His Rejected Luna is the Lycan's Queen

APRIL'S POV

You ever hear the saying, "Some roads should never be taken"?

Well, tonight I took one of them... and I'm not sure I'll make it back.

Today was supposed to be perfect. It was my wedding day together with my twenty-second birthday. The day I finally proved I was more than just the wolfless daughter living in my twin sister's shadow.

Well spoiler alert: it wasn't anything close to perfect.

My hands trembled as I stared at my reflection in the mirror in my room. After years of whispers and sideways glances, after being called weak, cursed, broken-today, I would finally become Luna.

I would be called Mrs. Blackwood. The rejection, the shame, all of it would end.

It had to.

Before I could stand, my phone buzzed on the nightstand.

"Hello, birthday girl-or should I say, our latest bride-to-be?" Stephanie's voice burst through the speaker, filled with warmth and her usual teasing.

"Thanks, Steph." I couldn't keep the smile out of my voice. "You can call me anything you want."

"Well, someone's in a good mood."

"Of course I am. But where are you? You're supposed to be here helping me get ready-"

My bedroom door flew open.

"Surprise!" Stephanie swept in like a hurricane, arms full of makeup bags and hair tools, grinning like a maniac.

I burst out laughing despite the nervous energy inside my body. That was Stephanie, my loud, loyal, and utterly shameless bestie. My only real friend in a pack that doesn't look at me like I was a stain on their perfect bloodline.

"Sit down, ugly," she ordered, shoving me toward the chair. "Let me turn you into a goddess."

"Sure, sure. Whatever makes you happy."

I sank into the chair and watched as Stephanie worked her magic. She lined my eyes with accuracy, dusted shimmering powder across my cheekbones, painted my lips a soft rose. With every brushstroke, I looked less like April Quinn, the disappointment, and more like someone who belonged.

Maybe today, I finally would.

"Where's May?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light. "Isn't she supposed to be here? She's my maid of honor."

Stephanie's hand paused for just a second. "She said she had to oversee the final preparations at the hall."

Of course she did. May always had something more important to do. Something that made her look indispensable while I sat waiting in the shadows.

"There." Stephanie stepped back, eyes bright with satisfaction. "You look perfect."

I turned to the mirror and my breath got caught up.

She was right. For once, I looked like I belonged in this world-like I could stand beside an Alpha and not seem like a mistake.

"Now get dressed before your dad sends a search party."

I stood and reached for the gown hanging on the closet door. It was a vision in white-lace and silk that shimmered really good. I'd spent months choosing it, imagining this exact moment.

As I slipped into the dress, the fabric settled around me and Stephanie zipped me up, then moved behind me holding a delicate silver chain.

"This is my gift to you," she said softly, fastening it around my neck.

I looked down. A wolf pendant rested against my collarbone-small, intricate, beautifully carved. For a moment, I could have sworn my reflection's eyes flashed red in the mirror.

I blinked and my red eyes changed back to brown.

'Did I just see my eyes glow red?'

It seemed it was my imagination, desperate for something I'd never have.

"A wolf pendant for a wolfless girl," I said with a sad smile, fingers brushing the cool silver.

"Hey." Stephanie grabbed my shoulders and spun me around, her expression fierce. "Don't you dare call yourself that. You're my best friend, not some cursed nobody."

"Steph-"

"I'm serious, April. Your wolf is in there. I know it. And if you say the word 'wolfless' one more time, I'll personally kick your ass."

Tears pricked my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not now. Not when I was so close to everything changing.

More important Steph will kick my ass if I ruin the make up.

"Thank you," I whispered.

She pulled me into a quick hug, then grabbed my hand. "Come on. You're late, and your father's going to lose it."

We rushed downstairs. At the entrance to the ceremony hall, Stephanie squeezed my hand one last time, then slipped inside. I stood alone at the heavy doors, heart pounding so hard I thought it might crack a rib.

This is it. After today, everything changes.

I pushed the doors open.

The scent hit me first-white roses and champagne, elegant and suffocating. The hall was decorated exactly how I'd imagined: soft lights, trailing ivy, candles flickering like tiny stars. For a moment, I felt a flicker of gratitude toward May. Maybe she had actually cared enough to make this beautiful for me.

Then I saw their faces.

Almost every member of the pack had turned to watch me enter, and not a single one of them was smiling that I saw.

I saw the cold stares. The frowns on their faces and some the expression of disapproval.

