The Luna He Abandoned

The boos from the crowd were deafening to Aurora's ears as she fought to keep her eyes open, staring back at them bravely.

She was tied to a stake, her hair matted with dirt, sweat, and blood while her face was covered with soot.

Amid all this humiliation, there was one thing missing. Tears.

There was not a single drop of tears that slipped from her eyes.

That's right.

She has not shed any tears ever since her ordeals began. She only gazed back at the crowd with defiant fury in her eyes.

"You should look at yourself first before you try to seduce our Alpha. Is a runt like you qualified to be our Luna?" Someone from the crowd booed.

"Tch! That innocent face and vixen body are only good for deceiving men. Go to hell! Go die!" another wolf chipped in.

A chuckle escaped Aurora's lips as she couldn't believe that, these were the same people who once called her Luna.

Even the maids that once served her were also there, jeering at her, not minding the fact she treated them all like sisters when she was up there, never looking down on any of them.

She looked at her mate and scoffed, biting her lips to endure the pain in her heart.

When she heard that the pack council was calling for her demotion because of her heart condition, she was worried. But not too much because she knew her mate loved her and had promised to protect her at all costs.

Yet, everything fell apart last as her world crumbled last night. Within a few hours, there she was, tied to a stake, like a criminal waiting to be demoted.

As for her beloved mate, Alpha King Rowan Claudius, ruler of the Silver Fang territories, he was standing on a podium with his hand wrapped around the waist of a familiar she-wolf.

This wolf was the preferred Luna queen, unanimously accepted and recommended by all the pack members.

"You're the weak yet shameless woman I've ever seen. You didn't look at your mirror before dreaming of being our Luna?" the voice of an older woman cut through the air, her words cutting through Aurora's already bruised heart.

"Bitch! Because of you weakening our alpha and distracting him with your sickness, our treasuries were robbed, our farms and land plundered, and now my son is dead. Pay for it with your life!" another woman wailed.

A single step forward by Rowan and the pack center contorted into a deafening silence.

Rowan took another step forward, clearing his throat as he prepared to address the pack. Maddy, the preferred Luna, stood close to him, wearing on her face a mocking smile of victory.

"Silence!" Rowan shouted, raising his hand.

At once, everywhere went silent, except for Aurora's labored breaths. One could even hear a pin drop. Even though they didn't agree with Rowan's choice of his first mate, it never changed the fact that they respected him as a competent leader.

He walked up the stage and motioned to Maddy to stop following him. She frowned, but quickly masked it with an amiable smile and obeyed.

Aurora looked up at him, her eyes mirroring the pain in her heart. For a moment, Rowan felt the pain too, and an inkling of guilt. But he quickly steeled his resolve, reminding himself to look at the bigger picture.

He lowered his gaze to look at Aurora, who was tied to a stake beneath the podium. He swallowed a chunk down his throat as he commenced, "You already know what I'm here for. So there will be no need for much talk."

Aurora could only blink back the tears that threatened to fall as she pleaded, "Rowan, I'm in bad shape now. Can you give me some time to recover?"

To Rowan, it only seemed as if she was doing everything possible to delay getting rejected, infuriating him the more.

Without considering her words, he gritted his jaw as he spat, "I, Alpha Rowan Claudius of the silver fang pack, reject you weakling, Aurora Clio as my mate and Luna. May our paths never cross again."

Blood gushed out Aurora's mouth immediately the words left his mouth. She gripped her chest in pain as she struggled to control her breath. The power disparity between them was already too much and rejection was meant to hurt like hell.

As the weaker one in the relationship, she would be the one to suffer the pain the most. Even more so in her current body conditions.

She looked up at him, the tears she had been fighting back streaming down her face as the blood oozing from her dripped into her tattered clothes.

"Did you ever love me once?"

"No" His reply was cold and emotionless, without hesitation.

The disappointment and pain crashed down on her, making her shoulders slumped.

"Then all those moments that we spent together, all those promises, what were they to you?" She whispered, dreading his answer. But she needed to hear it anyway.

