorry, Luna! I was just... I was trying to help."

"Leave it," Alessandro said, his voice soft for her, hard for me. "It's just milk, Aria. Katarina, stop terrorizing her."

I calmly sliced my toast. "I merely stated a temperature, Alessandro. If that terrorizes her, perhaps she should not be in a Pack house. The world is a loud place."

I picked up my tablet. "Speaking of the house. I've flagged some questionable transactions in the auxiliary accounts."

Alessandro frowned. "What irregularities?"

"Excessive spending on 'charity' supplies," I said, tapping the screen. "Unless 'charity' now includes designer handbags, I'm freezing the discretionary stipends for non-core Pack members. Effective immediately."

Aria's face went pale. Her hand went to her pocket, where her phone was. She had probably just tried to buy something online and got declined.

"You can't do that," Alessandro snapped.

"I am the Luna. I manage the estate trust. Unless you want to explain to the Elders why you're draining the emergency fund for personal gifts?" I raised an eyebrow.

Alessandro's jaw tightened. He knew his father, the Elder Alpha Donato, would be furious if he saw how much money Alessandro was wasting on this girl.

"Fine," he gritted out.

Later that afternoon, I went to the stables. The smell of hay and leather usually calmed me.

I was saddling Obsidian, the purebred black stallion that was technically mine. He was a difficult horse, one that only obeyed a strong hand.

"Luna!"

I turned. Aria was running towards me across the paddock. The ground was muddy from last night's rain.

She stopped a few feet away, breathing hard. "You froze my cards! How am I supposed to live?"

"You are a guest," I said, tightening the girth. "Guests get three meals and a roof. They don't get a Gucci allowance."

She glared at me, the mask slipping for a second. "He loves me, you know. He says you're like sleeping with a corpse."

"And yet," I said, mounting the horse with fluid grace, "I am the one holding the checkbook."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alessandro approaching. He was walking with Mark.

Aria saw him too.

Immediately, she let out a shriek. She threw herself backward, landing squarely in a puddle of mud.

"Please! Stop!" she screamed, covering her face as if I had raised a whip. "I'm sorry I'm not highborn like you! Please don't hurt me!"

"What is going on here?" Alessandro roared.

He vaulted over the fence, rushing to Aria's side. He scooped her up, mud and all. His eyes were glowing gold-his wolf, Brutus, was surfacing, angry and protective over the wrong mate.

"She... she tried to run me over with the horse!" Aria sobbed into his chest.

It was a lie so stupid it was almost funny. Obsidian hadn't moved an inch.

But Alessandro didn't care about logic. He needed to be the hero.

He looked up at me, his face twisted in rage. "Get down, Katarina. Apologize to her."

I looked down at him from the saddle. "No."

The air around us grew heavy. The pressure dropped. It was the Alpha Aura.

"I gave you an order," Alessandro growled. His voice deepened, layering with the supernatural power of the Pack Leader. "Get down and apologize. Now."

It was the Alpha's Command.

For a normal wolf, this command would be paralyzing. Their knees would buckle. Their will would shatter. They would be forced to obey.

I felt the weight of it. It pressed against my skull like a vice. My muscles twitched, wanting to submit.

But then, deep in my blood, something cold stirred. The ancient White Wolf blood. It was resistant to authority. It was royalty.

I gritted my teeth. I forced my spine to stay straight. I looked him dead in the eye.

"I said... no."

Alessandro blinked. The shock on his face was genuine. He had never had an order refused before. Not by a Pack member. Not by his wife.

He looked at Mark, confused. Mark adjusted his glasses, looking away.

To save face, Alessandro sneered. "Fine. If you want to be high and mighty on your horse, stay there. But know this: I am teaching Aria to ride. And she will ride Obsidian."

My hand tightened on the reins. Obsidian was my horse. My bond.

"You wouldn't," I said.

"Watch me," he spat. "Come, Aria. Let's get you cleaned up. You deserve to be treated like a treasure, not trash."

He walked away, carrying the muddy, triumphant Rogue in his arms.

I sat there, alone on my horse. The pressure in my head faded, replaced by a hollow ache.

My inner wolf, Winter, didn't growl. She didn't whimper. She just went completely still.

It was the silence of a heart finally turning to stone.

Katarina POV:

The tack room smelled of cedar and polished leather. It was usually my favorite smell. Today, it smelled of betrayal.

I walked in to put my gear away and stopped.

On the main display hook, where my custom saddle usually sat, there was a new helmet. It was velvet, black, and encrusted with small diamonds. On the side, in silver thread, was the De Luca crest.

A note was attached: For Aria. So you can ride like a Queen.

