Rejected for a False Mate

The morning sun cast harsh shadows across the pack house as I watched Celine sweep through the main hall like she already owned the place. Her pregnancy had become more pronounced overnight, or perhaps she was simply emphasizing it more now that Brady had publicly claimed her.

"Move those flowers to the Luna quarters," she commanded two young pack members, her voice carrying an authority she hadn't earned. "And make sure the bed linens are changed to something more... suitable for an expecting mother."

The Luna quarters. My quarters. The rooms I'd been preparing for five years.

Elder Victoria's weathered face tightened with disapproval as she approached me. "This is highly irregular, Isabelle. A chosen mate cannot simply claim Luna privileges without proper ceremony and pack acceptance."

"Tell that to our Alpha," I replied quietly, watching as Celine directed pack members to rearrange furniture to her liking. Several wolves exchanged uncertain glances, clearly uncomfortable with taking orders from someone who wasn't officially their Luna.

Marcus appeared at my elbow, his usual confidence replaced by obvious distress. "The pack is confused, Isabelle. Half of them don't know whether to follow her orders or wait for official word from Brady."

Before I could respond, Brady emerged from his office, his eyes immediately seeking out Celine. The tender way he looked at her—like she was something precious and fragile—sent a sharp pang through my chest. Not because I wanted that look for myself anymore, but because I realized he'd never looked at me that way in five years.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked Celine, his hand automatically moving to her belly in a gesture so intimate it made several pack members avert their eyes.

"Much better, thanks to your protection," she said sweetly, then turned to address the gathered wolves. "I know this transition is difficult for everyone, but I hope we can all work together for the good of the pack."

Elder Victoria stepped forward, her voice cutting through the artificial warmth. "Miss Green, while we respect the Alpha's choice, certain protocols must be followed. Luna privileges are earned through ceremony and pack bonds, not simply declared."

Celine's doe eyes widened with practiced innocence. "Of course, Elder Victoria. I would never presume to overstep. I'm simply trying to help where I can." Her gaze slid to me with calculated sweetness. "After all, poor Isabelle must be devastated. Being rejected after waiting so long... it must be humiliating."

The words hung in the air like a challenge. Around us, pack members held their breath, waiting to see how I would respond to such a direct provocation.

Something cold and dangerous unfurled in my chest. My wolf, silent for so long, suddenly surged to the surface with predatory focus.

"You're right," I said quietly, my voice carrying across the suddenly silent hall. "It would be humiliating. If I cared."

Celine blinked, clearly not expecting such a calm response. "Oh, but surely you must feel—"

"What I feel," I interrupted, my Luna aura beginning to pulse with barely contained power, "is that you need to learn some manners."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop as my aura expanded, pressing against every wolf present. Celine stumbled backward, her hand flying to her throat as she struggled to breathe under the weight of my dominance.

"Isabelle," Brady warned, but his voice lacked conviction.

"She insulted me in my own pack house," I said, my eyes never leaving Celine's increasingly pale face. "In front of pack members I've served faithfully for five years. That requires... correction."

Without another word, I strode toward the back doors that led to the pack lake. My aura wrapped around Celine like invisible chains, compelling her to follow despite her obvious terror.

"What are you doing?" she gasped, stumbling along behind me as pack members trailed in our wake.

I didn't answer until we reached the wooden dock that extended into the crystal-clear lake. The morning air was crisp, and the water would be shockingly cold.

"Teaching you respect," I said simply, then used my Luna command to force her to her knees at the dock's edge.

Celine's eyes went wide with panic. "You can't! I'm pregnant! Brady won't let you—"

"Brady rejected me," I reminded her, my voice deadly calm. "Which means I owe him nothing. And you... you owe me an apology."

With surgical precision, I grabbed her by the back of her neck and dunked her head into the frigid lake water. She came up sputtering and gasping, her carefully styled hair now plastered to her skull.

"Apologize," I commanded.

"I—I'm sorry!" she choked out.

"For what?" Another dunk, longer this time.

When she surfaced, she was sobbing. "For insulting you! For being disrespectful!"

"And?"

A third dunk, and when she came up, she was shaking uncontrollably. "For... for thinking I could challenge a true Luna!"

Satisfied, I released her, watching as she collapsed onto the dock in a shivering, bedraggled heap. Around us, pack members stared with a mixture of shock and grudging respect.

That's when Brady's roar shattered the morning air.

I turned to find him charging toward us, his Alpha aura blazing with fury and his claws already extended. For the first time in five years, Brady Alexander was threatening me.

"Get away from her," he snarled, his claws gleaming silver in the sunlight as he positioned himself protectively between Celine and me.

And in that moment, as I stared at the man who had once taken silver poisoning to protect me now threatening me to defend another woman, I felt the last phantom threads of our bond finally snap.

I was truly free.