Rejected Luna

**Vanya**

Memory was just memory. It held no physical weight, yet it pressed down on my chest with every step I took behind Vance. Fourteen years had passed since I last walked the winding path leading to the main packhouse. The happiness I once knew within its walls had vanished, erased by the tragedy of my father’s alleged betrayal. Now, only the imposing structure remained, casting long, sharp shadows across the manicured lawns.

I kept my gaze fixed on the ground. Two maids flanked me, carrying the pathetic canvas bag that held my entire life, while Vance led the way to my temporary quarters. My boots scuffed against the grand marble steps of the entrance. I stepped over the threshold. The familiar scent of beeswax and cedar hit my senses. I used to run down these very halls, my laughter echoing off the high ceilings. After the pack labeled my father a traitor, I assumed I would never set foot in here again. Yet here I was, stepping onto plush crimson carpets, bypassing the security protocols I desperately needed to beat.

“Alpha!”

A shrill, familiar voice shattered the quiet of the corridor. Vance stopped. I halted a step behind him, keeping my head bowed. Footsteps pounded against the carpet, rapid and frantic.

“Alpha, there you are!”

Colette. Her father took over the Beta position the night mine was condemned. She stepped right into the life, the home, and the privileges that used to be mine. She rushed toward us, her hands lifting the hem of a designer dress so she could run faster. The moment she reached Vance, she dropped the fabric and latched both hands onto his forearm.

Vance pulled his arm away. The motion was smooth but unmistakable.

“Is there an emergency?” Vance asked.

Colette froze. Her gaze slid past his broad shoulder and landed on me. Her eyes widened, her painted lips parting in shock.

“A… what? No, I…” Colette stammered, her grip on reality slipping as she stared. “What is she doing here?!”

Vance narrowed his eyes. “What is she doing here, Alpha.” He corrected her tone, his voice a low rumble of authority.

A deep flush crept up Colette’s neck. She cleared her throat, forcing a sheepish smile. “Right. Yes. I apologize, Alpha. I was just… startled. Seeing her here.”

Vance offered no comfort. “She will stay here until the rejection ceremony. That is all.”

I took that as a dismissal. Colette took it as an invitation to hunt.

“Oh,” Colette breathed out. A snide, twisted smile stretched across her face. She took a step back and dropped into an exaggerated, mocking curtsy. “Welcome, Rejected Luna. Is there anything I can fetch for you, Rejected Luna?”

I kept my expression blank. “I am fine. Thank you.”

“Surely the Rejected Luna requires a finer dress? Hmm?” Colette stepped closer, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. “Does the Rejected Luna desire some tea? Perhaps a biscuit? Do not hold back, Rejected Luna. I want to tend to all your needs.”

I shifted my weight, glancing at Vance. He stood like a statue, his jaw set, offering no intervention. He was fine with the humiliation.

“Is the Rejected Luna a baby?” Colette mocked, pouting her lips. “A little Rejected Luna baby?”

“If you do not mind, I will just go to bed,” I said slowly. I looked at Vance again, waiting for him to point me toward the servant quarters or the basement. I was navigating blind in enemy territory.

“Aww, is the little Rejected Luna tired?” Colette cooed, stepping into my line of sight. “Does the little Rejected Luna need a dolly to sleep with?”

I stared at her. Colette just wanted an audience. She wanted Vance to laugh with her, to validate her dominance over the traitor’s daughter. A tiny, involuntary smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. I remembered us as kids. Colette used to chase Vance around these very halls, desperate for his attention, tripping over her own feet while he hid from her.

Colette caught the shift in my expression. Her fake pout vanished. She planted her hands on her hips.

“What are you smirking at?” she demanded.

I instantly wiped my face clean. “Nothing.”

Colette spun toward Vance. “Alpha! The pack traitor was smirking at me.”

Vance looked down at her. “Why do you bother looking at her?”

Colette blinked, thrown off by his indifference. She recovered quickly, letting out a sharp laugh. “Yes. You are right. Sorry, Rejected Luna.”

She seemed satisfied, fluttering her eyelashes at Vance. But the Alpha was already moving.

“Be quiet, Colette. Everyone should have gone to bed,” Vance stated, turning his back on her and stalking down the adjoining hallway.

The moment Vance faced away, Colette’s demeanor snapped. The sweet girl vanished. She stepped directly into my space.

“Just remember, Rejected Luna,” she hissed, stabbing her manicured index finger hard into my collarbone. “You are less than dirt. Less than dirt. No matter what trick the Moon Goddess is playing on us, he is mine. Not yours. Understood? In two weeks, you are going to be nothing.”

I nodded, letting my eyes glaze over. I was exhausted. “Yes.”

Colette’s hand swung through the air.

*Smack.*

The slap cracked loud in the empty corridor. My head snapped to the side. A sharp sting blossomed across my left cheek.

“Answer me when I am talking to you!” Colette snarled. “What did I say?!”

I slowly turned my head back. I reached up, rubbing the burning skin of my cheek. I kept my voice flat, devoid of the tears she wanted. “You said I am less than dirt.”

“And?” Colette prompted, her chin raised high.

“And that Alpha Vance is yours,” I repeated.

“He is. And once this stupid mate bond of yours is severed, he is going to see it too.” Colette let out a huff of breath, looking down her nose at me.

I nodded again. I just needed her to move so I could find my room and sleep.

Colette’s hand lashed out a second time.

*Smack.*

This hit landed higher, her knuckles clipping the bridge of my nose. Pain flared hot and bright behind my eyes. A warm drop of liquid escaped my nostril, sliding down to my lip. The metallic tang of blood hit my tongue.

“Do not patronize me with your head bobs!” Colette spat.

“Colette.”

