Luna Rejects Her Alpha

Thirty years. Three decades of my life given to this pack, to this man, to this role that slowly hollowed me out until I became a ghost in my own home.

I stood before the full-length mirror in our bedroom—my bedroom, really, since Reed hadn't slept here in years—and smoothed down the white dress I hadn't worn in almost a decade. The fabric was still pristine, preserved carefully in tissue paper at the back of my closet. I'd found it this morning while searching for something suitable for our anniversary dinner.

"You can do this," I whispered to my reflection. "Thirty years deserves to be marked."

My fingers trembled slightly as I fastened the pearl earrings Reed had given me on our fifth anniversary—the last gift I'd received that wasn't somehow related to my Luna duties. The dress hugged my curves, no longer hanging loosely as it once had. Over the years, stress and heartache had replaced the vibrant young woman who'd once been a rising star in the classical music world.

"Cali?" Reed's voice came from the doorway, startling me.

I turned, a small smile forming on my lips. "Do you remember this dress?"

He glanced at me, his eyes barely registering my appearance before returning to the tablet in his hands. "Hmm? Oh. It's nice."

Just three words. Not even a full glance up from his pack reports.

"I thought I'd wear it tonight," I continued, fighting to keep my voice steady. "For our anniversary."

"Right." He scrolled through something on his screen. "Look, I need to head out early. Pack business. Don't wait up for dinner."

And just like that, he was gone, leaving me standing alone in my white dress, feeling foolish for having hoped for even a moment of recognition.

---

The grand hall of the pack house glittered with decorations I hadn't seen before—crystal vases filled with white roses, silver ribbons cascading from the ceiling, and a string quartet playing softly in the corner. My heart lifted as I stepped inside. Perhaps Reed had planned something special after all.

"Luna Cali!" A young omega greeted me with a bow. "You look lovely tonight."

"Thank you," I replied, smoothing my dress. "Is Alpha Reed expecting me?"

"Everyone's waiting in the main dining hall," she said, gesturing toward the double doors ahead.

I moved through the crowd, nodding politely to pack members who offered cursory acknowledgments. Something felt off—the way conversations hushed as I passed, how eyes followed me with a mixture of pity and discomfort.

I paused near a group of she-wolves chatting animatedly by a champagne fountain.

"Did you see Selena's dress?" one whispered. "Custom-made from Paris. Reed spared no expense."

"Of course not," another replied. "After thirty years of waiting, he finally gets to officially claim his chosen mate."

My blood turned to ice in my veins.

"Excuse me," I interrupted, my voice barely audible over the music. "What did you say?"

They turned, startled, then quickly composed their faces into masks of