After My Husband Rejected Me, Revenge Began

I traced my finger over the territory expansion documents, a smile playing on my lips. After ten years of marriage, Ethan had finally remembered our anniversary with something meaningful—new hunting grounds for our pack that would cement the Silver Moon's status among the neighboring territories.

"Mrs. Montgomery-Reynolds," I murmured, searching for my name beside Ethan's on the official declaration. Strange. My brow furrowed as I flipped through page after page of legal jargon. Alpha Ethan Reynolds was listed repeatedly, but where was my name? As Luna, I should be named on all official pack documents.

"That can't be right," I whispered, my heart quickening. I gathered the papers and headed toward Silas Croft's office. The pack record keeper was meticulous to a fault—he would know if this was simply an oversight.

The hallways of the pack house were quiet this morning, most wolves busy with their daily duties. I knocked softly on the heavy oak door.

"Enter," came Silas's reedy voice.

The record keeper's office smelled of old parchment and ink. Silas looked up from his desk, his wire-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. "Luna Claire," he said, rising quickly. "What can I do for you?"

"The territory expansion documents," I said, placing them on his desk. "My name isn't listed as Luna. I thought perhaps there was an error?"

Something flickered across Silas's face—discomfort? Pity? He cleared his throat. "I... I assumed you knew."

"Knew what?"

"According to our records, you... you aren't officially recognized as Luna of the Silver Moon Pack."

I stared at him, uncomprehending. "That's impossible. I've been Ethan's mate for ten years."

Silas's hands trembled slightly as he unlocked a filing cabinet, retrieving a folder. "I'm sorry, but according to pack law, you were... rejected as Alpha Reynolds' mate six years ago."

The word sliced through me like a silver blade. "Rejected?"

He slid a document across the desk. My eyes fell on the official seal of the Werewolf Council, then the words that shattered my world: "I, Alpha Ethan Reynolds, hereby reject Claire Montgomery as my fated mate..."

And there at the bottom—my signature. Except it wasn't mine.

"This isn't my signature," I whispered, fingers hovering over the forgery. It was close, but the loops in the 'C' were all wrong.

Silas wouldn't meet my eyes. "I'm not authorized to question official documents, Luna—I mean, Ms. Montgomery."

"I need a copy," I said, my voice hollow.

"I shouldn't—"

"Please, Silas." Something in my tone made him look up. Whatever he saw in my eyes convinced him.

With shaking hands, he made a copy and passed it to me. I folded it carefully and tucked it into my pocket, my mind racing. Six years. Six years I'd been living a lie.

I walked back toward the Alpha suite in a daze, my wolf Selene whimpering in confusion. *How could this be? We feel the bond. We've always felt it.*

As I approached Ethan's office, voices drifted through the partially open door. I recognized Ethan's deep timbre and Marcus Blackwood's deferential tone. I slowed my steps, something primal telling me to listen.

"...and she still has no idea?" Marcus was saying.

Ethan's laugh was cold. "None. She takes those supplements every morning like a good little Luna. Thinks they're vitamins."

"And the herbs suppress her wolf's fertility completely?"

"Like magic. Mother still blames her, of course. 'What kind of Luna can't produce an heir?' Meanwhile, Olivia's already given me a son."

My hand flew to my mouth to stifle a gasp. The room spun around me as pieces clicked into place—the years of trying for pups, the pitying looks from Victoria, the mysterious childhood friend Olivia who always seemed to be around.

*Selene?* I called to my wolf in our private mind-link.

*I've been protecting you,* she whimpered. *Taking most of the damage from those herbs. That's why I've been so weak. I didn't understand what was happening until now.*

I leaned against the wall, legs threatening to give way. Ten years of devotion. Ten years of believing I was broken, defective. All while Ethan was poisoning me, rejecting me, building a life with another woman.

As tears threatened to fall, I felt something shift inside me—not just heartbreak, but something colder, sharper. Selene's silver eyes gleamed in my mind, no longer submissive but calculating.

*We've been betrayed,* she growled. *And we will make them pay.*