Luna's Regret: Reclaimed The Broken Luna

For eight long years, married under the full moon to Ryder Hale, the supreme and dominant Alpha of Ravenwood, I endured countless trials and tribulations.

My foster Alpha father, drowning in debts to Ravenwood Pack, had nothing left to offer as payment. Instead of silver or gold, he gave me, his adopted daughter, as a mate to Ryder, the Alpha I despise. It wasn't the Moon Goddess who bound us, but a deal struck in desperation.

On our mateship anniversary, out of the blue, he gifted me lilies. Little did he know, it wasn't what I needed then. I was left to suffer in silence, battling for my survival.

As I left Ravenwood infirmary, I mindlinked Alpha Ryder, asking him to cut ties and reject me as his mate.

As soon as Alpha Ryder called, I braced to hear his cold voice. But instead, I was met with his concubine's sobs on the other end, pleading, "Luna Aria, it is my fault. Please don't hold it against the Alpha."

In the background, I heard Alpha Ryder soothing her before saying, "If that's what you want, I'll grant it to you as soon as possible."

It deeply wounded me, but at the same time, I was on cloud nine. At last, I could end this mateship I was pushed into.

Two weeks passed, and Alpha Ryder came home, where we had been living together since our mateship.

Seeing the dining table bare of breakfast, Alpha Ryder shouted at the top of his lungs, issued a command for me to cook, and headed straight into the bathroom.

In the next few minutes, Alpha Ryder descended the stairs, his serious gaze locking onto me as I sat in the living room, doing nothing but completely silent.

In this pack, I was brought in as Alpha Ryder's mate and hailed as Luna, not as his servant.

Forced into a union under the full moon, we had no real bonds at first.

But as the years rolled by, we began to feel the pull of our mate bond.

However, everything crashed when Selene Vale, his childhood sweetheart, reappeared on the scene, slowly shattering our bond.

In the past, Alpha Ryder had bent over backward to grant me every wish. But things had taken a turn, and now he merely handed me dull gifts, hoping to smooth over our old grudges.

When he asked if I liked the lilies he gave, I kept my lips sealed and asked him instead, "Alpha, when will you get around to cutting our ties and rejecting me as your mate?"

As Luna, I understood how overwhelmed he was as an Alpha. He barely had time for anyone, including me. He didn't even take a moment to pick out a gift for our mateship anniversary. Instead, he had his female warrior pick it out for me.

"Stop it, Aria. Selene doesn't know you hate flowers. I won't let her choose next time," he reasoned.

It was no surprise that Alpha Ryder prioritized Selene and his duties over me.

Gossip had it that Selene Vale had been Alpha Ryder's childhood sweetheart, deeply infatuated with him since she was just a pup.

She underwent rigorous training after finishing her degree at the prestigious university in town.

It was wellknown that Selene had returned to Ravenwood Pack to serve Alpha Ryder as his female warrior, sticking by his side through thick and thin.

Selene and Alpha Ryder were inseparable, attending gatherings in neighboring packs and sharing the same room, roles I was meant to fill.

With those thoughts flooding my mind, tears streamed down my face. I quickly brushed them away, refusing to let him see me cry.

When Alpha Ryder inquired about our sevenyearold son Zion's recent training, I could only shake my head in confusion.

I never intended to be an outoftheloop Luna and mother, but the plain truth was that I knew nothing about our son's achievement.

It didn't mean I wasn't doing my duties as a mother; I was. But Alpha Ryder, his parents, and the elders took Zion out of my hands.

As the successor to the Alpha title, Zion was kept under the wing of the main pack house.

From a young age, he faced tough training and was sent to school to be groomed for greatness as an Alpha someday.

It was almost a real crackup how rarely I saw Zion, my son. The pack guards at the main house kept me at arm's length, claiming I was a distraction from his training.

All I did was burst into tears, plead, and cause a stir, but no one gave a second thought to my feelings, not even Alpha Ryder, who just called me selfish.

With a sigh, Alpha Ryder shook his head in disappointment and said, "If this keeps up, I'm afraid Selene will end up being more of a mother to him than you."

Right. He reminded me of the onceinalifetime opportunity to see my son. As a mother, I eagerly went, waiting patiently outside the school.

But soon after, Selene called to inform me that the elders had decided she should pick Zion up instead, claiming I was a weak Luna to safeguard him from a rogue's attack.

Despite my position as Luna, Alpha Ryder still sided with her. I even overheard his voice on the other line, asking Selene what she wanted to eat when he was supposed to be on his Alpha duties.

With all that weighing on me, I smiled and retorted, "That's what you want. I'll leave now. Let your new mate handle it."

