The Rejected Luna's Second Chance Claimed by the Rival Alpha

Everyone knew that Alpha Marcus Hart cared about nothing more than his Pack. The moment he became Alpha, he launched a massive territory expansion plan.

He promised me that as soon as the plan was finished, he would hold my coronation ceremony as his Luna. I waited for six years.

Until that day, when I went to his office to doublecheck the pups' training schedule, and walked in on him holding a young shewolf, Rose Miller.

She was sitting on Marcus's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Marcus, you’re about to officially name Lillian as your Luna.

Am I going to lose you forever?" His voice was incredibly gentle—a tone he had never used with me. "Never.

You are the only Luna I want." At that moment, I felt the blood in my veins turn to ice. But my wolf inside me laughed. She whispered, Don't worry.

Your fated mate is coming. I was about to walk away when someone called my name from the end of the hallway. "Lillian!" It was an older shewolf from the Pack, holding a stack of medical records for the pups, waiting for my signature.

The giggling inside the office stopped instantly. I forced a smile, signed the papers, and then knocked on the door. "Come in," Marcus’s voice sounded completely normal.

I pushed the door open. He was sitting at his desk.

Rose stood next to him, her cheeks flushed and her lips swollen. "Lillian." He looked up, his eyes searching my face. "When did you get here?" "Just now.

Someone needed me to sign the pups' health records," I replied calmly. He nodded. "Perfect. I have an announcement to make.

Call everyone to the assembly hall." In the assembly hall, Marcus stood high on the stage. Rose stood close to his left side.

I sat in the farthest corner, gripping the hem of my shirt. "...So, we are in the final stages of our expansion plan," Marcus paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before landing on Rose. "I want Rose to stand by my side as my future Luna to complete this journey." The room fell dead silent.

Then, a few scattered, awkward claps echoed through the hall. I froze. Future Luna.

It wasn't "Lillian will be Luna once the expansion is done." It was Rose, standing beside him as the future Luna.

I stood up so fast my chair crashed to the floor. "Marcus!" Everyone turned to look at me.

Marcus frowned. "Lillian, now is not the time." "You promised me," my voice trembled. "You said once the expansion was done, I would be Luna. Six years.

I waited for six years." He sighed, his tone filled with annoyance. "Lillian, we already talked about this in private." "No, we didn't." I took a step forward. "You were talking to me about the expansion plan just this morning.

You didn't mention a single word about Rose." Rose spoke up, sounding small and helpless. "Lillian, Marcus and I..." "I wasn't talking to you," I snapped, keeping my eyes locked on Marcus. "Marcus, look at me.

Tell me, what were these six years to you?" His face darkened. "Do you really have to throw a tantrum here?" "You're afraid of a scene?" I laughed, though my eyes stung. "If you didn't want a scene, you shouldn't have done this." He walked down the stage, grabbed my wrist tightly, and lowered his voice. "Enough.

Don't force me to embarrass you in front of everyone." "You've already embarrassed me," I said, ripping my wrist from his grip. "You made me a joke for six years." His eyes went cold.

He leaned in close to my ear, his voice barely a whisper. "Don't forget what I have on my phone. Do I need to remind you?" I froze completely.

Those nights, when we were intimate, and he took photos. He told me it was just for fun, just a keepsake.

It turned out he was saving them as leverage. "You..." My voice shook with pure disgust. A smug look flashed in his eyes, and his voice softened. "Be a good girl.

Go back to your cabin and calm down. I'll explain everything to you later." Rose stepped closer, her eyes red. "Lillian, I'm so sorry...

Marcus and I are truly in love..." I looked at her fake teary face, and then at the silent threat in Marcus's eyes.

I slowly unclenched my fists and looked down. "Fine." I turned and walked out of the assembly hall.

Behind me, Marcus’s voice returned to its calm, commanding tone. "Alright, let's continue. Rose, tell everyone your thoughts on the new territory..." I didn't look back.

The empty hallway echoed with only the sound of my own footsteps. I stopped at the corner and leaned against the wall. My nails dug so deep into my palms that they drew blood.

But I didn't cry. I couldn't. If I cried, they won. I took a deep breath, stood tall, and walked out of the Packhouse.

Late that night, in my small cabin. I sat on the floor, sorting through an old wooden chest. My phone lit up in the dark. It was a Snapchat notification.

Rose had posted a new story. It was a picture of Marcus holding her tight. The caption read: So grateful for Alpha Marcus's trust.

I will gladly stand by his side as his Luna! I shut off my phone and pulled a thick photo album from the bottom of the chest. The first photo was from when I was eighteen.

That was the year my wolf emerged, and I joined the Pack defense team. Standing next to me was twentysixyearold Marcus, his hand draped casually over my shoulder.

He had just become the Alpha back then. He had told me, "Lillian, you're the most capable shewolf I've ever met.

Stay with me, and we’ll make this Pack stronger together." And I believed him. From that day on, my entire world revolved around him and the Pack. I flipped through the pages.

There were so many memories. Me staying up late to organize the pups' training schedules, and him bringing me midnight snacks.

The first time I organized a Pack gathering by myself, and him giving me a thumbsup from the crowd.

