Dethroned Luna

Morning sunlight touched the path outside as I carried medical supplies toward the sickbeds.

Bitter resentment weighed on me over how abruptly Cade had stripped away my Luna title. Never once had I seen that blow coming. Three years of giving my mate undivided love and devotion had collapsed overnight.

Tending to sick wolves had always been my duty, so I walked through the pack grounds anyway. Before long, open jeers, hushed gossip, and pointed whispers trailed after me from several pack members gathered nearby.

"Word is she doesn't hold the Luna title anymore," one female remarked as I walked past her.

"Heard the exact same thing—the real Luna finally came back," a second wolf agreed.

"Wait, what actually happened? Why did things flip so fast up at the Alpha's house?" another asked.

"Guess our former Luna finally ran out of favor with the Moon Goddess," the first answered, stifling a quiet laugh.

Stopping in my tracks, I walked straight over to confront them. "Don't any of you have better things to do?" I asked evenly.

One male cleared his throat while the other two split up and hurried away in opposite directions. I kept watching the man who stayed behind as he casually sat down without moving an inch.

"What? You aren't the one bossing us around anymore," he muttered, staying right where he sat.

Letting out a sharp scoff, I turned away in burning shame and headed back to the pack house. I went straight upstairs to the bedroom Cade and I shared, dropped onto the edge of the bed, and cried my eyes out.

Shut inside that room all afternoon, I turned things over in my head until night fell. Finally, I wiped my face and stepped out to go on living normally. Dwelling on ugly gossip wouldn't help, and whatever anyone muttered shouldn't change who I was.

Walking into the kitchen, I greeted the maid working at the counter with a small smile. "Please let me handle dinner tonight," I told her warmly.

For my own peace of mind, I was ready to let the bitterness go.

"Oh, but ma'am..." she started to object, only to pause when I lifted an open palm. Catching my meaning right away, she nodded and stepped out of the kitchen so I could cook undisturbed.

Putting care into the task, I cooked a warm meal and carried it upstairs to Valerie's room. More than anything, I wanted to drop the bad blood and simply treat her decently.

Stepping inside, I spotted her stretched out on the bed, gazing idly out the window.

"Are you hungry?" I asked politely near the foot of the bed, though she gave no answer.

"I cooked a plate just for you," I added, keeping a pleasant smile fixed on my face.

Without a single word, she sat upright and strolled straight into the bathroom.

*Maybe she's just someone who doesn't talk before taking a shower,* I thought, setting the meal down to wait.

Time dragged on behind the closed door, and by the time she finally stepped back out, every bite had gone cold.

"I'm sorry—the food cooled off while I waited," I apologized quietly.

"Go make me a fresh batch, then," she snapped rudely, not even sparing me a look.

"Excuse me?" I blinked, half-certain I had misheard her.

"Remind me again—just who are you supposed to be?" she asked.

Heavy sarcasm dripped from her voice, though I chose to let the jab slide.

"I'm the Luna here—Cade's mate. I know the two of us haven't really had a proper talk or introduction yet—"

"Ah, it all makes sense now," she cut in sharply. "You really are out of your mind."

Every piece of garbage spilling from her mouth was steadily wearing down my patience.

Letting out a mocking scoff, she stepped right up to me. "Honestly, I have no clue why you're still hanging around this pack house. Cade already spelled out your place clearly enough. Two women can't share the Luna title—there's only room for one, and unfortunately for you, that's me."

Sweeping a hand around the room, she kept going. "Maybe all this answered to you once. Now that I'm back, wake up from your daydream and accept that the rightful owner is home. Cade belongs to me. As for you..." Raising her hand, she pointed a finger straight at my face.

"Your place is downstairs alongside the maids and house help—or better yet, clear off these lands altogether. You aren't one of us, so get out already. Take yourself and that bastard growing inside you."

That was the final straw. She had crossed a line I refused to tolerate, and my palm swung up to land a stinging slap across her face before I could hold back. She clapped a hand over her cheek in pure shock.

"You've stood here spewing all the filth you pleased, and I held my tongue through every word," I snapped angrily. "Coming after my baby, though—that is one thing I will never let slide."

"I knew you spelled trouble the very second you wandered in looking like some stray drifter that night," I scoffed. "After vanishing for so long, why don't you crawl back into whatever hole you came out of? You're the one who doesn't belong around here."