I forced my chin up and kept walking. I didn't want to care about them.

That's when the whispers started.

"I can't believe she's going to be Luna."

"This is a disgrace. What is the Alpha thinking?"

"Someone needs to stop this," a middle-aged man hissed, his face twisted in disapproval.

"You want to challenge the Alpha?" his companion shot back. "Go ahead. Get yourself killed."

The first man fell silent, but his glare stayed locked on me.

"She can't even shift. Not like her sister."

"Cursed. That's what she is."

I dug my nails into my palms, the pain grounding me. I wouldn't let them see me break. After today, I'd be Luna, and they'd have no choice but to respect me.

At least, that's what I kept telling myself.

My eyes found Luke waiting at the altar.

He looked every inch the Alpha he was-tall, handsome with a broad-shoulder in his dark blue suit. His brown hair was slicked back, his expression calm and unreadable.

He had this powerful untouchable aura around him and somehow, by some miracle of fate, he was mine.

"Go get him, baby girl," Stephanie whispered from her seat.

I smiled, but it felt fragile.

At the altar, May stood in a soft lavender dress, perfectly poised as my maid of honor. She was my twin. My opposite. She was everything I wasn't-strong, confident, beautiful in a way that demanded attention. She was everything our father valued.

And yet, tradition dictated that I was the heir. The eldest. The one who should inherit it all.

Not that it had ever felt that way.

Still, I clung to hope as I reached the altar. Maybe today, I'd finally step out of her shadow.

Then I noticed something, the way Luke and May were looking at each other.

It wasn't like in a friendly kind of way, it was more like lovers having a romantic moment.

My stomach tightened and my heart raced but I tried not to think too much about it.

"Are you ready?" The officiant's voice cut through the fog in my mind.

"Yes." I turned to Luke, forcing myself to meet his eyes.

He stared back at me, in a blank and cold expression.

"Do you, April Quinn, take Luke Blackwood as your husband and Alpha?" The officiant said looking at me and I returned the look back with a smile and nodded.

"Yes, yes I do" I replied and then he turned his face to Luke and spoke.

"Do you, Luke Blackwood, take April Quinn as your bride and Luna?" The officiant's voice rang out across the silent hall.

Luke's jaw tightened as he kept refusing to answer immediately.

And then a few seconds later when he spoke, he said the words that shattered my world.

"No. I don't."

The hall erupted in gasps, but all I could hear was the roaring in my ears. My vision blurred and my knees went weak on that spot.

No. No, this isn't real. I misheard him.

"Luke, what do you mean?" My voice came out weak. "You're my mate."

Luke stepped back like I'd tried to touch him with something diseased. "Mate?" His lip curled. "I won't bind myself to weakness. I refused to accept a wolfless Luna."

He turned to face the crowd, his voice ringing with authority. "I Luke Blackwood, I reject April Quinn."

The words hit me hard. My chest tightened and my breathing ceased. I couldn't breathe.

"No... you can't..." I whispered, but the words barely made it past my lips.

Then I saw Luke's hand stretched out but it was not toward me.

It was toward May. My Twin sister.

The next though on my head was 'What the hell was going on'

APRIL'S POV

Luke's hand was stretched at May and my twin sister didn't hesitate. She slipped her hand into his, her fingers curling around his like they belonged there. Then she looked at me and smiled.

"He's mine now, April," she said sweetly, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "He deserves a real Luna."

"May, how could you-" My voice cracked while I tried to speak.

She tilted her head, her smile widening. "How could I? Luke was always mine dear sister."

Luke turned back to the crowd, his hand still holding May's. "April doesn't have a wolf. She's an abomination to this pack." His eyes flicked to my father. "Howard, make May your heir. She's the one who deserves it."

Tears burned down my cheeks as I spun toward my father, desperate for him to say something, anything at all to defend me.

It was feeling to much to be real. I was just betrayed by Luke and May, was i going to lose the title as heir too?

I looked at my father Alpha Howard Quinn but he didn't meet my eyes.

Instead, he stepped forward, took my arm, and pulled me back like I was an embarrassment he needed to hide.

"Enough, April." His voice was low, sharp filled with shame.

Then he addressed the pack.

"From this day forward, I renounce April's title as heir." His words were brutal, formal and final. "May Quinn will take her place. She will be my heir and Luna of this pack."

"Father, no!" I screamed, but my voice was drowned out by the roar of the crowd.