Vance’s voice echoed down the hall. It carried a heavy, tired weight.

We both turned. Vance stood a dozen yards away, watching us.

Colette shifted her posture instantly. “Alpha! She was claiming she was going to be the future Luna. I was just reminding her of her place.”

Vance let out a long, frustrated sigh, dragging a hand through his dark hair. “Just go to bed, Colette.”

“But—”

Footsteps interrupted her defense. The head butler stepped around the corner, his hands clasped neatly behind his back. He walked straight past Colette, his eyes locked on Vance.

“Alpha, the room is ready,” the butler announced.

Vance gave a curt nod and followed the butler down the long corridor. The maids trailed behind. Colette wasted no time. She jogged to catch up to Vance, immediately latching onto his arm again and pressing her chest against his bicep.

I wiped the blood from my upper lip with the back of my hand, took a deep breath, and followed them into the dimming hall.

“Are you alright, Alpha?” Colette asked, her voice dipping into a sweet purr. She ran her hand up and down his sleeve. “You seem stiff.”

The butler stopped in front of a heavy oak door. He turned the brass handle and gestured inside.

“This is the room, Alpha,” the butler said.

Colette took a step forward, peering past the butler into the open space. She froze. A loud, sharp gasp ripped from her throat. Her jaw dropped open. She spun toward Vance, her eyes wild with disbelief.

“What!” Colette shrieked.

She blinked rapidly, her gaze darting between the open door, Vance, and me. Vance ignored her outburst. He kept his dark eyes locked squarely on my face.

I stood in the hallway, fiddling nervously with my fingers. My stomach tightened. What was inside? A dungeon cell? A storage closet filled with silver?

I stepped past Colette, ignoring her piercing glare, and looked through the doorway.

My breath caught in my throat.

The room was a bright, happy pink. A pristine white wrought-iron child’s bed sat against the far wall, covered in a floral quilt. A white window seat framed the glass, adorned with frilly pink curtains. In the corner sat a large, multi-story wooden dollhouse. A wicker pram held three porcelain dolls, their painted faces staring out at the room.

It was my room.

My childhood room. With my things. Arranged exactly as I had left them fourteen years ago on the day the guards dragged me to the omega dorms.

“What…?” I whispered. My voice cracked. The word barely made it past my lips. I looked up at Vance.

His face was a mask of cold stone. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Nobody wanted to use a room where a traitor’s descendant lived.”

I stared at him. The lie was glaring. I nodded instinctively, the omega training taking over before my brain could process the truth. “Yes, of course, Alpha.”

But my mind raced. The fabric on the dolls should have rotted. Dust should have coated every surface in thick, gray sheets. The bed linens should have yellowed and decayed. Instead, the air smelled of lemon polish and fresh lavender. Someone had cleaned this room. Maintained it. Preserved it.

Vance turned his imposing frame toward Colette. She was still staring into the room, her chest heaving.

“Go. Now,” Vance ordered.

“But, Alpha…” Colette stammered, her face pale.

“Good rest, Colette,” Vance said. He did not raise his voice, but the lethal edge in his tone made Colette whimper. She scrambled backward, turning on her heel and practically running down the hallway the way we came.

I stepped into the room. The plush carpet sank beneath my worn boots. I could not pull my eyes away from the wicker pram. I traced my fingers over the edge of the dollhouse. Not a single speck of dust.

I turned back to look at Vance. A whirlwind of shock and bittersweet nostalgia battered my chest. I tried to mask my face, but I knew my guard was down. Vance stood in the doorway. He took a half-step back. For a fraction of a second, his dark eyes looked troubled. A flicker of something soft, something broken, flashed across his rigid features.

Then he blinked, and the Alpha returned. Cold. Distant. Unforgiving.

He gave me one last icy look, turned on his heel, and strode down the hall.

I stood alone in the center of the pink room. Vance was gone. It was just me and a bedroom where time had stopped fourteen years ago.

***

***Vanya’s Diary - Fourteen years ago (excerpt)***

“Shh!” Kaelen hissed, his gangly arm wrapping around my shoulders. He slapped a grubby, dirt-stained hand over my mouth. “You are going to ruin it!”

I grabbed his wrist, pressing my hands over his knuckles to help stifle my own giggling. We crouched in the shadows behind the large marble pillar in the upstairs hallway.

Down the corridor, Nanny Agatha was stomping her feet, poking her head in and out of the open doors.

“Come on, you two. It is time for lessons,” the middle-aged woman grumbled, her heavy skirts rustling against the carpet.

“Wait for it…” Kaelen whispered in my ear. His breath tickled my neck.

Nanny Agatha marched toward the door of my bedroom.

As she pushed the heavy oak door open, the trap sprang. The full bucket of thick black ink we had balanced on the doorframe toppled forward. The dark liquid cascaded down, landing dead center on Nanny Agatha’s gray-streaked hair and splashing over her starched white collar.

“Oh!” Nanny Agatha shrieked, dropping her hands to her knees. She grabbed her apron and started frantically wiping at the ink running down her wrinkled face. “Oh, you two hellions!”

Kaelen dropped his hand from my mouth. I burst into loud, uncontrollable laughter, my little head throwing back. Kaelen jumped out from behind the pillar, pointing a triumphant finger at the dripping nanny.

“Got you!” he shouted.

Nanny Agatha opened her mouth to scold him, her face turning purple with rage. But the words died in her throat. Her eyes widened, focusing on something behind us.

She instantly dropped into a deep, trembling bow.

“Alpha Alaric,” she choked out.

My laughter evaporated. The air in the hallway turned to ice. I prayed for the floorboards to open up and swallow me whole.

A massive shadow fell over us.

“Well. Well,” a deep, booming voice echoed through the corridor. “Let us see what we have from you two, hmm?”