Return of The Betrayed Luna Novel – Tonight, my mate,Ethan had been with her again. I knew who it was Lucy, his regular fling within the pack. When I finally heard Ethan’s soft snores, I dragged my aching body from the bed. I knew I could never survive his betrayal again. I was nothing to him, never had been. So, no more. I wouldn’t put myself through this any longer. Taking a long, silent breath, I whispered into the darkness, “I, Lena Ellis, warrior of the Shadow Ridge Pack, reject you, Ethan Hale, as my Mate.” Without hesitation, I stepped over the border into rogue territory. “I reject Alpha Ethan Hale and the Shadow Ridge Pack as my pack.I am a rogue now.”
Lena stood alone in the middle of the woods, tears slipping down her cheeks as she struggled to hold herself together. It had become too much—the constant heartache, the unending sense of invisibility. It was time to leave the Shadow Ridge Pack in North Dakota behind. She couldn’t bear the pain of Ethan Hale’s betrayal any longer. Not that he even knew he was hurting her. How could he? He had no idea she was his Mate. Lena had known the truth for three years, ever since the first full moon after her 18th birthday. That night, when she should have felt joy, she felt only pain. It wasn’t because Ethan was with someone else, but because he didn’t recognize her, didn’t even scent her as his destined Mate.
He had literally bumped into her that day, yet he looked right through her as if she didn’t exist. Lena and her wolf, Nova, had followed his scent—earthy with a hint of blackberry—through the pack-house, nervous yet hopeful. She had stood right behind him, so close she could have reached out and touched him. At six foot four, Ethan towered over her, his muscled frame draped in faded blue jeans and a dark purple tee-shirt. His dark brown hair was tousled, his deep blue eyes flecked with green. But when he turned around and looked at her, there was no spark of recognition, no sign that he knew who she was. “Don’t stand so close, girl,” he had said, brushing past her without a second thought, leaving her heart shattered. Nova had howled in agony inside Lena’s mind. They knew what he was to them, but he had no idea. This was the life Lena had feared—being invisible, unnoticed, even after she’d gained Nova. It had started when she lost her parents in a rogue attack at age 10.
After their deaths, it was as if she ceased to exist. The pack barely acknowledged her presence, and she couldn’t even understand why. She had no scent. While she could smell everyone around her, no one could smell her. It was as if she were a ghost among the living. Even after excelling in school, graduating with good marks, she remained invisible. People would bump into her, barely noticing she was there, telling her to watch her step. It felt like the entire pack couldn’t see her unless she was directly in their line of sight. After school, Lena found a quiet job in the back room of a dressmaking shop within the pack. She loved designing and creating beautiful dresses, even though the other she-wolves who wore them at pack events and mating balls had no idea who she was.
Lena lived alone in a tiny cabin far from the pack, where no one could hear her cries or see the tears she shed each time Ethan was with someone else. The first time Lena felt Ethan with another woman, she and Nova had fled deep into the woods, finding refuge in an abandoned cabin. They curled up in pain, waiting for it to stop, knowing they couldn’t go back to the pack where their suffering would be visible to all. For three long years, Lena endured this silent torment. Each time she crossed paths with Ethan in the pack-house, he barely noticed her, and when he did, it was only to frown at her for being in his way. The hurt deepened every time, knowing he would never recognize her for who she truly was to him. When Ethan was away from the pack, mating with she-wolves from other packs, the pain was almost unbearable. It didn’t hurt any less than when he was with the one he regularly bedded within the pack. Lena knew there was nothing she could do.
He would never scent her, never see her as his Mate. In desperation, Lena slipped into Ethan’s bedroom whenever he was away, touching his clothes, feeling the tears slide down her cheeks for the man who would never love her. She even slept in his bed, knowing he’d never sense she had been there. No scent of her lingered. She wandered through his space freely, leaving no trace, even sitting in his Alpha’s chair once, imagining what it might have been like to be his Luna. Tonight, he had been with her again. Lena knew who it was—Lucy, his regular fling within the pack. Lucy was older, like Ethan, a warrior, highly ranked. Lena had seen them together, chatting and flirting, and it hurt every time. She noticed the way Ethan looked at Lucy’s body, the desire in his eyes. Lucy was tall, fit, and muscular—everything Ethan seemed to want.
