Rejected Luna Finds True Mate

The pack meeting hall felt different now—colder, more hostile. Where once I'd sat beside Nikolas as his Luna, now whispers followed me like shadows. Three weeks had passed since the healing transfer, since my wolf retreated into dormancy, and Leila had wasted no time establishing herself as the pack's new favorite.

"Luna Elizabeth," Beta Marcus addressed me formally, his tone carefully neutral. "The patrol schedules you submitted last week—several pack members have raised concerns."

I straightened in my chair, trying to project the authority I no longer felt. "What concerns?"

Leila stepped forward from her position near the warriors, her movements graceful and confident—powered by my stolen wolf essence. "Well, Luna, you assigned our strongest fighters to the eastern border, but that leaves our northern flank completely exposed. Any rogue with half a brain would see the weakness immediately."

Murmurs rippled through the assembled pack members. I felt heat rise in my cheeks. "The eastern border has shown increased rogue activity—"

"According to outdated reports," Leila interrupted smoothly. "I've been monitoring the situation personally, and the real threat has shifted north. Unless..." She paused dramatically, her eyes widening with false concern. "Unless you have information the rest of us don't?"

The implication hung in the air like poison. I opened my mouth to defend myself, but Nikolas spoke first.

"Leila raises valid points." His voice was cold, dismissive. "Perhaps the Luna's judgment has been... compromised lately."

The word 'compromised' hit me like a physical blow. Around the room, pack members exchanged glances, some sympathetic, others calculating. I'd been their Luna for seven years, had protected and served them, but now they looked at me like a stranger.

"I'll review the patrol assignments," I managed, my voice steady despite the humiliation burning in my chest.

"Actually," Leila said, her tone dripping with false helpfulness, "I've already taken the liberty of drafting new schedules. Alpha Nikolas approved them this morning."

Of course he had. Without consulting me. Without even telling me.

The meeting continued, but I barely heard the discussions about territory disputes and supply runs. Every suggestion I made was questioned, every decision undermined by Leila's perfectly timed corrections. She'd positioned herself as the voice of reason while painting me as incompetent.

When the formal meeting ended, I tried to slip away quickly, but Leila's voice stopped me.

"Oh, Luna Elizabeth! I almost forgot." She approached with a concerned expression that didn't reach her eyes. "I noticed you seemed a bit unsteady during the ceremony preparations yesterday. You didn't accidentally knock over the wolfsbane arrangements, did you?"

I stared at her. "What?"

"It's just that several pack members mentioned feeling unusually weak after the ceremony. Wolfsbane exposure can be so dangerous, especially for wolves who are already... fragile." Her gaze flicked meaningfully to where my wolf should be, where only emptiness remained.

The accusation was subtle but clear. She was suggesting I'd endangered the pack through carelessness—or worse, deliberate sabotage. "I would never—"

"Of course not!" Leila's smile was bright and poisonous. "I'm sure it was just an accident. We all know how difficult things have been for you lately."

Two days later, everything fell apart.

I was in my office, trying to focus on supply inventories, when Nikolas burst through the door. His face was thunderous, his Alpha aura crackling with rage.

"Where are they?" he demanded.

"Where are what?"

"The defense plans. The classified border strategies for the northern territories." His eyes blazed with fury. "They're missing from my office."

My stomach dropped. "I don't know anything about missing plans—"

"Don't lie to me." He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. "Marcus found these in your quarters an hour ago."

He threw a folder onto my desk. Inside were photocopies of detailed pack defense strategies, territorial maps, patrol rotations—all marked with the highest classification levels.

"I've never seen these before," I whispered, staring at the documents. "Nikolas, you have to believe me. I would never—"

"Leila saw you." His voice was ice. "Three nights ago, near the eastern border. Meeting with unknown figures. She watched you hand over documents."

"That's impossible. I was in our room three nights ago. I was—" But I stopped, remembering. Three nights ago, I'd taken sleeping herbs to escape the nightmares. I'd been unconscious for hours.

"You were what, Elizabeth?"

"Sleeping. I was sleeping." The words sounded weak even to me.

His laugh was harsh, bitter. "Convenient."

"Nikolas, please. Think about this logically. Why would I betray the pack? This has been my home for twenty years. These people—"

"These people are in danger because of you." His Alpha command pressed against me, forcing me to my knees. "You've been compromised. Whether through weakness or treachery, you've become a threat to everything I've built."

I knelt on the cold floor, looking up at the man I'd loved for seven years, the father of the child I'd lost, and saw only a stranger. "You really believe I would betray you. After everything."

"After everything," he repeated, "you've given me no choice."

The door opened, and Leila entered with several pack warriors. Her expression was perfectly crafted—sad, disappointed, but resolute.

"I'm sorry it's come to this, Elizabeth," she said softly. "But the pack's safety must come first."

I remained on my knees, my wolf too dormant to help me resist, and watched my world crumble completely.