Chapter 6
The celebration was in full swing.
The grand hall of the Crescent Moon Pack was filled with laughter, music, and the scent of roasted meat. Pack members danced under the twinkling lights, their faces glowing with excitement.
I stood near the entrance, my long, moon–white dress draping elegantly around me.
It was the same dress I had worn during my mating ceremony.
Only tonight, I would use it to sever the very bond it once symbolized.
Across the room, Kieran stood surrounded by elders and warriors, dressed in a deep navy suit. Strong. Commanding. Every bit the Alpha he claimed to be.
Beside him, Seraphina flitted around like a butterfly, her dark green dress clinging to her curves.
I despised that color.
And I despised the woman who wore it.
But I took a deep breath, calming the storm inside me.
Not yet.
Linda’s voice hummed in my mind. “Hold steady, Lyanna. Let them believe they’ve won–until you deliver the final blow.”
I nodded inwardly.
Then, with deliberate steps, I walked toward the center of the hall.
As soon as I did, the room fell silent.
All eyes turned to me.
Kieran’s expression shifted to one of mild surprise, as if he had only just remembered I existed.
Seraphina, however, smirked.
I ignored them both and instead bowed deeply to the elders.
“Luna Lyanna,” the eldest among them, Elder Tobias, greeted me with a kind but wary gaze. “What brings you to the center of tonight’s gathering?”
I straightened, meeting his gaze head–on.
“Elders,” I said, my voice ringing clear across the hall, “I have something important to announce.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Kieran frowned, taking a step forward.
“Lyanna, whatever it is, we can discuss it privately-”
“No.”
My firm tone stopped him in his tracks.
I turned to him, looking directly into his stormy blue eyes.
“I. Lyanna. Luna of the Crescent Moon Pack, hereby reject Alpha Kieran as my mate.”
Gasps filled the room.
Someone dropped their glass.
The sound of shattering crystal was nothing compared to the silence that followed.
I took a deep breath before delivering the final blow:
“I no longer recognize you as my mate. And I no longer recognize the Crescent Moon Pack as my home.”
JJ
For the first time in his life, Kieran looked truly stunned.
His hands clenched into fists at his sides.
“What the hell are you saying?” His voice was low, dangerous.
Seraphina’s smirk faltered, her gaze darting nervously between us.
I pressed on.
“When I was bleeding on the ground after the rogue attack, you ignored me.” My voice didn’t waver. “When I reached out to you through our mate bond, you chose to leave with Seraphina instead.”
I let the words sink in before continuing.
“You trusted her over me. You loved her over me.”
His jaw tightened.
“That’s not-”
“I lost our pup. Kieran.”
The words rang out across the hall.
The air left his lungs.
The color drained from his face.
For the first time, real pain flashed in his eyes.
The mighty Alpha had nothing to say.
Even Seraphina took a step back, her smug confidence shaken.
I turned to the elders.
“You all witnessed our mating ceremony. You all heard our vows before the Moon Goddess. And now, I ask for your blessing to sever this bond.”
Elder Tobias looked at Kieran. “Alpha?”
Kieran didn’t answer.
Because he knew.
He had nothing left to argue.
Beta Seraphina, however, stepped forward, her voice shrill with desperation.
“Lyanna, you’re overreacting! Alpha Kieran is a busy man! He doesn’t have time to tend to every little problem. As Luna, you should support him, not whine about-”
“Losing my pup was not ‘a little problem.“”
11
My voice sliced through hers like a blade.
Seraphina paled.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice so only she could hear.
“And I wonder, Seraphina… If you’re so innocent, why don’t you swear before the Moon Goddess that you never tried to take my mate?”
Her lips parted, but no words came.
Because she couldn’t.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Then, Elder Tobias turned back to me.
“Do you have proof of Kieran’s betrayal?”
I smiled.
Because I did.
With a steady hand, I pulled out a small stack of photos and tossed them onto the table before the elders.
Images of Kieran and Seraphina at the beach. At restaurants. In his car, kissing.
The proof was undeniable.
A collective murmur of disapproval spread through the elders.
Kieran’s face twisted in disbelief as he saw the evidence laid out before
him.
Seraphina looked ready to faint.
I lifted my chin.
“This.” I said, voice unwavering, “is why I reject him.”
And no one in that room could deny my right to do so.
