After My Alpha Left, Ethan Saved Me

I stumbled back to my chambers, the weight of public humiliation crushing me with each step. The corridors of the pack house seemed endless, the whispers following me like shadows. When I finally slammed my door shut, I collapsed against it, sliding to the floor as my legs gave way.

Luna howled inside me, a sound so raw and anguished that it tore through my chest. I pressed my fist against my mouth to stifle the sob that threatened to escape. The physical pain of rejection clawed at my insides, my wolf thrashing against the cage of my ribs.

*He left us,* Luna whimpered. *Before everyone. Like we were nothing.*

"We are nothing to him," I whispered, the truth of it burning my throat. "We never were."

I curled into myself on the cold floor, letting the tears come until exhaustion finally pulled me into darkness.

---

Morning light filtered through the curtains, harsh and unforgiving. I hadn't moved to the bed, my body stiff from sleeping on the floor. As I forced myself up, voices drifted through my partially open window—pack members gathered in the courtyard below.

"...obsessed with finding her for years now," a female voice said, barely above a whisper. "Some she-wolf from the Northern Territories."

I froze, my hand halfway to the window to close it.

"Poor Luna Claire," another replied. "To be mated to an Alpha whose wolf won't even acknowledge her because he's chasing a ghost."

"I heard he's commissioned trackers from three different packs to find this mystery woman."

"Elder Rowan says the Moon Goddess will punish such disrespect of the mate bond."

Their voices faded as they moved away, but their words remained, confirming what I'd discovered in Nathan's drawer. The sketches, the maps, the obsessive notes—all for another woman while I withered in the shadows of his indifference.

I dressed mechanically, forcing myself to face the day. My reflection looked hollow, dark circles shadowing eyes that had lost their spark. I pulled my hair back severely, as if I could also tie away the pain.

The dining hall fell silent as I entered. I kept my chin high, ignoring the stares as I took my place at the table. Nathan's seat remained empty—no surprise there. Beta Ethan was also absent, likely handling whatever "urgent matter" had drawn his brother away from our ceremony.

I reached for a piece of toast, my appetite nonexistent but determined to maintain appearances. From the corner of the room, snickering reached my ears.

"Look at her, acting like she's still Luna when everyone knows she's been rejected," an Omega named Trent stage-whispered to his two companions.

"The rejected mate," another one—Darren—replied with a smirk. "Wonder how long before Alpha Nathan makes it official and finds his real Luna?"

"Probably already has her lined up," the third added. "I heard she's got silver-gray fur and smells like wild roses."

Their laughter cut through me like glass. My cheeks burned as I set down my untouched toast, the room suddenly spinning. Without a word, I rose from the table and walked out, my back straight even as my vision blurred with unshed tears.

I didn't stop until I reached the forest edge, the scent of pine and earth welcoming me as I broke into a run. The farther I got from the pack house, the more Luna pushed against my human form, desperate to break free.

"Not yet," I gasped, pushing deeper into the woods. "Not until we're alone."

When I reached a clearing surrounded by towering pines, I finally surrendered. The shift rippled through me—bones cracking, muscles stretching, skin giving way to fur. The physical pain was a blessed distraction from the emotional torment.

As a wolf, I ran. I ran until my lungs burned and my paws bled, until the sun shifted in the sky and shadows lengthened across the forest floor. Luna's consciousness merged with mine in our shared form, our grief a singular howl that echoed through the trees.

I was so lost in our pain that I didn't sense the danger until it was almost too late. A low growl from behind was my only warning before a massive rogue wolf launched itself at me, teeth bared for my throat.

Instinct took over. I twisted away, narrowly avoiding the killing bite. The rogue—a mangy male with a scarred face—circled me, his yellow eyes gleaming with hunger and something worse.

*Fight!* Luna snarled inside me, her anguish transforming into rage.

I lunged forward, my jaws snapping at the rogue's flank. He was bigger, but I was faster, fueled by a day's worth of humiliation and a year's worth of rejection. My claws tore into his side as he tried to pin me, drawing first blood.

The metallic scent filled my nostrils as I snarled, a sound so vicious it surprised even me. All the pain Nathan had caused, all the public shame—I channeled it into each strike, each bite.

The rogue seemed shocked by my ferocity, clearly having expected easier prey. As my teeth sank into his shoulder, something primal awakened within me—a strength I never knew I possessed.

This fight was far from over, and neither was I.