He gave her the crest. The symbol of the Pack. He was practically declaring her Luna in everything but name.

I felt a wave of nausea. I needed to run. I needed to feel the wind to clear the scent of her cheap perfume from my nose.

I bypassed Obsidian. Alessandro had probably contaminated him with her scent already.

Instead, I chose Fury.

Fury was a chestnut mare, young and unpredictable. She fit my mood perfectly.

I tacked her up quickly. I grabbed an older saddle from the back, one I hadn't used in years but looked sturdy enough.

I led Fury out to the jumping course. The sky was grey, threatening a storm.

"Let's go, girl," I whispered.

We started at a trot, then a canter. The rhythm of the horse's hooves soothed me. Thump-thump, thump-thump.

I pushed her into a gallop. The wind whipped my hair back. For a moment, I wasn't the rejected wife. I wasn't the frozen Luna. I was just speed and muscle.

"Jump!" I commanded.

We cleared the first fence easily. Then the second.

The third fence was a double oxer. High and wide.

We approached it fast. Fury gathered her legs. We launched into the air. We were flying.

SNAP.

The sound was like a gunshot.

Mid-air, the girth strap holding the saddle to the horse snapped. The saddle slid sideways violently.

I lost my balance. Gravity took over.

I fell.

I hit the ground hard. The impact knocked the air out of my lungs. I heard the sickening crunch of bone before I felt the pain.

Then, the agony exploded in my right leg.

"Ah!" I gasped, curling into a ball in the dirt.

Fury ran to the other side of the field, spooked.

I tried to move my leg, but a searing, burning heat shot through my thigh. It wasn't just the break. It felt like fire was eating my flesh.

I looked down at my riding pants. The fabric was torn. Blood was seeping out, dark and red.

But the wound... it wasn't healing.

Wolf regeneration is fast. A broken bone should knit in hours. A cut should close in minutes.

This wound was sizzling. Smoke was rising from it.

Silver.

I dragged myself toward the saddle lying in the dirt. I examined the broken buckle.

The metal where it had snapped wasn't just worn. It had been filed down. And coated in a dark, glittering paste.

Liquid silver.

Someone had sabotaged the saddle. Someone wanted me to fall. And they used silver to ensure I wouldn't heal, to ensure the pain was excruciating.

"Help..." I tried to Mind-Link, but the pain was scrambling my focus.

I looked toward the house. Through the haze of agony, I saw them.

Alessandro and Aria were on the patio. He was laughing, holding a glass of wine. She was giggling, pointing at the clouds.

They were so far away.

It took an hour for a patrol guard to find me.

By the time I was in the Pack infirmary, my leg was swollen to twice its size. The doctor, a Beta named Dr. Lewis, looked pale as he cleaned the silver out of the wound.

"This... this shouldn't have happened, Luna," he stammered. "The silver... it's deep."

The door banged open. Alessandro walked in. He held a bouquet of lilies. Not the rare night-blooming ones I grew. Cheap, supermarket lilies.

"What happened?" he asked, sounding annoyed rather than worried. "I was in a meeting."

"The saddle broke," I gritted out, gripping the sheets. "It was sabotaged. With silver."

Alessandro's eyes flickered. He didn't look surprised.

"Don't be dramatic, Katarina," he said, tossing the flowers onto the bedside table. "Equipment fails. You shouldn't have been riding Fury. She's too wild for you."

"It was filed down, Alessandro," I hissed. "Someone tried to kill me."

"It was an accident," he stated firmly. "Stop trying to blame the staff for your own recklessness. I have to go. There are border disputes to handle."

He turned on his heel and walked out. He didn't touch me. He didn't ask about the pain.

I lay there, the silver burning in my blood.

That night, my hearing picked up voices in the hallway.

"The buckle was tampered with, Alpha," Mark's voice. Low. Serious. "I found traces of the silver paste in the trash bin near the East Wing guest rooms."

Aria's room.

"Silence it," Alessandro's voice commanded.

"Alpha?" Mark sounded shocked. "She tried to cripple the Luna. This is treason."

"I said silence it!" Alessandro hissed. "If the Elders find out, they'll skin her alive. It was just a prank gone wrong. Katarina is tough. She'll heal. Maybe a broken leg will teach her some humility. She walks around here like she owns the place."

"She does own the place, sir," Mark said quietly.

"Just do as I say, Mark. Bury it."

Tears finally leaked from my eyes. Hot, angry tears.

He knew. He knew she tried to maim me. And he was protecting her.

He wanted me broken. He wanted me humble.

I looked at the ceiling. The burning in my leg was nothing compared to the ice spreading through my heart.

"Okay, Alessandro," I whispered into the dark. "You want a war? You just started one."