Once His Rejected Luna

The house was quiet-too quiet. Not the kind of quiet you get from peace, but the kind that makes the air heavy. Even a graveyard has the sound of the wind, the rustle of leaves, the chirp of a lone bird. Here, nothing. Just silence pressing against my ears.

Alex's car sat in the driveway. He was home. Of course he was. He was always "home" now, locked away in his study, shutting me out like a stranger.

I stepped inside, my eyes swept across the living room, and my chest tightened. Once upon a time, this house had been alive. Our laughter had bounced off these walls. Our whispers had filled the corners. Now it was just... dead.

I walked slowly to my room, each step like walking back through memories I wanted to forget. I remembered the way Alex used to look at me-soft eyes, warm hands, a man who couldn't keep his distance. I remembered thinking we were blessed, chosen even. Everyone had called us perfect. I had believed it.

But perfection doesn't rot overnight. It decays slowly, like fruit left on a windowsill. The rot had a name. Carmen.

He had told me about her once, like it was a harmless story. His old lover. His great love. But he had insisted he was over her, as if saying it enough times would make it true. And then she came back, and everything shifted. His eyes, once bright with adoration, turned cold-clinical even-when they met mine. Sometimes I caught disgust flickering there. Sometimes, worse, indifference.

I sighed, toes aching as I kicked off my shoes. Another day of silence, another day of pretending I was fine.

He said nothing was wrong. He said he was busy. He said a lot of things. None of them explained why I still wasn't his Luna. We'd been on the brink of it, and then-two days before Carmen's return-he stopped. He postponed it. Again and again, until I stopped asking.

I stretched out on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe I was paranoid. Maybe he really was just busy.

My brain ran circles of maybes until something snapped me back-a sound. Soft at first, almost imagined. Then clearer.

A moan.

A woman's moan.

My heart stopped.

No. Not that. Please not that.

I sat up, listening hard. The sound came again, muffled but unmistakable. My palms grew damp. For a second, I couldn't move. My whole body trembled like it knew the truth before my mind did.

Then I was on my feet, moving before I could stop myself, my pulse in my throat.

Please be a dream. Please be a dream.

I stopped at his door, holding my breath. The moan was louder now, and my stomach churned. The voice wasn't just any voice. It was familiar. Too familiar.

Carmen.

I froze, nails digging into my palms. Tears burned behind my eyes. My best friend. My husband. My bed. My world tilting.

I pushed the door open.

Nothing-nothing-could have prepared me for the sight.

Alex, half-dressed, tangled with Carmen on the very bed we had once shared. Her hair spilled over his chest. Her fingers trailed his skin. She turned her head toward me and smiled like this was a game she'd won.

"Carmen?" My voice cracked. She didn't even flinch.

Alex straightened, face tightening with anger instead of guilt.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped.

I blinked at him, stunned. "What do you mean, what am I doing here? I live here! We're married!" My voice rose with each word until it broke.

His eyes darkened, something cruel flickering in them.

"Well, news flash," he said slowly, as if savoring it. "I don't want you anymore. Slut. Can't you see it? You have a wolf-can't she even smell that I no longer want you?" His voice was a growl now, sharp enough to cut.

I staggered back a step. Alex had been distant before, but he'd never spoken to me like this. Not until now.

"Alex, why are you doing this? What did I do wrong?" My voice was barely a whisper.

Carmen's grin widened. She didn't even bother to cover herself, sitting there like a queen on her throne.

"Isn't it obvious?" she said sweetly, venom dripping from every syllable. "He doesn't love you anymore. We love each other. No one's going to love a cheap whore like you."

I stared at her, my heart breaking in real time. This was the woman I had once called sister.

"How could you?" Tears spilled freely now. "Carmen, how could you?"

She tilted her head mockingly. "Oh, spare me. Accept reality, Tori. He was always mine. I am his. Not you. Not some trash like you." Her smile was a blade.

"Yes," Alex said, folding his arms, looking at me like I was a stranger in his house.

"I no longer want you in my life, Tori. You're... what's the word..."

"Her services are no longer needed," Carmen purred.

Alex smirked. "Right. You heard her. Your services are no longer needed, Tori."

I couldn't breathe. "What do you mean?"

He stepped closer, that same devastating smile-the one that used to make my knees weak-now twisted into something unrecognizable.

"I want a divorce," he said simply.

