The Rejected Luna Is the Hidden Heiress

The countdown in the lab reached its final second.

Three, two, one.

The main monitor flashed green.

**EXPERIMENT SUCCESSFUL.**

Every instrument in the lab began beeping at once. Data raced across the screens, the curve shooting past the critical threshold as the printer spat out page after page of test results.

It worked!

I shot to my feet, but my vision suddenly went black. I had to brace myself against the lab table. More than six months of sleepless nights and countless failed trials had nearly drained every ounce of strength from my body, but I couldn't stop now.

I grabbed the report.

The data was stable.

No errors.

I had really done it.

My fingers trembled as I held the freshly printed results.

This was the breakthrough I had spent more than six months developing in secret, without telling Damon.

A completely new medical technology.

Now I had the successful data I needed. Once the remaining documentation was complete, I could officially file for a patent.

This technology was powerful enough to change the fate of the Dark Moon Pack. It could secure a partnership with the Crawford Pack and even give us a chance to replace them as the strongest pack on the East Coast.

Damon had always dreamed of the day the Dark Moon Pack would rise to the top.

So had I.

I was an Omega, while my husband was the Alpha of the Dark Moon Pack. With research valuable enough to transform the pack's future, I was certain they would finally recognize me as their Luna. All the contempt and humiliation that had struck me like stones would finally disappear.

I had to see Damon.

The moment he saw the data, he would pull me into his arms and tell me how proud he was.

I quickly copied the complete experimental data onto an encrypted drive, slipped the printed report into a folder, and rushed out of the lab with both pressed tightly against my chest.

I sped toward the Alpha estate.

The moment I arrived, I headed straight for Damon's office.

The door was slightly open.

I raised my hand to knock, but before my knuckles touched the wood, a woman's moan drifted from inside.

I froze.

For a second, I thought I had imagined it.

Then another moan followed.

I stepped closer.

And saw my husband.

Damon had both hands wrapped around a woman's ass as he drove himself hard into her.

Wild red hair spilled down her back as she bent over the broad office desk I knew so well, moaning with pleasure.

Three months ago, I had been bent over that same desk.

I had been explaining my previous clinical data to Damon.

At last, he released a low growl, and they stopped moving.

I stood outside the frosted glass door, unable to believe what I was seeing.

How could the man who had once stayed with me in the lab until three in the morning be sleeping with another woman?

"Damon, when are you finally going to divorce that Omega?" the woman demanded as she turned around. "I'm tired of waiting. Our son, Leo, deserves a real family."

I finally saw her face.

Sylvia.

Damon's former mate.

What had she just said?

Their son?

Leo?

Three years ago, Damon and I had "adopted" a young wolf named Leo from an orphanage.

Damon told me he had chosen the boy at random because he wanted to help me recover from the pain of being unable to have children.

I had been so moved that I even agreed to put Damon's name on the research reports and papers I had previously submitted.

But Leo-the child I had raised for three years and loved more than my own life-was actually Damon and Sylvia's biological son?

Dear Goddess.

Had Damon chosen me only to fill the space Sylvia left behind?

I pressed myself against the wall and forced myself to keep listening.

"Sylvia, calm down." Damon's voice was gentle, as though he were soothing someone precious. "You were the one who wanted to build a career in Europe. You left me. My parents were furious about it. I couldn't bring you home the moment you came back and immediately tell them everything. These things take time."

"Things are different now. You're the Alpha," Sylvia said. "More importantly, Leo needs to live with his real mother."

"I know." Damon lowered his head and kissed her. "But I still need Ava. She's been working on medical research. Once she produces something valuable enough, we'll have a chance to secure an agreement with the Crawford Pack. When that deal is finalized, we'll be powerful enough to replace them and become the strongest pack on the East Coast."

He lowered his voice.

"Once the agreement is signed, I'll remove her as Luna. Then the title will belong to you. You'll be the Luna of the strongest pack on the East Coast. Isn't that worth waiting a little longer?"

My body swayed.

The air vanished from my lungs.

I had to brace myself against the wall to keep from collapsing.

For three years, I had practically lived inside the laboratory, working myself to the bone to make the pack stronger.

I had never forgotten that I was an Omega.

All I wanted was to prove that Damon hadn't made a mistake by choosing me.

Even when I worked until I coughed up blood, I still dragged myself home to cook for his family.

His mother seized every opportunity to humiliate me for being a useless Omega. His sister insisted I had stained the Ashford family name, while his father sat silently by and watched.

Maybe even my infertility had been part of their plan.

