His Rejected Luna Returned as the Lycan Queen

I had waited three years for this moment.

Three years of dreams, of hope, of believing that when I turned eighteen, everything would finally fall into place. Tonight, under the full moon's silver gaze, I would officially become Damon's mate. The Luna of the Shadowmoon Pack.

My fingers trembled as I fastened the delicate silver necklace around my throat—my mother's necklace, the only precious thing she'd left me before the rogues took her life. The pendant caught the moonlight streaming through my bedroom window, casting tiny rainbows across the mirror. I'd saved this moment, saved this piece of her, for tonight.

The white dress I'd chosen hugged my curves perfectly, its flowing skirt dancing around my ankles as I moved. I'd imagined this night a thousand times, pictured the way Damon's eyes would light up when he saw me, the way his hands would shake as he placed the Luna's crown on my head.

Tonight, I would finally belong somewhere. Finally be someone's first choice.

The Great Hall buzzed with anticipation as over three hundred pack members filled every available space. Candles flickered along the stone walls, their warm glow mixing with the moonlight that poured through the massive skylights above. The air thrummed with excitement, conversations rising and falling like ocean waves.

I stood at the edge of the crowd, my heart hammering against my ribs. Any moment now, Damon would appear, and our future would begin.

Then I saw him.

Damon emerged from the shadows at the far end of the hall, his broad shoulders filling out his ceremonial black jacket perfectly. His dark hair was slicked back, revealing the sharp angles of his face that had haunted my dreams for years. Even from this distance, I could see the authority that radiated from him, the natural power that made him our Alpha.

But something was wrong.

Serena walked beside him, her arm linked through his like they were attending a dinner party instead of my mating ceremony. Her golden hair cascaded over one shoulder in perfect waves, and she wore a flowing emerald gown that seemed to shimmer with each step. But it was her hand—her other hand—that made my blood turn to ice.

She was cradling her stomach. The slight swell was barely visible, but unmistakable.

The whispers started immediately, spreading through the crowd like wildfire.

"Is that...?"

"She's pregnant."

"But tonight is supposed to be..."

"Poor Iris."

My legs felt like water. This couldn't be happening. Not tonight. Not when I'd waited so long, dreamed so hard, hoped so desperately.

Damon's eyes found mine across the crowded hall, and for a split second, I saw something that might have been regret flicker across his features. But it vanished so quickly I wondered if I'd imagined it.

He stepped onto the raised platform at the center of the hall, Serena still clinging to his arm. The crowd fell silent, hundreds of expectant faces turning toward their Alpha.

"My pack," Damon's voice boomed through the hall, commanding