The Rejected Luna Returns as a Warrior

I was a warrior of the Shadow Council, but to my Fated Mate, Darwin, I was just a barren, "useless" housewife.

On the night I planned to finally reveal my pregnancy, his mistress threw herself against a railing, framing me for attempted murder.

Blinded by the Red Haze, Darwin didn't ask questions. He used his Alpha Command to freeze me in place, paralyzing my body.

Then, he delivered a bone-shattering kick directly to my stomach to "protect" his mistress.

I fell backward into the freezing lake, the water turning red around me.

That kick didn't just end our marriage; it killed the rare White Wolf pup I was carrying-the legendary heir he had always desperate for.

While I washed away into the dark water, Darwin was left with a lying mistress and a severed bond.

It took him days to find the security footage.

It took him moments to realize he had murdered his own soul and his true son for a woman who had orchestrated my death.

For ten years, he went mad with grief, turning into a monster who tortured those who deceived him, praying to the Moon Goddess for my return.

He thought if he fixed my broken engagement ring, I would forgive him.

But when I finally resurfaced, I didn't come back to be his Luna.

I watched him beg on his knees in the rain, clutching the phantom thread of our bond, looking like a corpse.

"I love you," he screamed.

I slammed the car door in his face.

Gloria the housewife died in that lake.

Echo, the executioner, has returned to burn his kingdom to the ground.

Chapter 1

Gloria POV:

"You are a warrior of the Shadow Council, Gloria, not a house pet."

Elder Christian's voice was gravelly, echoing off the concrete walls of the safe house. He sat in the shadows, nursing a glass of whiskey, his one good eye fixed on me with disappointment.

"I know what I am, Christian," I replied, adjusting the strap of my bag. "But I am also his Fated Mate. The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes."

"The Goddess deals the cards; men play the hand," Christian countered, standing up. He walked over to me, smelling of old parchment and cold steel. "You are suppressing your aura. You are hiding your claws. And for what? For an Alpha who smells like another woman? We have intel, Gloria. The Dark Moon Elders are moving pieces on the board. Darwin isn't just straying; he's being steered."

I flinched. The accusation hit harder than a silver bullet because it was true.

"I have to go back," I said, my voice tight. "If I don't return to the Pack House, he will get suspicious."

Christian sighed, a sound that rattled in his chest. "Remember your training, Agent Echo. If the bond breaks, you don't break with it. You eliminate the threat."

I nodded, turned, and walked out into the cold night air.

Crossing the border into Dark Moon territory usually felt like coming home. Tonight, the Mind-Link-that psychic static connecting the pack-felt like a wire garrote tightening around my throat.

Gloria? Where are you, baby? I was worried.

Darwin's voice resonated in my mind. It sounded warm, concerned, dripping with the honeyed affection that had made me fall for him three years ago.

I just went for a run near the border, Darwin, I replied, masking my thoughts behind a wall of mental white noise. I needed to clear my head.

Come home soon. I'm making dinner. It's our anniversary week, remember?

I cut the link. Anniversary. Right.

Three days ago, I had come home early from a Council mission. I had ghosted into the house, silent as a shifting shadow. I had approached his study, intending to surprise him.

Instead, my enhanced hearing picked up the wet, slap-slap sound of skin hitting skin. I heard the low growls of a male wolf close to climax. I heard a woman's high-pitched moan.

Elyssa. His secretary. A low-born Omega with ambition bigger than her ability.

I hadn't stormed in. I hadn't shifted and torn their throats out. I had stood there, frozen, as the realization shattered my world. Later, I checked the security logs. I saw the fresh Marking on her neck-a temporary bite. The ultimate insult.

I pulled my car into the driveway. The massive estate was lit up like a Christmas tree, a beacon of fraudulent domestic bliss.

I walked inside. The smell hit me instantly.

It wasn't the smell of dinner. It was him.

To a wolf, scent is everything. Darwin used to smell like pine forests and rain. Now, beneath the pine, there was a cloying, sickly-sweet odor. Cheap vanilla perfume. And under that, the unmistakable, musky stench of sex.

"You're back!"

Darwin walked out of the kitchen, wearing an apron over his designer shirt. He looked handsome, his jawline sharp, his eyes bright. The perfect Alpha facade.

He moved to hug me.

As he got close, my inner wolf let out a low, dangerous growl in the back of my mind. She didn't want him. She wanted to rip his throat out.

I stiffened as his arms went around me. The smell of Elyssa was suffocating.

"What's wrong?" Darwin asked, pulling back slightly. He touched my cheek.

"Nothing," I lied. "Just tired."

My eyes drifted to his neck. There, just above his collar, was a faint red scratch. He followed my gaze and quickly pulled his collar up.

"A tree branch snagged me while I was on patrol," he said quickly. Too quickly.

"Is that so?" I asked, my voice flat. "It looks like a claw mark."

"Don't be silly, Gloria." He laughed, but the sound didn't reach his eyes. "Come, I made your favorite. Beef stew."

We sat at the long dining table. He placed a bowl in front of me.

I looked down at the stew. Floating among the carrots and potatoes were small, purple chopped leaves.

