CROWNED BY BLOOD

flection stared back, eyes bright with anticipation, cheeks flushed pink with excitement, dark hair cascaded in waves down my back exactly as Mar

r tiara that had belonged to Marcus's mother. Her fingers were gentle as they tucked a wayward curl

the three-year courtship, helping me navigate the complex politics of pack life, teaching me what it m

ervously over the intricate beadwork of my bodice. "Sometim

ore her expression softened into sympathy. "Oh, Luna. You're perfect exactly

lately, spending long hours in his office with Victoria discussing pack business I wasn't privy to. When I'd a

nced, checking the silver watch on her wrist. "Are

ecklace that would mark me as Marcus's mate. The weight of it against my

every surface, their sweet fragrance mingling with the excited scents of the gathered pack members. Candles flickered from cry

Some faces showed genuine warmth and excitement, while others seemed more reserved, almost pitying.

to be. His dark hair was perfectly styled, his strong jaw clean-shaven, his piercing blue eyes focused on me with an intensity that ma

s almost... cold. Clinical. Like he was enduring an unpleasant but n

s fingers felt like ice against my skin, and he didn't squeeze reassuringly as he usually

night under the blessed light of the full moon to witness the sacred union of Alpha Marcus Steele and Luna Blackwo

rong, terribly wrong. Marcus's scent, usually so comforting and familiar, carried undertones of anxi

Luna Blackwood as your mate, to protect and cherish,

oked up into Marcus's eyes, expecting to see love, devotion,

Cold, hard determination

ilent hall. Every breath seemed to pause, every heartbeat sus

ilver Moon Pack, reject you, Luna

through the hall, but they sounded distant, muffled, as if I were underwater. This couldn't be happening. This had to

passive, almost bored, a

to lead this pack. I cannot tie myself to someone who

e. Marcus turned slightly, extending his hand toward the crowd,

ing as Victoria took her place beside him. "She has the strength, intelligence, and bre

e triumph, the complete lack of remorse. She'd planned this. They'd both planned this. My courtsh

rough my bones. Pain unlike anything I'd ever experienced tore through my chest, as if someone had reached into my ribcage

y audible even to my own ears. "M

d final. "There never was. You were a placeholder, L

bers looked genuinely horrified by the public humiliation, but others seemed to find entertainment in my downfall.

le a little rejection without falling apart. Mar

ted properly. What kind of Lun

ch stronger. This

ckle. The beautiful wedding dress that had made me feel like a princess now fe

gether perfectly both tall, both commanding, both beautiful in the way that spoke of strong bloodlines and Alpha genetics. Looking a

gh her tone suggested she was anything but sorry. "But you

I nodded. Numb., too broken to do anyth

y neutral though I caught the flash of pity in his ancient eyes. "Alpha Ma

completing with her the ceremony that should have been mine. With what remained of my dignity, I gathered my skirts and fled

top. If I paused for even a moment, I would collapse completely, and I

the surrounding forest. Behind me, I could hear the ceremony continuing, Victoria's voice s

ng the delicate fabric. The silver tiara fell from my head and clattered against a tree root, the sound sharp

the full moon overhead. The irony wasn't lost on me that the same moon that shou

gh my body. The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional devastation, though. Three years of my life, wasted on a man who'd never l

blind. All the signs had been there: Marcus's growing distance, Victoria's subtle comments about my weaknesses, t

o the uncaring moon. "Too

g I could be someone important, someone worthy of love and respect. May

ng shift deep inside me. A stirring of power I'd never experienced before, like lightning trapped beneath my skin. The gra

ords I couldn't quite understand. "You are not what they think you are," the voice whispered. "And soon, neither will you be."Then it was gone,

d my breakdown with interest. Someone had been waiting for this moment, waiting fo

alize that my greatest defeat might actually be the beginning of my transformatio

rest, my tears watering the ground where a rejected mate's br