The floor seemed to collapse beneath me as my heart tightened painfully inside my chest.

I would never forget that day.

I had gone to the pack headquarters to submit a research report when Damon stood before me and told me, with such tenderness in his eyes, that he had never met a woman as special as I was.

Later, he proposed.

There was no ceremony.

Only a secret marriage registration.

But now I understood.

Everything had been planned from the beginning.

The truth crashed over me like shards of ice.

"You're right," Sylvia said with a cold laugh. "She's nothing but an Omega living inside a fantasy. In the end, she'll be thrown away like a stray dog."

Then Sylvia dropped to her knees, wrapped her hand around Damon's cock, and took him into her mouth.

The suffocating sounds began again.

I couldn't stay there another second.

I turned and fled.

My fingers tightened around the folder containing the experimental data before I shoved it into the hidden compartment of my bag. The encrypted drive holding all the core research was safely tucked inside with it.

Now everything made sense.

Whenever I had suggested making my research public, Damon would pull me into his arms and comfort me softly.

"Baby, you're only an Omega woman. If you make your research public, everyone in the pack will question you. But I know what you're worth. Once we defeat the strongest pack on the East Coast-the Crawford Pack-I'll make sure every pack in North America knows what you contributed."

He had never intended to keep that promise.

He had only been waiting for my research to succeed, waiting for me to secure a partnership with the Crawford Pack, so he could strip me of my Luna title after squeezing every last drop of value from me.

But he wouldn't get the chance.

Damon didn't even know that I had completed the most critical experiment.

And he would never know whose name would appear on the patent application.

First, I would divorce him.

Then I would file the patent under my own name and take back everything that had always belonged to me.

By the time I left the estate, rain was pouring from the sky.

It beat down on my body, soaking through my clothes, but I was too numb to feel the cold. I couldn't even feel my feet touching the ground.

I simply stood there while my entire world continued to collapse around me.

I was an orphan.

From the moment I could remember, I had wandered along the edges of different packs.

Humiliation, beatings, and rejection had been part of my everyday life.

Then, one evening beneath a blazing sunset, I met Damon Ashford, heir to the Alpha position of the Dark Moon Pack.

The heat in his blue eyes chased away the darkness that had followed me my entire life.

I believed the Moon Goddess had finally remembered the suffering orphan Omega everyone else had forgotten. I thought she had sent me a prince who would give me the happy life I had always dreamed of.

But it had all been a lie from the beginning.

I had never been anything more than a substitute.

A tool the Dark Moon Pack could use to make itself stronger.

I had to leave.

Now.

Anywhere would be better than staying inside this carefully constructed lie and allowing them to control me.

I opened my banking app.

There were only a few dozen dollars left in my account.

I remembered what I had once told Damon.

"Honey, I don't need a salary. As long as I have you, I don't need anything else."

The stupidity I had once embraced so willingly now sliced through me like a knife.

"All my previous research has Damon's name on it, and I'm nothing but an Omega who's about to be divorced and thrown out," I whispered, biting down hard on my lip.

Just then, my phone rang.

Unknown number.

Numbly, I answered.

An elderly, respectful voice came through the line.

"Am I speaking with Miss Ava Crawford?"

"This is Ava." I struggled to find my voice.

"Miss Crawford, I am the steward of the Crawford Pack. I regret to inform you that your father, the Alpha of the Crawford Pack, passed away yesterday. According to his will, you are his only lawful heir. You will inherit all of his assets, as well as the entire Crawford Pack."

My entire body began to tremble.

"How is that possible?"

"Miss Crawford, I have just transferred one billion dollars into your personal account."

The moment he finished speaking, my phone chimed with a banking notification.

I lowered the phone and stared at the screen.

**Available balance: $1,000,000,056.**

There was no mistake.

Power surged upward from the soles of my feet.

Damon, you want a partnership with the Crawford Pack.

But you never imagined who would be standing on the other side of the negotiating table.

I wiped the rain from my face and raised the phone back to my ear. When I spoke, my voice was so calm that I barely recognized it.

"Prepare a divorce agreement for me. And terminate every partnership between the Crawford Pack and the Dark Moon Pack immediately."

After ending the call, I raised my head.

Now, I needed to go to the hospital.

I had to find out what was really wrong with my body.

Ava's POV

"Ms. Ava, your reproductive function is normal."

I had paid for the VIP service, so everything was over very quickly.

The moment I received the results, I let out a breath of relief. This proved that Damon had set the trap long ago, waiting for me to walk right into it.

