Luna's Fate: My Alpha Regretted Neglecting Me

On the night of the full moon, my bond union with Orion Shadowclaw, my mate and the current Alpha of Moonveil Pack, was set in stone. My emotions were a whirlwind, but I was eager to seal our fate. Yet, when the moment arrived, he was nowhere to be found, not even a trace of his shadow.

Neighboring Alphas and Lunas had gathered as our guests, and I was frightened out of my wits that our Moonveil Pack would lose face. Sensing my fear, the elders stepped in to address everyone.

"We apologize for the delay, but the wedding must be postponed. Alpha Orion is on a mission to rescue a pack member from a rogue attack," one of the elders announced.

Everyone rose from their seats with bated breath, rushing to leave the Pack Hall and cover their backs.

But soon enough, it was confirmed that his childhood sweetheart had mind-linked Alpha Orion, crying wolf that she was stranded in the woods, shattering our moment.

The Pack Hall emptied in no time, leaving me sobbing in my exquisite white gown. My mother, despite her cursed illness, came to comfort me, taking the blame for everything that had unfolded.

No one was to blame but Alpha Orion. My mother had begged the Moon Goddess for me and Alpha Orion to be mated and married under the full moon, hoping we'd tie the knot before that so-called curse claimed her life.

Since Alpha Orion saw me as his mate, he went along with my mother's wishes, especially since the Moonveil Pack was supposedly tied to our bloodline, not his. Even though no one forced his hand, he was nowhere to be found on our wedding day.

As my mother caught sight of my world crumbling that night, she blamed herself until it drove her to her death, filled with regret. It tore me apart, and I questioned the Moon Goddess, puzzled as to why I had to go through a wringer so much when I hadn't offended her.

While I was mourning my mother's sudden death, Alpha Orion was on cloud nine with his childhood sweetheart, Celeste Smith.

Instead of making a fuss, I quietly focused on giving my mother a proper farewell despite Alpha Orion's absence.

Alpha Orion was away from the pack, tending to Celeste and helping her recover from her troubling aftermath, without a second thought for how he had left me high and dry on our full moon wedding night.

It wasn't as astounding as usual that Alpha Orion opted in her corner rather than me, his real mate. One single mind-link from Celeste and Alpha Orion would drop everything, halt his daily duties, and stand by her, even if it meant leaving me in the dust. It was as though Celeste spellbound Alpha Orion.

After my mother was laid to rest, I went back into the pack house, feeling raw and emotional. Yet, the pack house was cloaked in silence without Alpha Orion, and I was secretly relieved—I wasn't in the mood to run into him.

With his absence, I made sure to remind the servants, including the warriors and elders, to keep him in the dark. Besides, it was clear he couldn't care less.

As the days went by, I found it hard to keep my head in the game with all the Luna duties. I couldn't stand being in the pack house; it felt like the past was still casting a long shadow over me.

With Alpha still out of nowhere, attending to his childhood sweetheart, I packed all my things. Just as I was about to exit, I saw Celeste and Alpha Orion standing at the main door.

"You're leaving? You're supposed to handle your Luna duties, not throw a tantrum!" Alpha Orion yelled, voice reverberating inside.

Celeste clung to him as if to show off their fated bond, saying, "Luna Vera, I'm sorry for the disruption at your wedding. Alpha Orion came to rescue when rogues cornered me."

There were plenty of capable warriors who could have saved her. Yet, Celeste had to use the mind-link to call off our wedding.

And I knew Alpha Orion saw me and my mother as second fiddle to Celeste, his childhood sweetheart, while we were left out in the cold.

It was just a lame excuse to say I was burned out. With all of Alpha Orion's neglect, I shook my head and declared, "Alpha Orion, I appreciate having you as a mate, but we need to end our mateship."

When my mother rested in peace in my arms, it was crystal clear that the wedding should be called off.

But Alpha Orion interpreted my reaction as nothing more than jealousy.

His top priority was to ensure Celeste was safe and sound while our wedding and I weren't. He didn't even bat an eye or offer an apology for fleeing from our wedding night.

Since Alpha Orion insisted Celeste was like a sister to him, I gave the green light for her to stay in the pack house after her previous pack was under siege.

Unbeknownst to me, it was the beginning of Alpha Orion's neglect, just when I needed him the most.

As I was about to walk past them, Alpha Orion yanked me back, his eyebrows shooting up. "Did your mother raise a fuss about my absence?"

Right. Alpha Orion was oblivious to my mother's sudden death. He wouldn't have been clueless if he had been more in the loop.

Still, I opted not to spill the beans and continued walking towards the door.

When Alpha Orion chased me, Celeste stepped in, saying, "Alpha Orion, don't blame yourself. Her mother's been faking to have a cursed illness to force you into this mateship."

That infuriated me, especially with Celeste kept in the dark about the truth. Without missing a beat, I slapped her.

"Believe her if you will, but the truth is far darker than you know," I said, my gaze growing colder. "From this day on, Alpha Orion, consider Celeste your mate, not me."