Rejected Mate Saves Her Son

The iron grip of the guards bit into my arms as they marched me through the Silvermoon Pack courtyard. Three years in a dungeon cell had left me gaunt, my once-proud posture now hunched beneath the weight of false accusations. The afternoon sun felt foreign against my skin after so long in darkness.

I kept my eyes fixed on the cobblestones beneath my feet, but I could feel their stares—the pack members who once bowed to me as their Luna. Now they turned away, their whispers trailing me like poison.

"The disgraced Luna returns."

"She tried to kill her own sister."

"Doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as our Alpha."

My wolf, once strong and vibrant within me, had retreated to a wounded corner of my soul. She hadn't spoken to me since the day Ryan severed our mind-link, believing Melissa's lies over my desperate pleas.

The guards steered me past the main pack house—my former home—toward the servants' quarters at the far edge of the compound. The message couldn't have been clearer: I was no longer worthy of standing beside the Alpha.

"Keep moving," the taller guard growled, shoving me forward when I hesitated.

The door to the servants' quarters swung open, and there he stood. Ryan Sterling. My mate. My betrayer.

Three years hadn't dulled the physical pain of seeing him. His dark eyes, once warm with love, now regarded me with the cold detachment one might show a stranger. His powerful frame blocked the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, his Alpha aura pulsing with barely contained contempt.

"Alpha Sterling," I whispered, the title feeling like ash in my mouth. "Where is Lucas? Please, I need to see my son."

"My son is none of your concern," he replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "You'll stay in the servants' quarters and keep your distance from the main house. You'll take meals alone and perform whatever duties Melissa assigns you."

The mention of her name sent a wave of nausea through me. "Ryan, please. I never hurt Melissa. You have to believe me—"

"Enough!" His Alpha tone slammed into me, forcing me to my knees. The guards stepped back as Ryan loomed over me. "You will address me as Alpha Sterling. You will obey pack rules. And if you disobey, if you come near my son or cause any trouble, I will strip you of your Luna title permanently. Is that understood?"

I bit my lip until I tasted blood, fighting back tears that would only please him. "Yes, Alpha Sterling."

He turned without another word, leaving me kneeling in the dirt.

---

Something woke me that night. A primal fear that clutched at my throat and sent my heart racing. I sat bolt upright on the thin mattress they'd provided, my breath coming in short gasps.

Lucas.

I couldn't explain how I knew, but my son was in danger. Our bond, though weakened, still pulsed with a mother's instinct. I threw off the threadbare blanket and