They cheered. They clapped. They celebrated like this was a victory.

And I realized, with sickening clarity, that to them, it was.

I stumbled backward, my legs shaking so badly I nearly fell. Stephanie caught me, her hands steadying me even as her face twisted in fury.

"April-" she started, but I couldn't hear her. Couldn't hear anything except the sound of Luke's voice as the officiant pronounced him and May husband and wife.

Alpha and Luna.

And I couldn't do a damn thing about it.

The tears came in a flood flowing down my cheek unstoppable and humiliating. I tore myself from Stephanie's grip and ran.

"April!" she called after me, but no one else did. No one even looked.

I was already gone to them and already forgotten.

I tripped on my gown, my knees slamming into the floor. Pain shot up my legs, but I shoved myself back up and kept running, shoving through the heavy doors and stumbling into the hallway.

The girls loitering outside-girls who used to pretend to respect me-burst into laughter.

"Guess she's not Luna after all."

"Did you see her face?"

I ignored them, forcing my legs to move, my lungs to pull in air that felt too thick to breathe.

By the time I reached my room, I was sobbing so hard I could barely see. I slammed the door shut and collapsed onto the bed, my hands clawing at the dress, trying to rip it off, trying to make it stop.

But it wouldn't come off. The zipper was stuck, the lace tangled, and the more I struggled, the tighter it seemed to become.

Finally, I gave up and fell back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling as tears streamed silently down my face.

The full moon glowed through my window, bright and mocking.

Why? I asked the Moon Goddess silently. Why did you give me hope just to crush it? Why did you make me this way?

No answer came. Just the cold, indifferent light of the moon.

I sat up slowly, every part of me aching. I needed air. I needed to get out of this room before I suffocated.

But before I could stand, I heard footsteps in the hallway.

Then laughter. May's laughter.

"God, I thought today would never end," she said, her voice muffled but clear through the door. "Watching her stand there like a kicked puppy-pathetic."

"If you hadn't warned me, I might've actually gone through with it." Luke's voice, low and amused. "Can you imagine? Me, stuck with her?"

"She actually thought you wanted her." May's laugh was light, cruel. "My sister, the eternal optimist."

"Well, she's not our problem anymore."

The sound of fabric rustling and a soft moan filled my ears.

I should've walked away. Or better still i should've left that place.

Instead, I stood and walked to the door. My hand shook as I reached for the handle.

Then I threw it open.

They sprang apart-May's lipstick smeared across her mouth, Luke's shirt half-unbuttoned, his hand still tangled in her hair.

For one frozen moment, we all just stared at each other.

Then May smiled without feeling guilty nor sorry.

"Oh. April." She straightened her dress slowly, casually, like I'd caught her doing something as nothing wrong. "We were just... celebrating."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My throat had closed completely.

Luke didn't even bother looking at me. He just turned back to May and kissed her again, slow and erotic, like I wasn't even there.

It was like I didn't matter on since bit.

I stumbled backward, my vision getting blur again from tear as I ran.

I ran down the hall, jumping the stairs. Anywhere but here.

I made it back to my room and locked the door behind me. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely turn the bolt.

I collapsed onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, tears drying on my face, replaced by something colder.

Tonight was supposed to be my beginning. My wedding. My birthday. The day I became someone who mattered.

Instead, it became the night I lost everything.

My mate. My title. My family. My future.

But here's the thing about hitting rock bottom-there's nowhere left to fall.

And when you've got nothing left to lose, you stop being afraid.

I was ready to take that reckless move as I cared no more but what happened next ruined me.

I felt rage, pure-hot rage coursed through my veins as I stormed through the pack house, still in my wedding dress, makeup streaked down my face. I was madly enraged at everyone in this pack tonight - the people I grew up with, the ones I once respected, my sister, Luke, even my father. The only person I had left was Stephanie.

I walked down to the living room, searching for my father. But he wasn't there

I checked his room? He wasn't there either.

I stepped outside, asked the guards, checked around. No one could tell me where he was. When I finally tracked down one of his closest guards, he barely looked at me.

"The Alpha left to meet someone important."

I thought as much he was gone again. Probably...no no definitely a meeting.

I stayed in the courtyard anxiously, waiting for him. I needed to ask questions. I needed to know why - why me? Why did he strip me of my title without even bothering to look at me?

When he didn't return, I turned and walked to the garage.