The tiny pieces of my heart, already cracked, finally shattered.

"Divorce?" My voice was a whimper.

He nodded and shoved a paper into my hands.

"Time to say goodbye, Tori."

I stared at the papers like they were relics. This couldn't be happening - this should be a dream. No way my husband had just shoved divorce papers in my face after being caught cheating on me with my best friend. Maybe it was a prank, maybe...

"What are you waiting for? Sign the damn papers." Alex's voice jarred me out of my reverie. I came back to reality, realizing this wasn't a dream but very, very real. I stared at the papers and scowled.

"I am not signing anything. Cheat on me all you want, but I am not leaving you. You'll come back to your senses and realize how much you miss me," I said.

Alex's face darkened. He clenched his fist and turned to Carmen.

"Honey, leave us for a while. I don't want you to see how angry she has made me," he said. Carmen even had the nerve to smile and kiss him before leaving the room. Alex turned back to me angrily.

"Are you crazy? Sign the papers and get the hell out of here," he growled. I shook my head.

"No." Alex unclenched and clenched his fists.

"You are crazy. I never realized this before, but I see it now. Sign the papers or I'll make your life hell," he roared. I stared at him stubbornly.

"You are making it hell already. But I'm ready to stay," I said. He snarled. I could tell he was on edge - he was obviously controlling his wolf, and his eyes were starting to turn yellow.

"Don't piss me off." His voice was unnerving and deep, like two people were speaking at once.

If I wasn't scared before, I was now. Why was he so angry at me to the extent of almost losing his cool? Was this how much he hated me? How could he hate me this much?

I used to think he loved me, or at least felt the tiniest shred of affection in his heart. But now I couldn't even see the man who used to caress me. All I saw was a werewolf struggling not to maul his wife.

"Please don't send me away. I still love you, and I always will. I can bear to lose you," I pleaded. He shook his head.

"Well, I don't. I don't love you - I never loved you. Carmen was who I loved all along. You're just a backup plan, Tori," he said. It felt like someone plunged a knife into my heart. I was so stunned that I couldn't even breathe.

I never loved you. Carmen was who I loved all along.

I stared at the papers in my hands and thought of tearing them, but he could just do another. Why don't I just sign and get this done with? I shook my head. I still couldn't think of life without Alex. I loved him, even if he had just told me he didn't love me back.

"Alex, please." I moved closer and he scowled. "I'll do anything you want," I added; his scowl deepened.

"What I want is for you to sign those papers. Then we're done here," he said. I shook my head.

"I won't - you can't force me," I said. He smiled, a cruel one.

"Yes, you're right - I can't. But I can make you." He stormed away. The moment he left I fell to my knees and wept. The man I loved did not love me back, and worse, he was now with my best friend. An obvious slap to the face. Nothing had ever hurt like this. Not even when I'd lost my parents.

The door opened and Alex walked in, holding another set of papers. He smirked evilly.

"Sign the papers," he started. I shook my head.

"No." He smiled.

"Then I'll take the company rights and give them to Carmen," he said, and my heart stopped.

"You can't... I... I-"

"Yes I can," he said. There was no point trying to make him see reason. It was obvious his mind had been made up a long time ago. I stared at the paper and held out my hand for the pen tiredly, tears refusing to stop falling from my eyes.

He grinned and handed me a pen. I signed next to his signature and his smile widened.

"Good girl. Perhaps you'll find a guy who would take trash like you - omegas, maybe. No alpha or even a beta in his right senses would take a rejected crap like you, Tori," he said.

I broke down once I was done signing and stared at his face to see even the tiniest bit of pity or remorse. But when I looked there was nothing. Just the cold weight of his eyes on me.

"Thank you for being smart," he said and took the papers from my shaky hands. "I'll drop this at the lawyer's tomorrow. Then it's official." He turned to leave.

"I still love you, Alex. No matter how hard you push me away," I called after him. He shrugged.

"Like I said, I don't. Try thinking of the upcoming Red Moon Festival - I'm sure people will have a lot of questions." He walked away.

After thirty minutes of sobbing, I stood and packed only a few of my clothes into the car. I wasn't taking anything else. I still loved him, but maybe it was time to move on. Maybe this was the goddess giving me a sign.

"You can do this, Riri," my wolf said, and I smiled.

"I wish you were right, friend," I replied and shook my head.

I was done with men. Never again would I fall in love.

