He Chose Glass Over His Diamond Luna

My husband, the Alpha, refused to mark me for three years, claiming he was waiting for the "perfect moment." Yet, he had no trouble claiming the "stray" rogue we took in. I found Alessandro in his study, mocking me as a cold "ice sculpture" while Aria sat in his lap. He didn't just give her his affection; he gave her my life. He cleared my sanctuary, the greenhouse, to plant cheap tulips for her. He drained the Pack's emergency funds to buy her a five-million-dollar necklace meant for a Luna. But the ultimate betrayal happened in the stables. My saddle snapped mid-jump. The fall shattered my leg, and the wound sizzled with liquid silver—sabotage meant to maim me permanently. When the evidence pointed to Aria, Alessandro didn't punish her. He ordered the evidence buried. He looked me in the eye and said a broken leg might finally teach me some humility. He destroyed my reputation to boost his own ego, protecting a woman who was actually sleeping with half his council behind his back. He thought I would break. He thought I would beg. Instead, I stood before the entire Pack, played the footage of his mistress's treason, and uttered the words that would destroy him. "I, Katarina De Luca, reject you." Chapter 1 Katarina POV: The mahogany door of the Alpha's study was thick, designed to keep state secrets inside. But it could not block out the sound of a woman's laughter. It was a high, tinkling sound. Like cheap glass shattering on a tile floor. I stood in the hallway, my hand hovering inches from the brass handle. My posture was perfect, my spine a steel rod. I was Katarina De Luca, the Luna of the De Luca Pack. I did not eavesdrop. I did not tremble. But my nose twitched. Wolf senses are a curse sometimes. Even though my inner wolf, Winter, had been silent for years, my physical senses were still sharp. I smelled it this morning when I fixed Alessandro's collar. A cloying, sweet scent. Vanilla and synthetic sugar. It was Omega bait, the kind of drugstore pheromone spray teenagers used to mask their scent. It was not my scent. My scent was cool mint and rain. I pushed the door open just a crack. My husband, my Fated Mate, was sitting on the edge of his massive desk. Alessandro looked more alive than I had seen him in three years. His hands, usually so stiff when he touched me, were roaming freely over the woman in his lap. Aria. She was small, fragile-looking, with big doe eyes that seemed permanently filled with tears. The "stray" we had taken in two months ago. The poor, defenseless Rogue who needed protection. "You are so strong, Alpha," Aria cooed, running her fingers through his hair. She released a wave of pheromones that hit me like a physical slap. "I feel so safe with you. Not like... her." Alessandro chuckled. It was a dark, throaty sound. "Katarina? She doesn't need safety. She is an ice sculpture. Beautiful to look at, but cold to the touch." "It must be lonely," Aria whispered, tracing his jaw. "Sleeping next to a statue." "It is," Alessandro murmured. He leaned in and kissed her neck. "You make me feel like a man, Aria. Like a true Alpha." I felt a sharp pain in my chest. It wasn't a metaphor. It felt like a rib snapping inward. Deep inside my soul, I heard a whimper. It was Winter. My wolf. She had been dormant, sleeping because Alessandro had never completed the Mating Bond. He had never marked me. He claimed he wanted to wait for the "perfect moment." Now I knew the truth. He didn't want to mark a statue. He wanted a cheerleader. I stepped back, letting the door click shut silently. As I walked down the grand staircase, a voice echoed in my head. It was the Mind-Link, the telepathic web that connected every member of our Pack. Did you see the Alpha with the stray? a kitchen maid projected, thinking I couldn't hear the lower frequencies. Yeah. Finally, he has a woman with some heat. The Luna is just... empty, a guard replied. They were mocking me. In their heads, where I couldn't punish them. I walked into the master bedroom. It was pristine. Cold. Just like me. I walked to the mirror. I saw a woman with platinum blonde hair and eyes like frozen lakes. I was beautiful, yes. But I looked tired. I touched my neck. The skin was smooth. Unbroken. No bite mark. No claim. "Father was right," I whispered to the empty room. "The White Wolf bloodline is proud. We do not beg." I opened my jewelry box. Inside lay a heavy silver necklace with the De Luca crest. Alessandro had given it to me on our wedding day, promising eternal loyalty. I took it off. The metal felt cold in my hand. I dropped it into the bottom drawer of the nightstand. Then, I picked up the file Mark, the Pack Gamma, had left for me. Mark was the only one who did his job. The file was thin, but the contents were explosive. Aria Diaz. Not an orphan from a destroyed pack. She had been kicked out of the Blackwood Pack for theft and "inappropriate conduct with mated males." She was a professional homewrecker. A Rogue. My phone buzzed. It was a notification from the estate manager. Memo: Alpha Alessandro requests the Moonlit Greenhouse be cleared. He wishes to plant tulips for Miss Aria. The Moonlit Greenhouse. My sanctuary. The place where the rare night-blooming lilies grew, flowers that only a Luna could cultivate. He was giving my throne to a thief. I didn't cry. Tears were for people who had hope. I picked up my encrypted phone and dialed the number of the old family butler, a man loyal only to my bloodline. "Prepare the accounts, Giovanni," I said, my voice steady. "Winter is here."