I stared at my black bike, covered in a thick layer of dust that dulled her once-glossy finish. I removed the cover slowly, watching dust motes dance in the dim garage light. Running my hand over the cooled metal felt like greeting an old friend who'd been forgotten.

Ice. I'd named her Ice the day I bought her-one of the first things I'd ever purchased with my own money. Father had frowned when I started riding. "It doesn't fit the image of an heir," he'd said, his voice tight with disappointment.

But God, I'd loved it. Being on Ice made me feel alive in a way nothing else did. It had made me free, powerful and my self.

I brushed the dust off, pulled the key from the drawer, and started her. The engine roared to life, and for a moment-just a moment-I smiled.

After I warmed Ice, I shut her down and went back into the mansion. My father should be back by now.

In the entrance hall, I ran into Luke.

I stopped dead frowning deeply at the bastard. He stepped toward me, and I immediately moved back.

"What is it now?" My voice came out sharper than intended. "Haven't you embarrassed me enough?"

He reached for my hand-actually tried to lift it to his lips like we were still something. I jerked away, but he blocked my path.

"April, you need to leave. Right now."

I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. He had married my sister and become an Alpha and now he thought he could tell me what to do?

"You think you get to tell me what to do?" I stepped forward, forcing him back. "I'm not up for all this shit. Move. I need to pass."

But Luke didn't move. His grey eyes locked on mine, and for the first time tonight, I saw something that looked almost like he cared.

"April, I'm telling you-you need to leave. Immediately. You are in danger. You don't understand what is happening."

"Okay, tell me-who wants to kill me?" I asked. He didn't answer.

"Why am I in danger?" I demanded. "I'm not interested in your games or your lies. Just let me be. I've had enough of today."

"April I mean it." His voice dropped low . "I know you hate me. I know I deserve it. But you need to leave. Now. Before-"

He cut himself off, glancing over his shoulder.

"Before what?" I demanded.

His jaw clenched. "Just... trust me. One last time. I still love you deeply."

"Trust you. Did you just say love?" I laughed, and it sounded broken even to my own ears. "You destroyed that at the altar."

"Why the hell should I believe you?" I fired back. "You stole everything from me. You let my sister take my place - my title. You humiliated me. You made the worst day of my life."

I brushed past him, pushing him aside as I walked out. "I think you've done enough," I said.

"I'm telling you, April, you'll lose your life if you don't run away from this place."

"Then you should be prepared for that?" His last voice sounded way more cold than I expected.

Those words echoed in my head, but I didn't care. I left his sight.

I wondered what's up with his change of tone. But I was to pissed to realise anything.

By the time I reached the living room, my father had returned. He sat in his chair like a king on a throne, flanked by two betas. As if nothing had changed. As if he hadn't just destroyed my life.

"Father," I said, and I hated how my voice trembled. "We need to talk."

He didn't even look at me.

"How could you do this to me?" The words burst out before I could stop them. "How could you let Luke reject me in front of everyone? How could you give May my title-my birthright?" My voice broke. "Don't I mean anything to you at all?"

Silence.

Then, finally, he turned to his betas. "Leave us."

They bowed and left quickly, their relief palpable.

When we were alone, my father stood slowly. Like a man carrying the weight of the world.

"April." His voice was quieter than I'd ever heard it. "You need to go to the Nevermore Academy."

For a moment, I couldn't process the words.

"What?" I stepped toward him, disbelief making me dizzy. "So that's it? After ruining the happiest day of my life, you just... banish me? Did you even remember it was my birthday?"

He said nothing. Just looked at me with those cold, distant eyes.

I laughed-a broken, bitter sound. "Of course you didn't."

"April-"

"No." I cut him off. "No more excuses. No more lies. Why? Just tell me why I'm not enough. Why have you always looked at me like I'm-like I'm broken?"

Something flickered across his face. Pain? Regret? It was gone before I could name it.

"You don't understand," he said quietly. "Things have gotten out of hand. You need to leave tonight." He took a breath. "Go to the academy. Prove you are strong. Prove you are worthy. When you return, I will restore your title. But for now, go. That is the only way to calm things and keep you safe."

"Save me? From who?" I demanded.

He didn't answer.

"What is actually going on?" My voice rose up.

"What am I missing?"

What the actual fuck was going on? First it was Luke now my father ?

My heart was actually racing now in fear. And my chest was staring to hurt from the loud pounding of my chest.

Was I really in danger?