That made everything much easier.

All I had to do was leave-and watch them collapse.

I stared at the entrance to the Dark Moon pack, my stomach churning with acid, but I had to go back.

Damon still needed to sign the divorce agreement. Only after that was done could I leave for good.

I stepped back into the manor, forcing myself to keep a straight face, pretending nothing was off. Not yet. I couldn't afford even the tiniest slip. There was still a lot to prepare, and first on my list was making sure the divorce papers would go through smoothly. If Damon ever found out I was the true heir of the Crawford Pack, a status-obsessed Alpha like him would do whatever it took to stop the divorce. I absolutely couldn't risk that.

I pushed open the heavy carved doors. The bright lights in the living room stabbed straight into my sore eyes.

There they were, Damon and the woman he'd brought in, Sylvia, standing side by side. And in front of them was Leo, the boy I'd raised for four years.

The moment he saw me, Damon's expression flickered, just a split second of panic, but he slapped his perfect Alpha mask on fast enough that anyone else might've missed it. He walked over, reaching for my soaked coat.

"Darling, where did you go? You're drenched," he said, tone gentle as ever, like everything that happened this afternoon at the office had been some random hallucination.

I took a small step back, dodging his touch.

"Oh? And this is?" I turned to Sylvia with a polite smile, acting as if I hadn't already pieced everything together hours ago.

"Ava, let me introduce her," Damon said smoothly, his expression perfectly natural. "This is Sylvia, the new tutor I hired for Leo. You know how busy we've been with pack matters. Leo needs proper care. And Sylvia is a strong she-wolf. She can teach him archery, riding, even guide him through controlled shifts."

Tutor. What a convenient little story.

"Mom!" Leo called out, but the word wasn't meant for me. He darted to Sylvia's side, grabbing her hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. Then he turned, giving me a look full of challenge and disdain. "Sylvia is amazing! She taught me how to hit a moving target today! Way better than you!"

Something twisted hard inside me. Four years. I'd held him through fevers all night. I'd shielded him when others questioned his place in the pack. I'd given him everything a mother could.

And now he looked at me with pure disdain.

"Leo, you can't talk to your mother like that!" Damon snapped, face tightening.

"She's not my mom!" Leo didn't even flinch. If anything, he got bolder. "Grandma said she's a cursed Omega, a shame to the pack! She can't even have kids!"

His words drove straight into the softest part of me. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Sylvia's lips curling into a smug little smile. Her eyes practically said, See? You were always just the placeholder.

"The moment I met Sylvia, I knew she was nicer. She should be my mom!" Leo announced proudly.

No wonder I could never teach you properly," I said, looking at him calmly. "You must have inherited your manners from your real mother-rude and shameless."

I turned to Sylvia and pretended to realize something.

"Oh, wait. Are you saying Sylvia is like your mother? I'm sure Ms. Sylvia must be an upright and kind teacher."

I watched the color drain from their faces.

"That's enough, Leo!" Damon shouted, his voice carrying the authority of an Alpha.

He strode toward me, reaching out as if he meant to pull me into his arms.

"Ava, don't take what he said to heart."

"Don't touch me."

My voice was calm and steady. It wasn't loud, but it was enough to make Damon's hand freeze in midair.

He stared at me in stunned confusion. I imagined he wasn't used to hearing me speak that way.

I had always been the gentle, considerate Ava-the one who never talked back to anyone.

If I could, I would have left that place immediately. But until the divorce was finalized, I couldn't afford to make a single mistake.

I glanced at his bewildered expression and gave a cold laugh.

"You reek of perfume. It makes me want to throw up."

Damon's expression changed. He must have remembered what he and Sylvia had done in his office that afternoon.

But he quickly regained his composure.

"Sylvia spent the whole afternoon at home teaching Leo. It's probably her perfume. I must have gotten some of it on me by accident."

I smiled.

"That perfume smells a little cheap. Damon, you should pay her on time. Otherwise, she'll keep showing up in our house smelling like that. Before long, the whole family might come down with chronic rhinitis."

"Leo, why don't you go with Sylvia first. I'll take care of your mom. She looks a little tired," Damon said gently.

The living room felt huge with just the two of us standing there.

"Sweetheart, are you upset because I hired a tutor for Leo without asking you?" Damon asked carefully, lacing his fingers with mine. His palms were warm, familiar, but somehow I felt absolutely nothing.