"An irresponsible desire, a fleeting crush from a disgraceful lust-filled past I would like to erase if I can turn back the hands of the clock. A terrible mistake. The moment of indulgence is past, and it's time to get back on track."

If Aurora thought his initial words broke her heart, this one shattered her and tore her open till there was nothing left.

The beautiful memories she cherished were nothing but a mistake to him. But this was good, she should try her best to get rid of lingering sentiments too.

"I, Aurora Clio accept your rejection."

Her acceptance of the broken bond sent a sharp pain through his chest. He could feel Hus wolf howling in pain but he needed to control himself.

He was sacrificing for his people and his pack. He was a leader and the well-being of his pack came first to his personal desires.

"From today," he added. " I banish you from the Silver Fang territories never to return without an explicit permit, as long as you shall leave."

A resounding cheers of approval from the pack members filled the air as he declared Aurora banished.

If Aurora thought all this was painful, then she was most definitely not ready for the next blow.

Right there before her very eyes, Maddy walked up to her mate-ex-mate, kissed him on the lips while locking gazes with her, adding insult to her wounds.

The tears clouded Ger vision as a sharp pain coursed through her bones, rendering her blank.

Two days had passed since Aurora was thrown into the dungeon after the public rejection and watching Rowan accept Maddy as his mate.

She has had neither food nor water for the entire three days. In addition to this, the massive blood loss and wounds had exhausted her.

Her limbs were clasped with heavy metal chains while her quivering lips chapped from the coldness of the cell.

The sound of boots against the floor made her flinch.

A guard dressed in armor came into view as he let out a scoff.

"You will soon be put out of your misery." He said with disdain, making Aurora look up at him.

He was among her worst tormentors for the past two days, coming at intervals to beat and harass her on Maddy's orders.

For a moment, he felt as if her stare cut right through him. But he quickly dismissed it as a hallucination because how could a mere omega possibly have that kind of aura?

****

Meanwhile, Beta Andrew met Alpha King Rowan pacing in his office. At first sight, he looked obviously troubled as if his mind was all over the place. Andrew shook his head, guessing the reason for Rowan's discomfort.

"Alpha, you sent for me."

"Is everything ready to transport the Luna away?" Rowan turned to him and asked.

"Former Luna." Andrew corrected, earning him a scowl from Rowan.

"You have to arrange adequate security for her, I don't want to hear stories about her getting hurt.

And don't you dare leave her in the woods like those old fools wanted, she's too fragile to bear such horrors. Have your men been taking care of her in the dungeon?"

"I passed the message across on the first day. I'm sure they didn't give her a hard time."

The alpha sighed in relief.

"Send a message to Alpha Rex of the crescent moon pack.

Your men will take her there. Instruct him to take good care of her and ensure she doesn't lack. Of course, he will be duly compensated."

Andrew looked at him in surprise. Wasn't his agreement with the elder's council to completely break off ties with her and leave her to go her way?

Why was he arranging a safe house where she would be treated like a princess?

"I understand, Alpha."

"Emphasis on treating her well and making sure she's alright. If anything happens to her, hmph." Rowan didn't complete his words but the threat was obvious.

Behind the door was Maddy who was eavesdropping on their conversation. Her face turned dark as he listened to their words.

"I knew it. He still loved that bitch despite all my efforts to tear him away. He won't even mate with me, making an excuse that the wedding has not been done."

She continued listening to them as Rowan repeatedly reminded Andrew to keep the Luna safe.

Maddy's heart darkened even more and her eyes became red with the desire to kill.

All through the conversation, Rowan referred to Aurora as Luna, not even ex-Luna, making the fires of fury course through her veins.

Even after all her scheming and careful planning, he still won't completely let go. During the times they were mated, Aurora was like an extension of his arm and it was common to see him dragging her into a corner for a quickie.

However, his high libido seemed to disappear once it became Maddy's turn to have him.

"You want to keep your true mate in a safe house and sneak to her occasionally? Will I let that happen? Over my dead body!" She muttered and turned to leave, gritting her teeth.

*****

The carriage that would drive Aurora away soon arrived before the pack house, and she was led out.

