The Warrior And His Emperors

I found my mate, the Alpha, on his knees.

But it wasn't for me, his Luna. He was tenderly massaging the swollen ankle of Isabella, his pregnant, widowed sister-in-law, with a look of concern I had never once received.

For months, he had allowed her to live in our private den, letting her disrespect me at every turn. He cooked her favorite breakfast—a meal he knew would make me violently ill—and lied that it was a gift for me.

The final betrayal came when I found her wearing my mother's sacred necklace, a sigil passed down through generations of my family's Lunas.

When I confronted her, she let it slip from her fingers with a theatrical gasp, shattering my heritage on the marble floor.

Something inside me snapped. I slapped her.

Seeing his precious, grieving widow struck, my mate didn't hesitate.

He slapped me back.

The full force of an Alpha sent me crashing to the ground, my hand landing in the broken shards of my past.

Lying there, bleeding, I looked up at the man I was bound to and spoke the forbidden words.

"I, Selene of the Silvermoon Pack, reject you, Lycan of the Blackstone Pack, as my Mate."

Then I sent a single, clear message through the mind-link to my oldest friend.

"He hit me. Bring your warriors. I want this place torn down to the ground."

Chapter 1

Selene POV:

The piercing ache in my soul started the moment I saw him.

He was on one knee.

Not for me, his mate, his Luna.

He was kneeling for Isabella, his widowed sister-in-law, in the grand hall of our den. His large, strong hands, the hands of an Alpha, were gently massaging her swollen ankle. The look on his face was one of tender concern, a softness I had never, not once, been the recipient of.

A tremor went through me, a deep, foundational crack in the bond the Moon Goddess had supposedly forged for us. I couldn't stand it. I couldn't breathe the same air as this profound betrayal.

I closed my eyes, reaching out across the hundreds of miles that separated our packs.

"Father."

The connection, the Mind-Link that all pack members share, felt thin and frayed. It was the private channel between myself and my father, Alpha Marcus of the Silvermoon Pack.

"Selene? What is it, my little wolf? You sound… broken." His voice echoed in my mind, full of the warmth and power that an Alpha should possess.

Tears I didn't know I was holding back burned my eyes. "Father, I want to break the bond. I want to reject him."