My blood ran cold.

"Darwin," I said softly. "What is this herb?"

"Oh, just some garnish I found in the garden. It looked pretty," he said, taking a bite of his own bowl-which I noticed lacked the purple leaves.

"It's Monkshood," I said, pushing the bowl away. "Wolfsbane."

Wolfsbane is fatal to wolves in large doses. In small doses, it acts as a suppressant. It weakens the wolf spirit, causes paralysis, and induces miscarriage.

Darwin's spoon paused halfway to his mouth. "Is it? My bad. I'm just a clumsy cook, aren't I? I thought it was parsley."

He wasn't clumsy. He was an Alpha. He knew every plant in his territory.

He smiled at me, a charming, empty smile. "Just pick it out, honey. It won't kill you."

I looked at him, really looked at him. I saw the man I had sacrificed my career for, the man I had hidden my White Wolf lineage for.

He wasn't trying to kill me. Not yet. He was testing me. Or maybe, he was ensuring my "barren" womb stayed empty on the Elders' orders.

"I'm not hungry," I said, standing up.

"Gloria," his voice dropped an octave, a hint of Alpha command bleeding into it. "Sit down."

My inner wolf bristled. Challenge him, she whispered. Show him what we are.

Not yet, I told her. Three days. We need three days to move the assets and clear the Council logs.

"I feel sick, Darwin," I said, clutching my stomach. "I think I need to rest."

I turned my back on him and walked up the stairs. I could feel his eyes boring into my back, cold and calculating.

In the safety of the guest room, I locked the door. I pulled out the letter I had written to him on our wedding day-a blood oath of eternal loyalty.

I took a lighter from my pocket and set the corner of the paper on fire. I watched it curl into black ash, dropping it into the metal wastebasket.

My chest throbbed. The Mate Bond-the golden thread that connected our souls-was fraying.

"Three days," I whispered to the empty room. "In three days, Gloria the housewife dies."

Gloria POV:

The nausea woke me up before the sun did.

It wasn't morning sickness. It was the physical rejection of my mate's scent.

At 4:00 AM, the door to the guest room creaked open. I feigned sleep, my breathing steady, but my ears were swiveled toward the intruder.

Darwin.

He crawled into the bed behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist. His skin was hot.

"Gloria," he whispered, nuzzling my neck. "I missed you."

He wanted sex. Not intimacy-release.

I inhaled sharply. He hadn't showered since yesterday. The smell of Elyssa's vanilla perfume had soured, mixing with his sweat and the lingering metallic tang of the wolfsbane he had handled.

My stomach lurched violently.

I threw off the covers, scrambled to the bathroom, and emptied my stomach into the toilet.

"Gloria?" Darwin stood in the doorway, looking annoyed rather than concerned. "Are you serious right now?"

"I told you I was sick," I rasped, flushing the toilet. "It must be the flu."

"Wolves don't get the flu, Gloria," he scoffed. "You're just being frigid. Again."

Before I could answer, a ping echoed in the silence. Not a phone notification, but a mental one. His eyes glazed over for a second-he was receiving a Mind-Link.

His expression shifted from annoyance to something softer, then quickly to guilt. He blocked his end of the link, shutting me out.

"I have to go prepare for the Gala," he muttered, turning on his heel. "Try to make yourself presentable tonight. The whole Pack will be watching."

The Annual Luna's Gala. Politics dressed up in silk and champagne.

I stood in front of the mirror, smoothing down my dress. I had chosen a modest, elegant silver gown. It matched the hidden color of my wolf.

I walked down the grand staircase into the ballroom. The air was thick with the scent of hundreds of wolves-champagne, roasted meat, and adrenaline.

Darwin was at the center of the room, holding court. He looked magnificent in his tuxedo. As I approached, the crowd parted respectfully.

"Alpha Darwin, Luna Gloria," the Beta greeted us, bowing his head. "You look stunning tonight."

"Thank you," I said, forcing a smile.

Suddenly, the heavy oak doors swung open.

A hush fell over the room.

Elyssa walked in.

She wasn't wearing the modest dress of an Omega secretary. She was wearing a floor-length, blood-red gown.

In wolf culture, red is the color of power. The Alpha's female. The Luna.

By wearing that dress, she wasn't just making a fashion statement. She was declaring war.

She sauntered through the crowd, her hips swaying. She walked right up to us.

"Happy Anniversary, Alpha," she purred, ignoring me completely. She placed a hand on Darwin's arm.

Darwin didn't shake her off. He looked at her with hungry eyes.

"Elyssa," I said, my voice calm but carrying across the silent room. "You seem to be confused about your station. That color is reserved for the Luna."

Elyssa turned to me, a smirk playing on her lips. She leaned in close, using her wolf speed to whisper so only I could hear.

"A dress doesn't make a Luna, Gloria. An heir does. And we all know you're just a barren she-wolf who can't give him what he needs. The Elders agree with me."

Rage, pure and white-hot, exploded in my chest.

"You are nothing but a mattress for him to relieve himself on," I replied coldly.

Elyssa's eyes flashed yellow. She lost control. With a snarl, she raised her hand and swiped her claws at my face.