A crowd was outside, booing and mocking her. Someone threw an egg at her, making her gasp in shock as the disgusting liquid ran down her face. She looked up to see Alpha Rowan standing on the balcony with Maddy holding him possesively while glaring at her.

She felt a sharp stab of pain in her heart on seeing her husband with another woman being so intimate. She gritted her teeth and quickly got into the carriage, refusing to see more.

The horses pulled the carriage away, and soon, they were out of the Silver Fang territories and into the wild lands under ownership dispute. The area was overgrown with bushes, and filled with wild trees. No, to be exact, it was a thick forest with a road running right through it.

Aurora closed her eyes and relaxed back into the seat, awaiting her fate.

A sudden collision and the neighing of frightened horses had her opening her eyes, a frown on her face.

Before she could ask what it was, she saw it. Men in black, with their faces covered with black clothes.

"Shit! What's this?" The carriage driver muttered, reaching for his dagger, same with three other guards riding with them.

An arrow flew past Aurora's hair, making her scream and duck for safety.

"You're blocking the Alpha King's carriage which is a capital offense. Move away from the road or face the consequences." One of the guards on horseback escorting her shouted, followed by the shining of swords being unsheathed.

In response, the assailants fired another arrow at them, killing one of the four guards in the process. Pandemonium immediately broke out.

The horses kicked up dust, and some ran into the trees, unhinged from the carriage. At once, the carriage overturned and crashed into a tree, leaving Aurora with severe injuries.

"Protect the ex, Luna! Do you all know the consequences of blocking the King's envoy? Even if you escape today, he will definitely find you."

"Don't threaten us with the alpha king, we are here on his orders." A gruff voice replied, making them speechless.

"Do you take us for fools? Why would the alpha king send a message to thugs instead of soldiers under his troops? Move away, this is your last warning."

But the thugs didn't budge, rather they began to fire arrows indiscriminately.

"Could they really be from the alpha king? Their weapons pierced our special armor, even the reinforced carriage was no match for them.

Their arrows are limited edition from the armory research department still in the test phase, and forbidden from use due to their extreme lethality.

People don't even know they exist since Division One only answers to the alpha king. These are top military secrets. Could they really be sent by the alpha king?"

At this point, the light in Aurora's eyes dimmed. She held out hope he only abandoned her for the pack, and was only doing his duty. Although it was painful, she could still accept it and wait for him to come back to his senses. When the enemies showed up, she never believed their words, but now, it was obvious that Rowan pretended to release her only to send hitmen after her.

'Rowan, was loving you a crime?' She muttered the tears she had been fighting back for two days now effortlessly streaming down her cheeks.

One of the thugs kicked the carriage and the already broken carriage splintered, with broken pieces of wood and metal piercing her body.

"Come here." He growled and grabbed her, tossing her roughly like a rag doll.

She smacked into a tree and two of her ribs broke. Aurora vomited blood at the impact and fell to the floor.

As she was still groaning, another of the scoundrels kicked her to another one, who stomped hard on her back causing her to scream in agony.

The spot he stepped on was dangerously close to her broken rib, multiplying her pain. Another delivered a vicious kick to her belly, making her groan.

Her eyes had already turned back in her head, on the verge of passing out from the extreme pain. The veins on her forehead were popping out, and her eyes had visible red lines.

Gashes and bumps filled her body and her already destroyed clothes became even dirtier with blood, dried leaves, and dirt.

Her hair was messy, her face was streaked with tears, dirt, and blood. Two lines of blood ran down her face as if she was shedding tears of blood, making for a pathetic sight.

"Blame yourself for being too greedy and getting entangled with someone you shouldn't have, someone you don't deserve." One of the men said viciously and stomped hard on her chest.

"Now that I look at her properly, she's truly beautiful, despite all the dirt, blood, wounds, and grime matting her body.

No wonder even the untouchable alpha king was enchanted. Her boobs are quite the lookers, the perfect shape. Her body is hot, despite being slender and pathetically frail." One of the men said and kicked her again, making her face the sky.

"How about we have a quick one with her?" Another suggested.

