THE LUNA'S CURSED REDEMPTION

ARIA'S POV

The moonlight shimmered over the Silverfang courtyard like silver dust scattered by the gods. Lanterns swayed in the evening breeze, laughter rippled through the crowd, and for the first time in months, I allowed myself to breathe.

Tonight was the Moon Festival, the night of unity, when every pack member came together to honor the Moon Goddess and their Alpha. And tonight, I planned to tell Rowan my secret.

Our secret.

I pressed my palm over my belly, warmth spreading through me as my heartbeat quickened. The little life growing inside me was proof that my love hadn’t been in vain. That the long nights of distance and cold silence between Rowan and me would finally end tonight.

He just needed to know. Once he did, everything would be better again.

“Luna Aria!” Beta Damon’s voice broke through my thoughts as he approached with a grin. “The Alpha’s looking for you.”

My heart fluttered. “Where?”

He hesitated, eyes flicking toward the forest path leading to the ceremonial altar. “He said not to be followed… but maybe you should see for yourself.”

There was something strange in his tone, pity, maybe, but I brushed it off and smiled. Rowan had been distant lately, yes, but he was an Alpha, burdened by duty. Tonight, he’d see that we had more to fight for than politics or power.

I picked up the hem of my silver gown and followed the glowing lantern path through the trees. The festival music faded behind me, replaced by the sound of crickets and rustling leaves.

When I reached the altar, my breath caught in my throat.

There, beneath the silver moon, stood Rowan. His broad back faced me, muscles tense under his ceremonial robe. But it wasn’t him who made my heart stop. It was the woman in his arms.

Celeste.

Her long golden hair spilled down her back as she tilted her head, exposing her neck to him. And Rowan, my mate, my Alpha, my husband, lowered his lips to her skin.

A faint growl escaped me, disbelief flooding my chest. “Rowan?”

They both froze.

Rowan turned, his emerald eyes widening for a split second before hardening into something unreadable. Celeste smirked, her blue eyes gleaming with victory.

“Aria,” he said flatly. “You shouldn’t be here.”

My voice trembled. “I came to find you. To tell you…”

“To tell me what?” Celeste interrupted, stepping closer to him, her tone sweetly venomous. “That you’ve been playing Luna while your Alpha’s heart belonged elsewhere?”

My vision blurred. “She’s lying, right, Rowan? Tell me this isn’t…”

But he didn’t answer.

Instead, he brushed Celeste’s hair aside, revealing the faint, glowing mark on her neck, his mark.

I stumbled back as the air left my lungs. “No…”

The world tilted around me. The Moon Goddess above felt like a cruel witness to my humiliation.

“You marked her?” My voice cracked, barely a whisper. “Rowan, you can’t…”

“I can, and I did.” His tone was calm, cold, final. “The bond between us was a mistake, Aria. The Goddess made the wrong choice.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks. “We’ve been mated for two years. I’ve stood beside you through every battle, every trial…”

“And you’ve served your purpose,” he interrupted. “But Celeste is my true mate. The one I should have been with all along.”

Celeste reached out to stroke his arm. “Don’t waste your breath, darling. She doesn’t understand fate.”

Something inside me snapped. I raised my chin, refusing to let them see me crumble. “Fate?” I hissed. “You think betrayal is fate?”

Rowan’s gaze darkened. “Watch your tone, Aria. You’re no longer my Luna.”

For a moment, the forest went deathly silent. Even the crickets stopped singing.

Then I said it. “I’m carrying your child.”

Celeste’s smirk vanished. Rowan stiffened, his jaw tightening, but there was no warmth in his eyes, only rage.

“You expect me to believe that?” he said.

“It’s true,” I whispered. “You’re going to be a father.”

Rowan’s hand clenched at his side. “Then get rid of it.”

The words hit me harder than claws.

“W-what?”

“You heard me,” he said, stepping closer, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “I won’t have a mistake tying me to you. Leave the Silverfang Pack tonight, Aria. Before I make you…”

Something inside me shattered.

He turned away, pulling Celeste into his arms again as if I were nothing but a shadow.

And for the first time in my life, I truly understood what it meant to be rejected.

I ran.

Branches clawed at my skin as I stumbled through the forest, the festival lights fading behind me. My wolf whimpered inside, her pain echoing mine. My vision blurred with tears, the night spinning into darkness.

“Keep moving,” I whispered to myself, clutching my stomach. “For him… for the baby.”

But the forest wasn’t empty. Shadows moved between the trees, rogues.

Their eyes gleamed red under the moonlight, their growls low and hungry.

“Look what we’ve got here,” one sneered. “The rejected Luna.”

I tried to shift, but pain wracked through my body. My wolf was too weak, my heart too broken.

They lunged.

Claws tore through my gown as I screamed, falling to the cold ground. Everything blurred, blood, snarls, pain.

Then, through the chaos, a deep, commanding voice boomed through the night.

“Enough.” The rogues froze.

From the shadows stepped a tall figure, cloaked in black, eyes glowing silver under the moonlight. His aura was cold, terrifying, powerful, the kind of dominance that made even the wildest wolves bow.

“Alpha… Adrian Draven,” one of the rogues stammered.

He didn’t speak. He just looked at me, broken, bleeding, trembling.

Then his voice cut through the silence, low and rough.

“You’re safe now,” he said. “No one will hurt you again.”

And before I could whisper a single word, darkness claimed me