Alpha Ryder fell silent before suddenly erupting in anger.

"There's a limit to my patience, Aria. Stop causing trouble," he warned, rising to his feet and taking two steps forward.

I responded coldly, "It's too easy for you to say that. Alpha, did you even know how I suffered and how I had a miscarriage with our second child?"

A month ago

That same night, Alpha Ryder received a mind link from Selene, reporting rogue sightings near the pack; the excruciating pain in me made me rush into the infirmary alone.

While rushing, I ran into Rowan Crest, the dominating Alpha of Bloodstone and a close friend of Alpha Ryder, who had come to visit the pack.

Rowan helped me to the infirmary, which was when it should have been my mate.

Right there and then, the pack doctor broke the shocking news, "Luna Aria, it is with a heavy heart that I will announce you are pregnant, yet the baby's heart has stopped beating."

Oddly enough, after hearing the news, I was on cloud nine, relieved. As I left the infirmary, I knew it was time to sever our broken bond.

In a blink of an eye, I returned to my senses, seeing Alpha Ryder's stare darkened on me.

He never dared ask why I did it; he knew how often I tried to mindlink him only to be ignored and neglected.

"Well, that just proves how bad you are as a mother," he reasoned.

Then Alpha Ryder stood up, walked upstairs to his study, and shut the door.

For eight long years, I endured this forced mateship. We argued countless times, but it was always me who swallowed my pride and made amends.

Well, not anymore. I was tired and pleaded with the Moon Goddess to let all my sufferings end and let our bond be shattered.

Flashback.

The news dropped like a bombshell and astounded me to the core. When Ravenwood Pack's current Alpha threatened my father to be killed, as well as besieging our pack, we were terrified out of our wits.

"If none of you want to bite the dust, then I'll only ask for one thing," Alpha Ryder's father said, turning to me. "Let your goddesslike daughter be shoved into a mateship with my son, Ryder."

To prevent it from happening, he saw me as the solution, forcing me to mate with Ryder. I, Aria Steele, the trailblazing Luna of Moonshadow, had to endure my Alpha father's illconceived strategy.

When my father said, "Drink this potion, and you'll feel a powerful bond with Alpha Ryder."

Stunned, I was ready to flee the pack, but my Alpha father ordered the warriors to restrain me while forcing me to drink the potion in one gulp.

Instantly, my loathing for Ryder began to turn into affection. Despite my struggle to maintain my hatred, the forced bond ultimately made us mates.

Since then, my father reminded me, "Just accept your fate. Think of this as Moon Goddess' plan for your dream perfect future that I couldn't give you as a father."

Since then, I began to despise him and dreamed of meeting my real parents to learn my true story and avoid this fate.

At that moment, they sent me to Ravenwood Pack, heavily guarded and scared stiff that I might escape the pack.

Given our situation, the pack members and Alpha Ryder's parents didn't welcome me with open arms. Instead, they mocked me, believing I deserved to be treated as a slave rather than a mate.

Despite everything, the acceptance ceremony went ahead. With the elder's lead, I recited, "I, Aria Steele, Luna of Moonshadow, accept Alpha Ryder as my mate."

When I seized the moment to escape Ravenwood, I returned to our pack in the shadows to confront my father. Unfortunately, our argument ended with me being battered and brushed while he was drunk.

When Alpha Ryder sensed I was in torment, he rushed to rescue me now that we were mated. He scooped me up and brought me back to his pack, racing to the infirmary.

As the pack healer tended to my wounds, Alpha Ryder turned his back, his shoulders shaking and his hand constantly rubbing his face. The amused and baffled healer asked, "Alpha, it's not you who's been hurt; why are you so torn up?"

Shaking his head, he reasoned, "I know, but her pain is mine as well. We're mates. What do you expect me to feel?"

In the ward, Alpha Ryder awkwardly peeled an apple and said, "I don't want to feel this way anymore. Aria, please don't get hurt again. I'm begging you."

End of flashback.

In the present, I brushed it aside and didn't dwell on the burdens of this mateship. Instead, I threw myself into my duties as Luna, pushing forward with programs despite lacking full support from the Alpha and the Council of Elders.

Everyone doubted me because I was seated as Luna, and since then, no one dared to back me; only a few did.

All thanks to Alpha Rowan, who regularly dropped by our pack for Alpha Ryder and took the time to check in on me and see how I was holding up.

He always supported me wholeheartedly, even asking, "When will you end your mateship with Alpha Ryder? Don't be fooled."

However, I always replied, "When the time comes, my true fated mate arrives."