Tori's POV

The hotel was far from our house - or rather, Alex's and Carmen's house. I had made sure of that. I cried for almost an hour after checking in. The realization of what had really happened hit me hard, and I didn't know if I would ever recover.

The hotel was nice and distracting enough: large rooms, a king-sized bed, a pool on the other side of the room to relax in, and a wide view of the city. Sometimes I looked at the pool longingly, wishing it would just drown me.

I had to remind myself it wasn't worth it. Alex wasn't worth my life. I had to move on, had to find other sweet aspects of life and make sure Alex's betrayal didn't mess with my head.

I stared at myself in the mirror as the water ran down my body in the shower. Blonde hair and all. I didn't look bad. When I checked into the hotel, all eyes had been on me - from the lobby to the elevator. Someone had even whistled appreciatively. So why was Alex so hateful? What did I do to deserve the loathing I saw in his eyes today?

And then there was Carmen. I had thought she was my best friend. I had told her my darkest secrets. We had laughed together and cried together. Now she was sharing my bed with my husband.

"Ex-husband," Lily, my wolf, interrupted.

I sighed. Right. Ex-husband.

A knock broke into my thoughts. I pulled on a robe and opened the door to see a young, handsome attendant.

"Ma'am, your order," he said, and I remembered I had ordered food. I'd forgotten, lost in my grief. Now that he mentioned it, I suddenly felt ravenous.

I smiled at the young man.

"Thank you." I said. He smiled uncertainly. He looked flustered - blushing, even. For a moment, I was too amused to take the cart. After all the hate from Alex, it was surprising to see someone look at me with nervous admiration.

I wolfed down the food within minutes of uncovering it. I had been hungrier than I realized - crying over spilled milk had distracted me from the gnawing emptiness in my stomach.

When I was done, I felt better, more myself. I even smiled at the thought of the young attendant. If only he knew what awaited him when it came to relationships.

"Easy on him, Riri. He's just eighteen," Lily teased, and I smiled.

"Yeah. Makes me feel old, and I don't like it," I replied.

"But you are old."

I burst out laughing and stumbled onto the balcony to watch the city under dusk.

Lily was my only comforter in bad times. She was part of me, with a mind of her own, and I was part of her too. I extended my claws, watching the way they gleamed wickedly under the setting sun. Sometimes I wondered if Lily could feel the pain I was-

"My shoulder aches," she said, and I smiled. My shoulder ached too, and I was glad she was showing me how connected we were.

"Do you think Alex feels any remorse for his actions?" I asked.

"He never loved you, Riri. He was just obsessed for a while. He's a jerk," she said, and I smiled faintly.

"I don't ever want to fall in love again. I probably never will," I said. I heard her chuckle - a deep, growly, feminine chuckle.

"No one can predict love, girl. It comes like the breeze - either it passes by or it settles," she replied.

I sighed. Trust Lily to give the best advice. Still, the truth was I didn't ever want to fall in love again. It was better to focus on my job, live my life. I wasn't going to fall in love or run after men.

"Not all men are the same, you know. Take our young attendant, for example. He's naïve, young, and handsome. Perhaps you could try an age-gap relationship," Lily said, amused.

"Shut up, Lily," I growled, and she chuckled.

"Just saying what I feel," she said. I could hear the humor in her voice, and I grinned. What would I do without Lily? She was the only one I could talk to when I needed someone. It was funny how I had so little time for her when I was busy chasing Alex.

"I'm sorry," I said inwardly.

"Don't be, Riri. He was your man."

"I was foolish to fall for him," I insisted.

"That's okay, Riri," she cooed.

"I am so stupid,"

"Shut up, Riri," she said, imitating my voice. I laughed. Lily loved joking, calming me down. She knew how to laugh, how to comfort, how to scold, even how to advise. Sometimes I felt lucky to be born a werewolf.

"Thank you, Li-" My stomach churned suddenly. I doubled over, nauseous. I could feel the contents of my meal rushing upward.

I ran to the bathroom and vomited everything into the toilet. When I was done, I stood, frowning. What did they put in the food? Why was I-

"Uh oh," Lily muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked aloud.

"I don't know if this is good news or bad news," she deadpanned.

"Lily, what the fuck is wrong?" I snapped. She sighed.

"You're pregnant," she said. My phone slipped from my hands.

"With Alpha Alex's pup,"