The Pack hunt, where he blocked a rogue wolf's attack for me and murmured, "Be careful..." Every captured smile now felt like a cheap coat of paint covering rotten wood.

I flipped to the last few pages. There were fewer photos. The most recent one was from two years ago, at a bonfire party celebrating a newly conquered territory.

Marcus had held up his glass, thanking everyone, the elders, and fate.

That night, he got drunk, pulled me into his arms, and whispered in my ear: "Once the expansion is complete, I will make you my Luna.

I want the entire shifter world to know that half of my success belongs to you." I believed him then, too.

I even thought that the sleepless nights of planning, the stolen credits for my hard work, and the lonely walks back to my cabin at night were just the sacrifices I had to make for our "future." How pathetic.

My phone buzzed again. It was a text from Marcus. I'm not coming back tonight. Rose needs help adjusting to her new duties.

Get some sleep. I was harsh today, but you have to understand.

Rose is just a better fit to stand by my side. About the photos—as long as you behave, no one else will ever see them.

You know how much I value my reputation. Looking at the words "better fit," my stomach churned.

I stood up, reached under a pile of old clothes, and pulled out a cold piece of metal.

It was a silver Pack badge Marcus had given me himself, symbolizing my honor as a member of his elite guard. I squeezed it until the sharp edges cut into my skin.

I closed the album and turned off my bedside lamp. In the darkness, I whispered to myself: "Marcus Hart.

The expansion you care so much about, the Alpha image you worked so hard to build, and your precious Rose..." "I won't waste my time trying to ruin you.

A regular wolf can't bring down an Alpha anyway." "But I will survive. And I will live a much better life than I ever could by your side."

The next morning, I went to the Pack nursery as usual. I was in charge of taking care of the Pack's pups—feeding them, cleaning, and teaching them how to control their shifts.

It was the job I had done since joining the Pack, and my only source of income. The moment I pushed the door open, I saw several shewolves whispering in a circle.

They stopped talking the second they saw me. One of them, Maya, who used to bow to me respectfully, smirked. She looked me up and down. "Well, if it isn't the almostLuna.

Oh wait, my bad. The exalmostLuna." Another one chimed in, "I heard she made a total fool of herself in the assembly hall yesterday.

Getting dumped by the Alpha in front of everyone, and she still had the nerve to argue." I ignored them and walked straight to the play area.

A little pup trotted toward me, and I bent down to pick him up. But Maya snatched him away before I could touch him. "Oh, we can't trouble you with this kind of work anymore.

You're not the future Luna, so stop acting like you care." She carried the pup to the other side of the room, giggling with the other girls while keeping her back turned to me.

I stood there, my arms still frozen in midair. Then, I lowered my hands and walked over to clean the empty playpens.

As soon as I crouched down, a burst of laughter erupted behind me. "Look at her.

She still thinks she's somebody." "Once the Alpha gets tired of you and throws you out, you should really have the decency to leave the Pack." I didn't turn around.

I just kept cleaning. At lunchtime, I went to the Pack dining hall.

The moment I sat down at a table, the two wolves sitting across from me immediately picked up their trays and moved away. I kept my head down and ate my food.

From the next table, someone spoke loudly on purpose. "So, Rose is already helping with the expansion plan as the future Luna? Alpha Marcus is so sweet to her." "Of course.

She’s the real deal. Unlike some people who just cling on to what isn't theirs." I chewed my food and swallowed it, bite by bite.

After finishing, I cleaned up my tray and walked out of the dining hall. At the exit, a young male wolf glanced at me and spat on the ground. I stepped around it and kept walking.

Back in my cabin, I locked the door and leaned against it for a long moment. Then, I walked over to the window.

The herbs on my windowsill—rosemary, thyme, and mint—which I had planted in the spring, were growing beautifully. I watered them and checked on my small backyard garden.

The tomatoes were turning green, and the green beans were climbing up the trellis. I knelt down and pulled a few weeds, getting dirt all over my fingers.

As the sun began to set, I went to the Pack well to fetch water. A few wolves were gossiping nearby.

When they saw me, one of the older women dumped her bucket of dirty water right at my feet, soaking my pants. "Oh, my bad," she said with a laugh that didn't reach her eyes.

I looked down at my wet clothes, then looked up at her. "It's fine." I filled my bucket and walked back. Behind me, I heard them whispering. "She sure has a meek temper.

Too bad the Alpha didn't want her." I didn't look back. Back inside, I changed my pants, washed the wet ones, and hung them up to dry. Then I made dinner.

I picked some fresh greens from my garden, sliced some cured meat, and boiled a pot of soup. The fire crackled, and the pot bubbled with warm steam.

I sat alone at my table and finished my meal slowly. Outside, the sky turned dark.

I washed the dishes, wiped the stove, and sat by the window, reading a book on herbal medicine by the fading light. I had borrowed it from Agnes, the Pack’s old Healer.

I wanted to learn more about herbs. Maybe it would be useful one day. The night breeze blew through the cracks of the window, carrying the scent of fresh soil.

I turned a page, my fingers tracing the handdrawn illustrations of the plants. Marcus and Rose were probably together in the Packhouse right now. But I didn't care anymore.

I had my cabin, my garden, and my herbs. And I had myself. That was enough.