No one could rescue me from this trap, not even myself. The idea of rejecting this bond and stepping down as Luna felt like a distant dream.

When he once said, "I'm here to rescue you from all your suffering," I blushed but shook it off.

Since he was an Alpha and a friend of Ryder's, it was no shocker that he would also want to play with me.

"I endured lots of pain, Alpha Rowan. Don't string me along, too," I said, keeping zipping the fact that while he lent a hand to the infirmary, he was oblivious I lost my child.

With Alpha Ryder turning a blind eye to me, I had to put some distance between us and our home, opting to settle in a new rented apartment far from his shadow.

Even so, I didn't let my duties as Luna fall by the wayside. I kept serving the pack members while quietly devising a plan to reject him.

While I was away, Alpha Ryder never bothered to reach out through the mindlink to check on me. It seemed he was perfectly fine with my absence, but it raised eyebrows that he didn't have the guts to reject me.

On my third visit to the pack's infirmary since moving out of our home, the pack healer asked with concern, "Luna Aria, your condition seems to have worsened. Fret not; I'll prescribe some medicine for you."

Just as I was about to read the healer's prescription, Selene suddenly appeared, wandering around the infirmary.

Out of nowhere, the pack healer asked, "Luna Aria, given your situation, how is it that Alpha hasn't lifted a finger to be by your side?"

Selene stopped in her tracks, curiosity written all over her face. Before I could respond, she jumped in, explaining how hectic Alpha Ryder's schedule had been. Turning to face me, she added, "Luna Aria, I've heard about your situation from Alpha Ryder. You're still young, Luna Aria, and the Moon Goddess has blessed you with fertility."

Blessed or not, it had nothing to do with her.

That damn female warrior concubine still had the nerve to say that to me. She might have sounded concerned, but I knew deep down she was laughing her ass off.

"Worry less, as no more child is coming from me," I retorted hesitantly.

Unbeknownst to me, Alpha Ryder emerged, his eyes as dark as a stormy night. It's not surprising anymore. Alpha Ryder was there wherever his female warrior was, treating her like she was Luna while I was left in the dust.

Yet, it was too late for me to realize that the duel program I had created, intended to be led by me as their Luna, had been suddenly taken over by Alpha Ryder. He had handed it off to his trusted female warrior, Selene, believing she was far more suited for the role than I, a weak Luna who didn't even deserve the title.

As a result, Selene had been scratched by one of the pups under training, a fact the pack healer had tipped me off about. It was one of the reasons Alpha Ryder was on pins and needles, scared stiff that something worse might happen to her.

It was only a minor injury, but Alpha Ryder pulled out all the stops for her. At the same time, I, suffering from a severe illness due to a miscarriage, was left high and dry. Whether I was on my last legs or not, as long as his concubine was alive and kicking, it seemed he couldn't have cared less.

At that moment, it was my turn to pick up the medicine. As I held the bag, Alpha Ryder couldn't help but inquire, "Are you feeling unwell?"

When I turned a deaf ear to him and started to leave, he snatched the medicine from my hands and opened it to take a look.

"What on earth is this? When did you run into this trouble?" He demanded, acting like he was completely out of the loop about me, his mate. Not satisfied, he told me to stop dodging the question and demanded to know the truth.

Alpha Ryder thought fleeing from our mateship house was just a gimmick to buy time, but it wasn't. That's why, to this day, he had never bothered to ask where I was living or what I had been up to.

His cold and indifferent attitude drew curious glances from those around us.

I took the medicine from him and said quietly, "Everything you see is on the level. I'm fed up with our mateship. You weren't around when I needed you the most, and now that I'm on my own, holding the fort, you still have the nerve to blame me for wanting your attention. Alpha, don't forget I once asked for our bond to be shattered."

It was all true. Alpha Ryder was at a loss for words while Selene glared at me as if she were ready to shift into her wolf form and pounce at any moment.

When Alpha Ryder offered to drop me off at our mateship house while he took Selene to the warrior station, I declined, not wanting to be caught in the middle of their growing betrayal.

"Your Alpha duties are way more important than mine. No need. I can make my way home," I dismissed, even though he insisted.

I had no intention of returning, but when Alpha Rowan arrived and joined them, Alpha Ryder insisted I stay with Rowan. With the rogue threats, he wanted to be sure I was in safe hands.

Right then and there, Alpha Rowan accompanied me to my apartment. It was during this time that Rowan learned about all my suffering.

He became so furious with Alpha Ryder that he went through the roof, confronting him and questioning why he could turn a blind eye to my pain but couldn't stand to see Selene hurt.

His reaction left me puzzled. Since the day he kept visiting Ravenwood Pack, he had been unusually concerned about me. So I asked, "Who are you really, Alpha Rowan?"

