The scent of roses and wine clung to the grand hall.
Laughter echoed beneath crystal chandeliers. The pack elites were gathered tonight — Alphas, Betas, council members, their Luna candidates dressed in silk and gold.
And me, i stood at the far end of the hall in a simple white gown that had already begun to stain at the hem.
No jewels, no crown, no scent.
Just the "defective" wife.
"Stand straight," my husband muttered under his breath without looking at me. "Don't embarrass me.
His words were colder than the marble beneath my bare feet.
Alpha Kael Draven, the strongest Alpha in the Northern Territory.
The man who once marked my neck under the sacred moon.
The man who now acted as if touching me would stain him.
"Yes… Alpha," I whispered, not husband.
He stopped allowing that months ago.
Three years.... Three years of suppressing my scent.
Three years of pretending to be weak…. Three years of kneeling at council meetings while they discussed replacing me.
"You have no presence.", "She smells like nothing."
"A Luna should strengthen the Alpha not drain him."
I heard everything but I endured because I loved him. Because I thought love meant sacrifice.
Because I believed if I stayed quiet, if I tried harder, if I shrank myself small enough… he would choose me again.
Tonight was the Winter Summit.
And tonight, he would announce his official Luna.
The entire pack knew it wouldn't be me.
Across the hall, Lady Selene laughed softly, her fingers resting boldly on Kael's arm. She was everything I pretended not to be.
Strong scent, sharp smile. A Daughter of a powerful Alpha family.
"Perfect", My wolf whimpered softly inside me. "He is ours".
I swallowed the pain not anymore.
"Members of the Northern Council," Kael's voice thundered through the hall.
Silence fell instantly.
I stood one step behind him, head lowered.
"I have made my decision regarding the future Luna of this pack."
My heart beat so loudly I thought the entire hall could hear it.
I knew…. Of course I knew.
But knowing does not soften the blade.
Kael turned not toward me.
He turned towards Selene.
Gasps rippled through the room as he extended his hand to her.
"I, Alpha Kael Draven, formally recognize Lady Selene of the Silver Crest Pack as my chosen Luna."
Applause erupted…. A very loud applause.
My ears rang as my vision blurred. Chosen Luna not mate, not wife.
I felt the bond between us tremble. Fragile and cracking.
"Alpha…" I breathed, barely audible.
He ignored me.
Selene stepped forward with practiced grace. "It is my honor."
The council elder rose. "And what of your current mate?"
Silence fell again.
For one fleeting second, Kael's eyes flickered toward me.
There was no hesitation in them.
"She has failed to meet the standards of a Luna."
Each word was deliberate.
Cold and final.
"She is weak. Scentless. Unworthy of standing beside me."
Murmurs rose and someone laughed.
My fingers trembled violently at my sides.
I wanted to speak, to defend myself or even scream.
Instead, I did what I had trained myself to do.
I lowered my head.
"Then," the elder continued, "according to pack law, she must be formally rejected."
The word hit harder than any blade. "Rejected".
My wolf screamed inside me.
Kael stepped closer. The entire hall watched. No one looked away.
He lifted his hand and gripped my chin, forcing my face upward.
His touch no longer felt like warmth.
It felt like ownership.
"Seraphine Vale," he said clearly so every soul could hear. "I, Alpha Kael Draven, reject you as my mate."
The world shattered.
A violent tearing sensation ripped through my chest as the mate bond snapped.I collapsed to my knees.
Gasps, Whispers and Satisfied smiles.
The pain was not just emotional. It was physical.
Like my heart was being ripped from my ribcage.
Tears streamed down my face. But I did not beg.
I would not beg, not in front of them…. Not in front of her.
Selene leaned closer, her voice a silk-wrapped knife. "You should be grateful. You were only tolerated this long out of pity."
"Pity"….The word echoed.
Kael stepped back as if I disgusted him.
"Escort her out." He said.
Two guards grabbed my arms roughly and impersonal.
As they dragged me toward the doors, my heel caught on the marble and I stumbled.
Laughter followed, i heard it. I heard every single voice.
Outside, the winter wind cut through my thin gown instantly.
The doors slammed shut behind me.
And just like that—I was no longer Luna, no longer a wife, no longer wanted.
The mate bond was gone. The cold seeped into my bones.
My body began to tremble violently not just from humiliation but from something worse.
My heat cycle of course.
The bond suppression had kept it controlled.
Now that the bond was severed, my body no longer obeyed me.
The scent I had buried for years began to stir beneath my skin.
Dangerous, powerful and unstable.
If any unmated Alpha caught it—I pressed my hand to my mouth to stifle a sob.
I had nowhere to go.
No escort, no protection and no family nearby.
Three years…. Three years I abandoned my birth pack for him and now this was how it ended.
Me all alone in the snow.
******
Hours passed or minutes. I could no longer tell.
The cold numbed my fingers first then my toes, then my thoughts.
My wolf whimpered weakly, we are dying. Perhaps that would be easier.
Better than facing the world as the rejected Luna.
Better than returning home in disgrace.
Better than— A sharp gust of wind swept across the forest line.
And with it… A scent.
Dark, commanding and ancient. My head snapped up weakly.
Footsteps crunched against snow.
Through the veil of white, a tall figure emerged from the shadows of the trees.
On Black coat and a broad shoulders.
Eyes that glowed molten gold in the moonlight…. An Alpha.
No not just an Alpha. Something older and stronger .
His gaze locked onto me and then —His nostrils flared.
The air shifted, the world stilled.
He took one step closer then another.
His eyes widened.
A low, dangerous growl rumbled from his chest.
"Impossible," he muttered.
The scent I had buried for years exploded into the air. Not weak not scentless or defective.
It rolled outward like a storm breaking free.
Powerful, Royal and Overwhelming.
The stranger Alpha stopped directly in front of me.
He stared down at my trembling form.
Then slowly and deliberately he dropped to one knee in the snow.
His head bowed.
"My Queen," he said hoarsely…..
****
The world went silent.
Behind us—The grand hall doors burst open and Kael stepped outside.
His eyes landed on the Alpha kneeling before me.
And the scent in the air. Shock, horror and realization was too late.
The stranger lifted his gaze to Kael.
His lips curved slightly.
"You rejected her," he said calmly. A dangerous promise burned in his golden eyes.
"Now she belongs to me."....