The Luna's Unscripted Rejection

"Dion, you're about to have your bonding ceremony with Iris, but you're taking Blair to Moon Goddess Island now? Aren't you afraid Iris will find out?"

I stood just outside the door, my world tilting as I listened to the conversation inside.

Then I heard the voice of my mate-to-be, Dion Hansen.

"I hired a wolf to pretend to get close to her. I'll set her up so she's too busy dealing with a scandal to bother me."

"And if something really happens between them, all the better."

"I can use it as the perfect excuse to sever our bond, and then I can finally be with Blair."

His words shattered my heart.

At that moment, the very wolf Dion had hired was standing right behind me.

Tears streaming down my face, I turned to the wolf behind me with a proposition. "Let's give Dion exactly what he's paying for. Let's give him a real show."

But just as I was about to have my bonding ceremony with him,

Dion knelt before me, his face a mask of agony.

"Iris, I was wrong! Please, I'm begging you—don't do this! Don't bond with him!"

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1

I was staring at the contract from the bonding ceremony organizers, debating if I should go through with changing the name of my mate-to-be.

Just then, Dion Hansen returned, wheeling a suitcase behind him.

The moment he opened the door, he barked in an Alpha tone that demanded obedience.

"I'm drained. Iris, get me something to drink."

I frowned, but quickly brewed him an herbal tea.

When I placed the steaming cup in front of him, he didn't touch it.

He just scrutinized me.

"Did any other males approach you while I was away?"

His words made my heart clench.

I immediately recalled the conversation I’d overheard.

My chest seized with a sharp pain, and the air caught in my throat.

I knew exactly who he meant: Ryder Quinn. The same wolf who had agreed to go through with the bonding ceremony in my place.

I masked my emotions, met his gaze unflinchingly, and said, "No."

Suspicion flickered in his eyes.

He sized me up for a long moment, then muttered under his breath, "Did that guy take the money and flake?"

"Hmm? What was that?" I asked, feigning confusion.

Dion waved it off. "Nothing. The tea's not bad."

He quickly finished the tea, wiped his mouth, and then ordered, "Make another batch. I'm taking it with me tonight."

Seeing that I didn't move, he frowned and tossed a small box onto the table.

"Here, a gift for you. It's your style. Don't lose it."

He gestured impatiently. "Now, go make the herbal tea."

Inside the box was an exquisite silver bracelet, its fine chains glinting with a cold, menacing light.

Silver—a metal meant to suppress a wolf's power, to inflict pain.

To me, this was nothing short of a slap in the face.

Before I could react, Dion's patience wore thin.

He forcefully pulled me to my feet. "Hurry up. I have business to attend to."

"Don't interfere with Pack business. You know better than to test my patience."

It was his favorite trick since becoming Alpha—using his authority to keep me in line.

I watched the herbs unfurl in the boiling water, a wave of bitterness washing over me.

He’d loathed herbal tea since he was a pup, yet now he was demanding a thermos full of it.

When I handed him the thermos, he scowled, his impatience palpable. "What took you so long?"

Then, he yanked the door open and left without a backward glance.

I looked down at the wrist I had accidentally scalded while making the tea, a bitter smile twisting my lips.

Suddenly, a receipt tucked into the outer pocket of his suitcase caught my eye.

It was for a moonstone pendant of immense value.

And at the bottom of the receipt, it was clear: the silver bracelet was just a free gift with purchase.

I slowly clenched my fist, the bitterness in my heart so intense it eclipsed the sting on my wrist.

Trying to distract myself, I started browsing social media, only to stumble upon a post from Blair Mona.

She was holding a cup of steaming herbal tea, and the brilliant moonstone pendant around her neck was impossible to miss.

The caption read: "A gift from my love. Works like a charm!"

I lifted my head, my gaze falling on the group photo hanging in the living room.

Tears streamed unbidden down my cheeks.

"Dion Hansen," I whispered to the empty room, "all you've ever given me is pain."