Lena had once been fit like that too, maybe not as tall, but strong. But the past three years had drained her. Now she was thin, with dark circles under her eyes, and she looked frail. The small amount of joy she once found in training as a warrior, trying to make her parents proud, had vanished by the time she turned 18. Now, she was just a shadow of her former self. She avoided all pack events, spending her days in the small back room of the dress shop, surrounded by fabrics and designs. Orders needed filling, and her only solace was creating something beautiful amidst her own misery. Nova, her wolf, was a ball of sadness and pain, and Lena knew they couldn’t take it anymore. It was killing them. Ethan was leaving for an Alpha meeting in two days, and that’s when Lena planned to say goodbye for good. Lena wasn’t sure if she could reject her Mate without him knowing who she was, but she had to try. If Ethan hadn’t realized who she was in three years, why would he need to hear her rejection? He would feel nothing because he knew nothing. Once the full moon came and went, Lena hoped the rejection would be official, severed completely by the Moon Goddess herself.
She and Nova had put themselves in front of Ethan countless times, but it never mattered. They were nothing to him and never would be. Three long years, and not once had he even twitched his nose in her direction. So, no more. Lena wouldn’t put herself or Nova through this any longer. They had enough money saved up to start fresh in the human world. Lena had good skills in fashion and design, and there were millions of humans in need of wedding dresses—their version of a Luna Ceremony gown. For the next two days, Lena spent her time in the pack-house library, researching places to go. She was determined to leave, far away from the pack, from the forests, from any place wolves might roam. She wasn’t even going to look at Ethan one last time. There was no point. As she scrolled through the options on the computer, one hand rested on the Blue Azure Crystal Pendulum necklace that hung around her neck. It had a delicate white gold chain and a small blue crystal ball above the casing that held the larger crystal. The necklace had belonged to her mother, a promise of matching mother-daughter jewelry that was never fulfilled. Lena had only been 10 when she lost both her parents.
She’d never taken the necklace off—it was the only thing she had left of her mother, found on her body after the rogue attack, her only heirloom. Lena and Nova were at the point where they might as well live as humans. No wolf would ever scent her, and she would remain mate-less after she rejected him. They had already accepted that. Lena found a city several states away, and Nova didn’t care that there was no forest nearby. She hadn’t shifted in over a year, maybe couldn’t, or maybe just didn’t want to anymore. A city was fine. She didn’t want to run in the woods, didn’t want to be free. She didn’t care about being a wolf anymore. They were ready to leave it all behind. Lena had found and booked a flight, secured a hotel, and planned her next steps. She was determined to leave this life behind, to find a small apartment and start a business in a new place. No more withering away in the shadows. She would become strong, live a human life, and leave the pain behind.
After finalizing her plans, she returned to her cabin in the woods near the southern border of the pack. From the roof, using a pair of binoculars, she could see the pack’s gates, waiting for the moment she could finally leave. She watched and waited for Ethan’s car to leave. It wasn’t hard to spot—unlike the other pack cars that were black or silver, he drove a white Mercedes SUV. As soon as she saw it disappear down the road, she grabbed her hiking backpack, filled with the few belongings she had. Living a simple life meant she didn’t have much to pack. Everything she owned fit into that one backpack. Despite her small, weakened frame, she could still manage it. She walked through the woods until the pack-house came into view, sighed heavily, and headed for it. Today was the day. She was leaving, and no one would even notice she was gone because no one knew she existed.
