After My Mate Publicly Rejected His Luna

I felt it before I saw her—a disturbance in the air, like the moment before lightning strikes. The hairs on my arms stood on end as I arranged flowers in the pack house dining room, preparing for tonight's full moon ceremony.

"Luna, have you heard?" Ellie whispered, her omega status evident in her hunched shoulders as she hurried toward me. "The European Lycan Council delegation has arrived, and—"

The main doors burst open before she could finish. A wave of murmurs swept through the room as a group of wolves entered, but my eyes locked on only one—a woman with flowing auburn hair and piercing green eyes that scanned the room like a predator.

Sophia Blake.

My fingers tightened around the vase I was holding. My wolf, usually so quiet and submissive, growled deep within my mind.

Five years. It had been five years since Dominic had rejected her, choosing me instead. Five years of me trying to be the perfect Luna, supporting him, loving him, abandoning my dreams of becoming a healer to stand by his side. Five years of believing I was enough.

And now she was back.

"Luna Winters," Sophia's voice carried across the room as she approached, her smile sharp as a blade. "How... quaint to see you still arranging flowers. Some things never change, do they?"

I forced myself to stand tall, though my wolf cowered. "Welcome to Silver Moon territory, Miss Blake. The Alpha Council will be pleased to have the European delegation's input."

"Oh, I'm sure they will." Her eyes glinted. "Especially since I've brought such... intimate knowledge of your pack's leadership."

Before I could respond, the air shifted again. Dominic entered the room, his powerful aura washing over everyone present. My heart swelled with pride and relief at the sight of my mate.

But then I saw his eyes.

They weren't looking at me. They were fixed on Sophia, wide with something I'd never seen before—a hunger, a recognition that made my stomach twist into knots.

"Sophia," he breathed, his voice carrying a reverence I'd only heard in our most private moments.

She tilted her head, exposing her neck in a gesture that was anything but submissive. "Alpha Stone. It's been too long."

My wolf whimpered as something passed between them—something primal and electric that excluded everyone else in the room, especially me.

---

The full moon hung heavy in the night sky, bathing the sacred ritual grounds in silver light. Pack members gathered in a circle around the ancient stone altar, their excited whispers filling the air. As Luna, I should have been at the center of the ceremony beside my Alpha, but Dominic had asked me to oversee the preparations instead.

"It's a diplomatic matter," he'd explained that morning, not quite meeting my eyes. "The European delegation has requested a traditional blood-binding ritual to strengthen our alliance."

Now I stood at the edge of the circle, watching as Dominic and Sophia approached the altar together. My heart hammered against my