Chapter 1
Today was supposed to be my Luna coronation.
Instead, my Alpha, Xander, blocked my path right at the steps of the Pack House.
"Elara, my first love got rejected by her mate today. I have to be there for her," he said. "She's fragile. You've always been the strong one."
Through the mind-link, I heard him order his Beta. 'Just leave her be. She has nowhere else to go. She can wait for me.
'A lowly Omega. Who else would even want her?'
The severed mate bond tore through my chest, but I refused to shed a single tear.
I simply reached into my pocket and pulled out the moonstone I had kept hidden for ten years.
I whispered to the slumbering soul trapped inside, "My father said if I was ever backed into a corner, I should use this to find you.
"Alpha King, are you still looking for a Luna?"
*****
A sharp tearing sensation ripped through my bond with Xander.
I clutched my chest. The pain nearly dropped me to my knees.
Around me, pack members pointed and whispered. Their eyes held a sickening mix of pity and smugness.
I, Elara, the future Luna of the Blackmoon Pack, was being publicly dumped at my own coronation.
All so my Alpha could run off to comfort his childhood crush, Seraphina, who had just been rejected by her fated mate.
Xander's Beta, Leo, shifted awkwardly on his feet. He clearly wanted to help me up but did not dare cross his Alpha.
"Elara, the Alpha is just... well, Seraphina is..." Leo stammered.
"He just figures I have nowhere else to go," I finished for him.
Leo flinched. The blood drained from his face.
That careless sentence Xander broadcasted over the mind-link burned into my memory. 'A lowly Omega. Who else would even want her?'
He had a point. My scent was crisp cedarwood, so faint it was barely there.
In a pack full of Omegas dripping with heavy floral and fruity pheromones, I was an absolute freak.
If the Moon Goddess had not chosen me as Xander's fated mate, I would not even be allowed inside the Pack House.
The crowd parted as Seraphina stepped up in a ridiculously expensive silk gown.
Tear tracks stained her pale cheeks, but a triumphant glint flashed in her puffy red eyes.
She leaned in close. "I'm so sorry, Elara. Xander just worries about me too much," she whispered, ensuring only I could hear. "After all, I'm the one he grew up with."
My eyes locked onto the silver bracelet dangling from her wrist. It was my coming-of-age gift.
Xander had fastened it on me himself. He claimed the silver represented moonlight and would guard my peace forever.
Now, it decorated another Omega's wrist.
I looked at that bracelet, then at Seraphina's tear-streaked, oh-so-innocent face—and just like that, the pain faded away.
When your heart goes totally numb, it stops hurting.
I squared my shoulders, stepped around her, and walked down the Pack House stairs.
The gossip flared up the second my back was turned.
"Where the hell is she going?"
"Where can she go? When an Alpha ditches a weak Omega, her only option is to find a dark corner and cry it out."
"She better pray Xander still wants her back."
I kept walking.
They were right about one thing. I had nowhere to go.
But they were dead wrong about the rest. I was officially done waiting around for anyone.
*****
I waited in our shared cabin until the dead of night.
The fireplace had burned out hours ago, leaving the room freezing.
When Xander finally walked in, he reeked of cheap booze and the suffocating scent of Seraphina's white roses.
"Why are you still up?" he muttered. He shrugged off his coat and tossed it onto the sofa.
He walked over, raising a hand to pat my head out of pure habit.
I tilted my head and dodged his touch.
His hand froze in midair. A deep scowl formed on his face. "Are you throwing another tantrum?"
"No," I said flatly.
"Is this because I missed the ceremony?" He yanked at his tie. "Seraphina was a total wreck.
"She nearly had a mental breakdown over the rejection. I had to ground her."
I stared at the red flush creeping up his neck.
"Xander, do you remember where we first met?" I asked.
He blinked, then answered without missing a beat. "Course I do. By the creek out past the borders. You were getting chased by a rogue wolf."
I lowered my eyes.
That was where he met Seraphina.
Our actual first meeting was at my father's funeral.
He had walked up to me and awkwardly offered me a piece of candy.
Seems like he's already given all our memories to someone else.
"You just had a long day," he sighed. He reached out and scooped me up into his arms. "Stop overthinking things.
"Let's get to bed. We can reschedule the ceremony."
He dropped me onto the mattress and hovered over me, his heavy Alpha aura instantly suffocating the room.
"I only feel grounded when I can smell you," he murmured. He buried his face in my neck and took a deep breath.
My cedarwood scent always calmed him down, especially when his rut was coming up.
"Xander, I hate the smell of white roses," I said. I shoved hard against his chest. "It's way too cloying."
He froze.
He slowly lifted his head, his icy blue eyes flashing with shock and blatant anger.
"Elara, what the hell is your problem?" he snapped. "Seraphina took a massive hit today.
"It is completely normal that I got some of her scent on me while helping her. Why are you acting so paranoid?
"You never used to be like this. You used to be so understanding."
Understanding. What a joke.
Because I was understanding, my Luna coronation could be canceled on a whim.
Because I was understanding, my belongings could be handed out as gifts.
Because I was understanding, I was supposed to smile and choke on another Omega's scent clinging to my mate.
"I'm tired," I said. I rolled over and turned my back to him.
A thick silence filled the bedroom.
Xander let out an irritated click of his tongue and pushed himself off the bed.
"I'm sleeping in the study tonight," he bit out.
The door slammed shut.
I opened my eyes and stared at the cold moonlight spilling through the window. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the warm, smooth surface of the moonstone.