It was a violation of the highest order-an Omega attacking a Luna.

My body moved before my brain could process it. Years of Shadow Council training kicked in. I didn't just dodge; I caught her wrist in mid-air.

I twisted.

Crack.

Elyssa screamed as her bone snapped. I didn't stop. I used her momentum, spun her around, and slammed my palm into her chest.

She flew ten feet across the ballroom, crashing into the buffet table. Champagne glasses shattered.

The room gasped.

Elyssa lay amidst the broken glass, clutching her wrist, wailing. "He hurt me! Alpha, she tried to kill me!"

Darwin roared.

"ENOUGH!"

The sound was like a physical blow. It was the Alpha's Command.

The power of the Command slammed into me, forcing the air from my lungs. My knees buckled. Every wolf in the room dropped to their knees in submission-except me. I stood, trembling, fighting the crushing weight of his voice with my White Wolf lineage.

Darwin rushed to Elyssa, scooping her up in his arms. He looked at me, his eyes glowing red with fury.

"She attacked me first," I managed to choke out, fighting the pressure on my windpipe.

"Silence!" Darwin bellowed, using the Command again. "You have disgraced this Pack. You have disgraced me."

He looked down at Elyssa, who was sobbing fake tears into his chest, exposing her neck in a display of total submission.

"Take the Luna to her room," Darwin ordered his guards, his voice cold as ice. "And get Elyssa a medic. The Luna is clearly unwell and hysterical."

Two guards grabbed my arms. I didn't fight them. I looked at Darwin, seeing the fear in his eyes.

He wasn't just angry. He was scared. He had seen how fast I moved. He had seen me resist his Command for a split second.

He realized he didn't know the woman he married.

Gloria POV:

The guards threw me into my room and locked the door from the outside.

I didn't bang on the door. I didn't cry. I stood in the center of the room, breathing deeply, centering my qi.

I walked to the balcony. We were on the third floor, but for a wolf of my caliber, this was nothing. I vaulted over the railing, landing silently on the grass below.

I caught a scent on the wind.

It was distinct. Darwin's pine mixed with Elyssa's vanilla and the copper tang of her blood from the "injury" I gave her.

They weren't at the Pack hospital. The scent trail led into the woods, toward the private vacation cabin near the lake.

I followed the trail. I moved like a ghost, blending into the shadows of the trees.

Within ten minutes, I was crouching in the bushes outside the cabin. The lights were dim, but the floor-to-ceiling glass windows offered a front-row seat to my nightmare.

Darwin was standing by the fireplace. He was stripping off his tuxedo. His body began to shudder and crack.

The Shift.

Bones rearranged, snapping and lengthening. Fur sprouted from his skin. Within seconds, a massive grey wolf stood where my husband had been.

Elyssa was on the sofa. Her wrist was miraculously healed-she must have used a healing potion, or the break was theater. She was naked.

The grey wolf approached her. He didn't approach her with the reverence of a mate. He approached her with animalistic lust.

I watched as he mounted her.

It wasn't lovemaking. It was breeding. It was primal, violent, and loud.

Through the glass, my wolf hearing picked up every sound.

"Yes, Alpha," Elyssa moaned. "Make me your Luna."

Darwin shifted back into human form mid-act, his skin glistening with sweat. He gripped her hips, driving into her.

"You feel so much better than her," Darwin grunted. "She's so cold. So stiff. You... you are fire."

"She's weak, Darwin," Elyssa panted. "She can't even give you a pup. I will. I'll give you a strong son."

"I know," Darwin whispered against her neck. "I know. The bond... it pulls me to her, but I hate it. I hate being tied to a weakling."

Crack.

A sound echoed in my chest, louder than a gunshot.

It was the Mate Bond.

Until this moment, the bond had been stretched, bruised, ignored. But hearing him reject the very essence of our connection-hearing him choose lust over the sacred gift of the Moon Goddess-shattered it.

I fell to my knees in the dirt.

Pain, blinding and absolute, ripped through me. It felt like someone had reached into my chest and torn my heart in half. I gasped for air, clutching the grass, trying not to scream.

If I screamed, they would hear me.

Let it go, my inner wolf howled in agony. He is poison. Cut him out!

Inside the cabin, Darwin paused. He flinched, rubbing his chest as if he felt a phantom pain.

"What is it?" Elyssa asked.

"Nothing," Darwin muttered, shaking his head. "Just... indigestion."

He ignored the pain of the bond breaking. He ignored the soul-sickness. He went back to kissing his mistress.

I slowly stood up. The pain was still there, a dull, throbbing void where his love used to be. But the sharp, crippling agony was gone.

I looked at my reflection in the darkened glass of the window.

My eyes.

Usually, they were a warm hazel. But now, in the moonlight, they were glowing. Not the yellow of a normal wolf, nor the red of an Alpha.

They were glowing a brilliant, liquid silver.

The White Wolf was waking up.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Darwin," I whispered, my voice carrying the weight of a curse. "Because when I am done with you, you will wish you had died tonight."

I turned my back on the cabin and vanished into the night.