"No," I said, shaking my head, trying to keep my tone steady. "I just... got caught off guard. I mean, I've been his mother for four years, but somehow Sylvia managed to get him wrapped around her finger in one day. Look how close they are. They look more like a real mother and son than we do, don't you think?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Damon shot back immediately, firm and absolute. "Ava, you're Leo's mother. His only mother. Nothing will ever change that."

He said it like he was swearing an oath.

I suddenly laughed, shoulders trembling.

"What's so funny?" Damon asked, utterly confused.

"Nothing." I wiped my smile away and looked at his perfectly sculpted face. "It's just... today feels like some twisted drama."

I slipped my hand out of his and headed upstairs. "I'm tired. I'm going to rest."

"I'll walk you up," he offered, following a step behind.

"No need," I said, turning back to give him a soft, reassuring smile. "I'm okay. A good night's sleep and I'll be fine by morning."

He needs to believe I'm still the Ava he thinks he can control with one hand tied behind his back.

Back in the bedroom, I slipped out of my clothes and headed into the bathroom. Warm water ran over my skin, but somehow it felt like I was standing naked in a snowstorm. The woman staring back at me in the foggy mirror looked pale and hollow, like a stranger wearing my face.

Damon pushed the door open and walked in, a clean towel draped over his arm. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder as if nothing in the world could shake him.

"Want me to stay with you tonight?" His voice dropped low, smooth and tempting, and he brushed a kiss against my neck.

Once upon a time, moments like that used to make my heart flip. Now they just made my stomach twist.

I opened my mouth, ready to say something, anything, when Sylvia's voice suddenly rang from outside the bedroom.

"Damon? Are you in there? Leo says he can't sleep. He wants you to tell him a bedtime story."

Through the mirror, I watched Damon loosen his hold on me without even blinking. No hesitation. No explanation. He just walked out.

My chest tightened again, painful and involuntary. Just hang on, Ava. One more month and you'll be free.

Then I saw Sylvia standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame. She was in a silky robe that left almost nothing to the imagination, her eyes dripping with smug challenge. That look seemed to say loud and clear: This man, this pack, everything here will be mine.

Ava's POV

The next morning, I woke up far too early. Honestly, I wasn't even sure I had slept at all.

My first thought was painfully clear: I needed to get rid of that mark as soon as possible.

Damon hadn't come back to our bedroom last night. He was probably busy learning parenting techniques from his "private tutor".

Or, more likely, experimenting with new sex positions.

Whatever. I didn't care.

Whenever he put on that gentlemanly act, his handsome face twisted into something ugly in my eyes-something that made my stomach turn.

I changed into a sharp, professional suit and even put on a full face of makeup. The woman in the mirror looked composed and radiant, nothing like the pathetic mess I had been last night.

At exactly nine o'clock, I arrived at the most prestigious law firm affiliated with the Crawford family.

Mr. Hanson received me personally. He was a senior attorney, an old friend of my father's, and one of the family's most trusted legal advisers.

"Ms. Crawford, please accept my condolences," Mr. Hanson said, grief written all over his face.

"Thank you, Mr. Hanson." I gave him a small nod. "I came today to ask about the progress of the divorce agreement."

He nodded. "Of course. I had everything printed out. You may review it now."

I sat on the sofa and read through every clause carefully.

Mr. Hanson had done an excellent job. He had made sure I would receive the maximum settlement I was entitled to.

"No problems," I said calmly. "I may not be short of money, but I will not leave a single dollar of what belongs to me behind. Clearly, you have made sure of that. Thank you, Mr. Hanson."

I stood and handed the documents back to him.

He hesitated briefly before nodding. "Of course, ma'am. Your father was one of the most honorable men I have ever known. I will make sure you reclaim everything that belongs to you. As for the Crawford pack you inherited-"

"Keep it confidential for now," I interrupted. "Until Damon and I are officially divorced, I don't want anyone to know."

"Understood."

After leaving the law firm, I headed straight to Damon's company, clutching the harshly worded divorce agreement Mr. Hanson had drafted overnight.

I walked toward Damon's office.

Of course Sylvia was there.

Not surprising in the least.

She was draped over Damon like a seductive snake, her long red nails tracing little circles over his chest. Her voice was so sweet it practically dripped.

"Damon, do you know? We really slept in your Alpha estate last night, in my bedroom. You kissed between my legs, just like you used to."

"Baby, you have to go." Damon lowered his voice and caught her wandering hand, sounding irritatingly helpless. "You know Ava is still my secretary. She could walk in at any moment. We can't let her find out about us. not yet."