Yet, he simply answered, "The Moon Goddess hears all your pleas. I'm here to lend a hand and help bring you back to your true mate."

With Alpha Rowan by my side, I felt safer in his company. Not only did he put my mind at ease, but he also seemed more determined to lead me back to my true mate.

Yet, I was in the dark about who my mate was and why Alpha Rowan knew my life better than I did.

When I questioned Alpha Rowan, he shot back, "Time will tell all. Your true mate has been searching for you for years, but it's too little, too late. You're already tied to Alpha Ryder."

It was still unclear what Alpha Rowan truly meant, but one thing was certain: I knew Alpha Ryder wasn't my destined mate but a forced one.

The day Alpha Rowan informed me about the Ravenwood Pack hosting a gathering and that he was one of the guests, I was taken aback.

It was surprising that no one from the pack had bothered to keep me in the loop, not even daring to mention the event to me.

Out of the blue, Alpha Ryder, still cold as ever that day, mindlinked me and said, "Zion, our son is sick. Get to the main pack house before six o'clock."

The pack was hosting the gathering at the same time, yet he used our son as a pretext for the invitation.

Worried sick, I mindlinked him to ask if he had already taken our son to the healer, but he didn't bother to respond.

Right then and there, as I made my way to the pack house, fully dressed, I realized I hadn't been mistaken—I had walked straight into the pack's gathering completely in the dark.

All the elders and Alpha Ryder's invited Alphas and Lunas from neighboring packs, including Alpha Rowan, to show up in full force.

Everyone was having dinner as usual, and my son was seated between Alpha Ryder and Selene. Anyone looking at them could see they were Alpha's son and wife, where I was supposed to be seated.

In no time, I approached my son, over the moon, to see him after a long stretch of focusing on his training. I asked if he felt under the weather, just as Alpha Rowan had mindlinked me.

Yet, my son's features were a minime of Alpha Ryder. Zion's face twisted with disgust as he brushed my hand away, eyeing me cautiously and seeking refuge with Selene.

It broke my heart to see my son, the future heir of Ravenwood Pack, feel disgusted over me, his mother.

Selene cradled my son affectionately and said sweetly, "Zion isn't sick. Where did you get that?"

Her slightly raised voice caught everyone's attention, and they turned to look at me with disdain. Gossip spread like wildfire, and I was labeled a careless Luna who couldn't even manage her son.

Everyone quietly chuckled, and embarrassment washed over me as I became the center of attention.

It felt like the whole pack, even some guests, were laughing at me, viewing me as a secondrate Luna, nothing more than a pawn on display, except for Alpha Rowan.

In the past, everyone in this pack gave me a hard time, knowing full well that I had become Luna to settle an unpaid debt. But I chose to grin and bear it for the sake of this forced mateship.

Fuming with anger, I confronted Alpha Ryder about his mindlink, especially since his true destined mate, Selene, had already told me Zion wasn't sick. My boldness stunned everyone, as I usually zipped my mouth when embarrassed.

In a flash, Alpha Ryder tossed aside his spoon and fork, his face turning icy as his eyes burned with intensity, asking, "It is true. Zion has been sick for days. Do you even have concern for him as his mother?"

"I said it was six o'clock, but you arrived late. Since you are late, you better leave this packed hall and have dinner with the servants," Alpha Ryder announced with authority.

As an Alpha of this pack, none could disobey his orders. When Alpha Rowan stood, he attempted to halt him. Still, I mindlink him, stopping him from interjecting, "Do not interfere, Alpha Rowan. Remember, this ain't your pack."

Not only did Selene, but also the elders, wait to see a good play.

With everyone's eyes on me, I stood my ground, keeping my composure. Then, smirking, I glanced around and said, "You disgust me."

As I was making my way out of the packed hall, Alpha Ryder finally lost his cool. In a flash, he stood up, seized my wrist, and darkened his stare at me.

In a loud voice, Alpha Ryder yelled, "No one, not even me as an Alpha, has permitted you to leave the packed hall!"

As stubborn as I was, I pushed him, causing the other guests to react, calling me an uncouth Luna with no manners.

Upon hearing that, Alpha Ryder reacted and even yelled more at me. When he had attempted to slap me in the face, Alpha Rowan's loud voice roared in rage, "Alpha Ryder, why in the first place have you mated to Luna Aria only to be embarrassed?"

"No one has the right to put my mate in shame, nor did I! My mate is mine, and anyone who attempts to hurt her will be punished!"

Shaking my head in fury, I thundered, "I, Luna of Ravenwood, will step down. Rest assured, I'll repay all my father's debts to you."