The one who appeared to be their leader turned, his eyes making it obvious that he was glaring at them.

He pulled out his sword from the chest of the last guard whom he had just slain and wiped the blood away on the dead guard's clothes. All of the guards lay dead, either from a dagger, arrow, or sword stab.

"Ah? Have you gone crazy?" Their leader shouted, turning to them.

"The instruction was to make her suffer before killing her and to dump her body. If any of you dare to rape her, I will kill that person on the spot.

He rejected her a few days ago, but the mate bond is not completely gone. Once you rape her, he's going to feel it and know that something is wrong.

No matter what happened, she used to be the king's woman, mated and marked, most importantly she's the weaker of the two. He's going to know if someone else does that to her.

Do you think he will sit still? He will immediately give chase the moment he realizes it. If you have a death wish, wait till the rest of us get to safety. Then you can do whatever.

We were paid money to do a clean job without traces, not mess it up." He snarled, scolding them. His voice was surprisingly that of a younger man.

"That's right, if you want a wench, go to the local tavern with your share of the money or grab a maid. Don't do it with that beast's woman. He's possessive.

He might not notice her death but will know when she's being defiled. Till the next full moon erases the blood traces he left in her body completely."

Another of the men who had remained quiet added, coming towards the rest. He had been quiet during the mission, quickly killing the guards alongside the leader, obviously one of the members with better skills.

"She has been unconscious for some time, deliver the final hit and kick her down to the valley. There's a river down there, the fishes would appreciate her corpse for dinner."

******

Alpha Rowan was pacing his study, looking very uncomfortable. Andrew walked in at that moment, making him turn around.

"What's Rex saying? Haven't they arrived? It has been a day already." He growled, punching the wall. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and huffed out a warm breath.

"We just received Alpha Rex's messenger raven. The letter said that they had not arrived yet. He also checked with the two packs before his but they both said that they didn't see the group. The ex-Luna didn't pass through their territories and most certainly didn't didn't get to Alpha Rex."

"Damn it! Where are they? Where did they disappear to? How can four grown men disappear into the thin air with her? Try to contact them."

Rowan whispered, looking very disturbed.

"I already did, Your Majesty. I released the secret message code into the sky three times but received no response. I don't think they're in a position to reply to us." Andrew muttered, making Rowan turn around with a scowl.

"And why are you just telling me now? I will find them myself." He growled and pushed Andrew away. His wolf was pacing in his mind, longing for his rejected mate and making him even more anxious.

Andrew immediately blocked his way.

"Step aside now," Rowan growled, his eyes red with fury and veins running across his face, showing his distress.

"Alpha, the agreement with the council was to completely break off ties with her. Your wedding with Maddy will soon be held, you cannot be seen going after your ex at this point."

"Do I look like I give a fuck? Let go." But Andrew showed no signs of letting him go.

"There are uprisings and formation of factions. If you want to protect your people and save them from the agony of war you have to sacrifice and marry Maddy.

You do not fear war because we have the resources. But what about the common people, what will they do?

You're almost there, endure for a while till you find the traitors and eliminate the factions. Everyone is watching you, you must keep a good relationship with Maddy.

As for finding the ex Luna, leave it to me. I will go personally, and in four hours you will have an answer. Don't you trust my ability?"

Rowan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so hard his nails drew blood. He felt like screaming, but there was no strength left in him. Andrew bowed to him and quickly left, signaling the gamma waiting outside to keep an eye on the distressed Rowan.

*****

Andrew returned later at night, his body drenched with water. He looked at Rowan who turned to him the moment he entered the study and immediately averted his eyes.

"Where is she?" In response, Andrew pushed a parcel to him.

"They were attacked by bandits, everyone is dead. The guards were abandoned on the road, while she was thrown into the river.

By the time we arrived, there was nobody left, probably eaten by crocodiles. We only retrieved the jade bracelet you once gave her and some of her torn pieces of clothing."

Rowan gasped, numerous times, his chest heaving up and down as he tried to control the indescribable pain. He suddenly staggered and collapsed to his knees, holding his chest.