"I don't care!" Sylvia pouted, clinging to him as though she had been glued there. "I've been away from you for four years. I have to take every chance I get to be with you."

If I didn't need Damon's signature on the divorce agreement, I would have turned around and walked away without a second thought.

Instead, I cleared my throat loudly enough to cut through the room.

They sprang apart.

A flash of panic crossed Damon's face, while Sylvia looked as though I had ruined the most beautiful moment of her day.

"Ava? You. what are you doing here?" Damon fumbled with his tie, desperately pretending that nothing had happened.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot." I drew out my words in sudden realization. "Didn't you say you had a 'very important meeting' today? So Sylvia is here to. deliver documents?"

"Yes! Exactly!" Damon seized on my excuse as if it were a lifeline. "I left an important document at home this morning. Sylvia was taking Leo to kindergarten, so she brought it over for me."

What an enormous lie.

I almost wanted to applaud the effort.

But I kept my face calm and acted as though I couldn't care less.

I nodded, too tired to argue, and walked straight to his desk, placing the folder in front of him.

"What is this?" Damon stared at it, suddenly alert.

"A document that needs your signature." I smiled. "Should I come back later? It seems you and Leo's nanny have something more urgent to deal with than pack business."

"No! It's absolutely not like that!" Damon snapped.

Then he hastily scribbled his signature on the line.

"There." He shoved the document back at me as if it had burned his fingers.

When I saw his name on the divorce agreement, I let out a quiet breath.

I took the papers, only to find Sylvia still lingering in the office, her eyes filled with naked jealousy.

"Ms. Sylvia, is there anything else?" I asked.

"Nothing." She gave me a provocative smile. "It's just that you two don't seem very close. Don't misunderstand me-I'm only Leo's teacher. Observing whether his family is harmonious may be helpful to his education."

I let out a cold laugh.

"That makes sense. Damon, are you cheating on me?" I turned to him.

Damon denied it immediately. "What? Of course not! Ava, why would you think that?"

"Ms. Sylvia's words simply inspired me," I said. "So why don't you tell me-would a woman like Sylvia be worth loving?"

"Absolutely not." Damon didn't hesitate. "You know you're the one I love."

I turned to Sylvia.

"You should understand now that there is no conflict between us, right?" I said with a smile. "I hope that helps with your observation."

Then I turned and left.

Sylvia's breakdown echoed behind me soon after, but I didn't look back as I stepped into the elevator.

Once I got into my car and drove away from that place, heading all the way to a quiet stretch of countryside, I finally felt as though I could breathe again.

Towering green trees. A clear blue sky.

The view in front of me eased the tightness in my chest.

I had just pulled over to the side of the road when someone knocked on my window.

An elderly man stood outside, dressed impeccably, his silver hair neatly combed.

I studied him cautiously before lowering the window a crack.

He gave me a warm, respectful smile.

"Ms. Crawford, don't worry. It's me."

I recognized his voice immediately.

"You. you're the one who called me yesterday?"

"Yes, ma'am." The old man bowed politely. "I am Alvin, the former Beta of the Crawford pack. Please come with me, ma'am."

My heartbeat suddenly thundered in my ears.

"Where. where are we going?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Home, ma'am." Alvin's gaze was gentle but firm. "The Crawford pack has been waiting for you."

I got out of my car and only then noticed the long black limousine parked some distance behind me, as though it had been waiting there all along.

With Alvin guiding me, I slid into the back seat.

The car moved smoothly forward. Outside the window, the city's noise and lights gradually gave way to thick, quiet woods.

Even the air felt different.

I knew we were entering Crawford pack territory.

My emotions were a mess.

This place was tied to my bloodline, to where I came from.

Yet stepping into it felt like walking into a stranger's life.

The car finally stopped before an enormous estate.

Compared with Damon's luxurious villa, this place was older and grander, carrying the quiet authority that only time could create.

Alvin opened the door for me and stood respectfully aside.

I took a deep breath and stepped out.

The moment I set foot on the first stair, a woman dripping in jewelry emerged from the house.

She was elegantly dressed, but the sharpness in her eyes ruined the grace she had so carefully constructed.

This had to be my stepmother, Rebecca.

"So you're Ava?" She looked me up and down slowly, her tone dripping with contempt. "An illegitimate Omega who thinks she has the right to come back and inherit this pack?"

Before I could answer, she yanked open her handbag and pulled out a check, holding it out to me with blatant disdain.

"I want you to give up every claim you have to the Crawford family. Publicly declare that Lucas is the rightful heir. Then take this one million dollars and get out."