Ever since the day I relinquished all my duties as Luna and dared to reject the Alpha, things had been tense. As expected, my rejection wasn't accepted. To him, I was still his mate despite the heartache that pierced me deeply.

Still, my life in the pack dragged on, though I didn't dare make a run for it, even if I wanted to. Alpha Ryder had me over a barrel, threatening to attack Moonshadow if I tried to flee.

As the days rolled by, I heard that Selene had been appointed as the acting Luna of the pack. She took over every duty I left behind, including the custody of my dear son, Zion, who was taken away from me.

As my son's birthday would be next Friday, I tried to invite him to a private dinner with just the two of us, but Selene stepped in and blocked me.

"Didn't you want to reject and abandon the pack? You lost all custody rights once you made that decision," Selene said confidently. "And let's not forget, Zion isn't your son. Alpha Ryder only kept you around as a breeder to settle a debt. Have you forgotten that?"

It disheartened me deeply, but slowly, I accepted it as reality. Though Alpha Ryder never said it directly, the gossip was that I wasn't just taken as payment for a debt but as a breeder to produce pups for him.

My entire existence remained a mystery, with no memories of my childhood. No one could say if I had once been part of the rogues.

My foster Alpha father would often remind me, "I found your body lying in the middle of the woods, and since no one claimed you, I adopted you as my daughter. With your exceptional strength that can surpass even an Alpha's, I intended to grant you the title of Luna."

All my rights as a mother had been ripped away. The pack guards were put on high alert, ready to lock me up the moment I tried to take my son and slip away from Ravenwood Pack.

It was unfair treatment, but the blame would still fall on me even if I complained.

As Zion's birthday celebration approached, Alpha Rowan arrived and told me he was invited. However, he was caught off guard when he discovered I was blacklisted from the guest list.

When Alpha Rowan learned I wasn't invited, his gaze darkened as he looked at the main pack house. He then invited me to join him as his female escort during the event.

"If Alpha Ryder can have a concubine, then you can have me too," he said, calm and composed.

Unsure, I declined his generous invitation, fearing it might stir up trouble and disrupt the celebration, something I didn't want my son to experience.

On the day of the celebration, Alpha Rowan arrived in a suit and extended another invitation, presenting me with a red dress that perfectly fit my curved body.

Hesitant, I accepted it, driven by the desire to see my son one last time, even if it meant a lifetime of separation.

Since I aimed to see my son, I went into the Pack Hall, wearing a red, eyecatching dress, and made Alpha Rowan the center of attention as we came.

As soon as we stepped inside, every eye turned to us in astonishment, and whispers quickly spread through the crowd.

When Alpha Ryder, the elders, and even Selene caught a glimpse of us, their gaze darkened, questioning my presence.

Before I could defend myself, Alpha Rowan came to shield me behind me as he countered, "Luna Aria, or shall I say, your exmate, is entitled to attend her son's birthday celebration, Alpha. None of you dared to invite Luna!"

In the end, I once again seemed to ruin the celebration meant for Zion.

In a cold voice, I thundered, "And besides, I came here to be Alpha Rowan's escort. It is you who ruined the celebration, not me."

When Alpha Rowan confirmed it to be true, Alpha Ryder darkened his stare at me and at Alpha Rowan. He wouldn't dare accept that I was with him.

"I already have told you, Aria remains to be a mate!" Alpha Ryder roared, reverberating at each corner of the Pack Hall.

In a blink of an eye, Alpha Ryder jumped into the air, shifting into his majestic white wolf, attempting to attack Alpha Rowan from his standing.

With a low growl rumbling in his throat, he pushed all tables aside and made all guests scream in horror.

No one dared to stop Alpha Ryder, frozen with fear that they might also be attacked, given his reputation as the feared Alpha.

Before everyone's eyes, Alpha Ryder laid siege to Alpha Rowan, even as Rowan tried vainly to calm him down. His claws ripped through him, with blood escaping from his skin.

As terrified as I was, I attempted to mindlink Alpha Ryder, but my efforts were in vain.

Unable to stand still, watching Alpha Rowan was attacked, I moved closer, hoping to intervene.

He was poised to attack when Alpha Ryder's irritation turned toward me. However, as he locked eyes with me, his fury began to diminish, and he gradually calmed down until he finally shifted back to his human form.

As anticipated, the blame fell on me, and whispers spread that I had used Alpha Rowan to incite hatred against Alpha Ryder.

"Being mated to you for eight years has been my biggest regret, Alpha," I uttered, my voice filled with bitterness, then continued, "Let us formally end our forced mateship."