Letting out a cold laugh, she narrowed her eyes at me. "Enjoy feeling high and mighty right now. Just wait and see," she warned before walking out of the room.

Shaken by her nerve, I steadied my breathing once the door shut. As soon as Cade got home, I planned to tell him everything that happened so he could see the true nature of the woman he wanted to make Luna.

Later that night, Valerie marched back in with a livid Cade striding right beside her. Parting my lips in confusion to speak, I never got a single syllable out before his hand whipped through the air and struck my cheek with a loud, brutal crack.

The sudden force of the blow sent me staggering backward in stunned disbelief. Never once in our years together had Cade laid a hand on me, and I never imagined finding myself in a nightmare like this.

"Why?" I whispered, hot tears spilling down my stinging face.

"Where do you get the nerve to raise a hand against your Luna—against my mate!" he roared in fury, making me flinch back.

"Unbelievable, Cade..." I breathed in sheer bewilderment. Never in my life had I expected cruelty like this from him.

"Put your dirty hands on my Luna one more time, Maeve, and I promise you'll regret the day you tried," he warned harshly, his expression cold and unyielding.

"Cade, listen—she went after our baby," I pleaded, desperate to make him hear reason. "She stood right in my face and called our child a bastard!"

Jabbing an irritated finger toward me, he scowled darkly. "The sole reason I stopped at slapping you is that you're carrying a child—and because I still love you," he declared.

"This is what you call love?" I breathed in shattered disbelief.

Crushing hurt and humiliation shrank my voice down to a bare whisper, while right behind Cade's shoulder, Valerie stood beaming in open triumph.

"You have never once treated me like this before, yet the second this complete stranger walked into our lives, everything fell apart!" I cried through falling tears. "Last night you swore nothing would change and promised to look after me and my baby—our baby, Cade!"

"Now not a single thing is the way it used to be!" Tears poured down my cheeks faster than I could hold them back. "You've turned into someone else entirely, and this whole pack and every wolf in it has turned right along with you!"

"Enough!" he shouted, cutting me off cold. "I don't care about a word you're saying right now. Nobody brings harm to Valerie under my watch—she is this pack's Luna and its future."

"And what about me, Cade?" I asked quietly. "What am I supposed to be to you now?"

Silence met my question, and the command that left his mouth next broke whatever was left inside me.

"Walk into our bedroom right now and clear all your belongings out at once," he ordered coldly. "You'll sleep in the spare room next door as punishment for hitting Valerie. Never lay a hand on her again, or you might get thrown out of this pack house." Before it could even sink in, he turned around and walked out of the house.

Seeing the undisguised glee written all over Valerie's face tore at my aching chest even worse. *How could Cade turn so vicious—or was this coldness who he truly was all along?* I wondered silently through the pain.

Because of her, everything I cherished was gone, including the love of my life, Cade. Every vow he made was a lie—his promises of affection, his oath to protect me and our baby, his claim that he would keep loving me despite Valerie. Watching him betray me repeatedly without caring how badly it hurt cut deepest of all.

Carrying that heartbreak alone into the spare room, I cried myself to sleep that night.

Waking up the next morning, I learned from the staff that Cade had left the territory on a trip. He hadn't even bothered telling me before leaving—how convenient for him and his newly crowned Luna, Valerie.

Hours of crying the night before had left my head pounding miserably. Heading down to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water, I discovered there wasn't a drop left to drink.

"Why isn't there any drinking water in here?" I asked the maid working nearby.

"I'm truly sorry, ma'am, but Luna Valerie ordered us to pour all of it out," the maid answered quietly. "She left instructions that if you want water, you'll have to go fetch it yourself."

Marching straight upstairs into Valerie's room, I confronted her head-on. "What is the point of all these petty insults you keep throwing at me? Wasn't everything that happened yesterday enough to satisfy you?" I demanded in sheer exasperation.

"Actually, no—not in the slightest," she answered with a wicked smile.

A sharp gasp escaped me.

"I want you gone from this pack and driven clear off this territory, and believe me, I don't even need a particular reason why," she said smoothly. "I simply despise your existence."

"You'd better let go of that little fantasy right now, because it will never happen," I shot back firmly.

Letting out a dark chuckle, she fixed me with a cold look. "Go ahead and test me, Maeve," she warned before walking out.