Chapter 1: Betrayal and Rejection

Luna’s POV

I never thought I'd hear such agonizing howls come from my own throat. The pain tearing through my chest was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. As I collapsed, my mind raced back to just hours earlier, when everything had seemed so perfect.

The weight of the carefully wrapped gift in my hands filled me with excitement as I practically skipped toward Caspian's house. Despite being the most ordinary wolf in our pack - the orphan girl with no exceptional abilities - I felt special. Loved. Caspian was my mate, after all, and today was his birthday.

I remembered how my foster parents, Aspen and River, had helped me pick out the gift. Their love and support had always been a constant in my life, filling the void left by my biological parents' early passing. And then there was Rowan, my best friend, and the pack's gamma's daughter. She was everything I wasn't - strong, skilled, and respected. But she never made me feel less than her.

As I approached Caspian's house, my heart swelled with affection. I couldn't wait to see his face when he opened his gift. I reached for the door handle, ready to surprise him.

But it was I who received the surprise.

The scene before me shattered my world in an instant. Caspian, my mate, who loved me deeply, was entangled with another woman. Their bodies moved together in a passionate embrace, oblivious to my presence.

I couldn't breathe. The gift slipped from my hands, hitting the floor with a thud that finally alerted them to my presence.

Caspian's eyes met mine, widening in shock. "Luna! I... This isn't..."

But it was. It was exactly what it looked like.

I ran. I ran until my lungs burned and my legs gave out. And that's when the howling began.

Now, as I knelt on the forest floor, my body shaking with sobs, I knew what I had to do. I had to reject him. The thought alone sent a fresh wave of pain through me, but I couldn't bear the alternative.

I don't know how long I stayed there, but eventually, I heard footsteps approaching. Caspian's scent filled my nostrils, and I stiffened.

"Luna," he said, his voice oddly calm. "What are you doing out here?"

I looked up at him, my vision blurry with tears. "I'm rejecting you, Caspian."

His face contorted with rage so quickly it frightened me. "You're what?"

"I'm rejecting you," I repeated, my voice more assertive this time. "I saw you with her. I can't... I won't be your mate anymore."

In an instant, his hand shot out, grabbing my arm with bruising force. "You think you can reject me?" he snarled, yanking me to my feet.

Fear coursed through me. This was different from the Caspian I knew. Or maybe it was, and I'd been blind all along.

"You're nothing, Luna," he spat, shaking me roughly. "You can't even shift yet. You're weak and uninteresting. You should be grateful I even looked at you!"

Each word was like a dagger to my heart. But beneath the pain, anger began to simmer. "Let go of me," I demanded, trying to pull away.

His response was a harsh slap across my face. The force of it sent me stumbling back, and I tasted blood in my mouth.

"You're not worthy of being my mate," Caspian continued, advancing on me. "And you're certainly not worthy of rejecting me."

I cringed, raising my arms to protect myself as he raised his hand again. But the blow never came.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Caspian?"

Rowan's voice cut through the air like a whip. I lowered my arms to see her standing there, her eyes blazing with fury.

Caspian's demeanor changed instantly. He straightened up, trying to look composed. "This doesn't concern you, Rowan."

"Like hell it doesn't," Rowan growled, stepping between us. "Touch her again, and I'll make sure the entire pack knows what kind of man you are."

For a moment, Caspian looked like he might argue. But then he stepped back, his eyes cold. "Fine. Take her. She's not worth the trouble anyway."

As he stalked away, my legs gave out. Rowan caught me before I hit the ground, her muscular arms wrapping around me protectively.

"Luna, oh Luna," she murmured, her voice thick with concern. "What happened?"

But I couldn't speak. The day's events crashed over me like a tidal wave, and all I could do was cling to Rowan and let the tears flow.

As the sun began to set, casting long shadows through the trees, I realized everything had changed. The life I thought I had, the love I thought was real - it had all been a lie. And now, I was left to pick up the pieces of my shattered world.

But as Rowan held me, whispering words of comfort and protection, I felt a tiny spark of something else. Something that felt a lot like hope. Whatever came next, I knew I wouldn't face it alone.