Maybe those who came into the store to buy one of her dresses would wonder where she had gone, but even that seemed unlikely. The store owner, Raine, always took credit for the dresses Lena made, claiming them as her own. Lena’s name was on the labels, but no one ever asked who she was or cared to meet her. Lena walked into the pack-house and up the main staircase to the top floor. No one stopped her. She placed her backpack down the hall near the Omega stairs, which she planned to use to slip out unnoticed later. The area was deserted; the Omega wolves were done with their duties for the day, and only the Alpha Unit lived in this part of the house, but they were all away with Ethan. – Lena walked to Ethan’s suite and let herself in. The room was clean and smelled like him—fresh pine with a hint of eucalyptus and blackberries. She walked around one last time, knowing she should have left already, but she couldn’t resist soaking in his scent one final time.
She entered his walk-in closet, her fingers trailing over his clothes. She touched everything, unable to help herself. Despite the pain it caused her and Nova, they were still drawn to him. Likely, they always would be. Leaving was an act of self-preservation, and if her rejection didn’t work, they probably wouldn’t survive much longer anyway. She walked over to his bed and looked down at it. One last night in his bed, then she’d be gone at the break of dawn. That was the plan. Ethan would be away for several days, as he always was for these meetings. The first night away was usually peaceful, but the nights after were restless. Lena stripped off her clothes and slipped into his bed, clutching the pillow that smelled most like him, burying her face in it, and letting the tears fall one last time. She fell asleep in the middle of his king-sized bed, wrapped in his scent, imagining, just for a moment, that this was where she belonged. Lena woke with a start. It was still dark, and then she heard the sound of the bedroom door closing. Panic gripped her as she heard movement and the rustling of clothes being removed. She could smell him—Ethan was back. He hadn’t scented her, hadn’t realized she was in his bed.
He hadn’t even turned the lights on. At five foot six and so thin, Lena barely made a dent in the bed, hidden under the thick, plush comforter. She felt him get into bed, and she prayed he would stay on his side so she could slip out once he was asleep. If he found her there, the punishment would be terrible. Ethan, her own Mate, would be the one to dish it out, and the thought of being beaten or worse by him was more than she could bear. It would destroy her completely. But why was he back? Lena felt his hand brush against her back, the heat of his touch searing into her skin. Then, suddenly, a low, angry growl rumbled from him. He knew there was a stranger in his bed. Lena and Nova both understood the danger—they were intruders, and Ethan was within his rights to hurt her, or worse. She wondered if he would even feel the disconnection afterward, though she doubted it. But then, instead of lashing out, his body pressed against hers. “Well, I guess you want some time with your Alpha,” he murmured, his voice husky. His hand slid over her hip, pulling her hard against him.
His mouth found her shoulder, and a groan escaped as his fingers dug into her hip. “I could use the company after today,” he growled. “So, you’re in luck.” His hand continued to explore her body. Everywhere he touched, Lena’s skin burned with the intensity of his touch. She had no idea what to do. No one had ever paid her any attention, let alone touched her like this. But now, Ethan was, and it was something she had never expected to happen. His hand slid over her chest, his fingers brushing her papilla, and she gasped as it hardened under his touch. Heat bloomed between her thighs, and before she could process what was happening, he tugged her onto her back. His mouth was on her neck, his hand sliding down her body. “You’re so hot to the touch,” he growled into her neck, his voice thick with desire. His fingers dipped between her thighs, and the pleasure that coursed through her was overwhelming. She cried out as he stroked her firmly, instinctively grabbing onto him, wanting more, needing more of him. “Please,” she whispered, and a moment later, his fingers were inside her.
A deep groan came from him as she moaned at the intense sensation, his fingers moving in and out of her as she clung to him. Her first climax built quickly, the sensation overwhelming as she gasped and moaned under his touch, arching up to meet him, moaning his name as the waves of pleasure crashed through her. Ethan growled, “Oh, that was fine.” Then his mouth was on hers, and she felt him tugging her legs apart. It was too late for her to resist. She couldn’t deny what she had always wanted, couldn’t even bring herself to say no. Deep down, she knew she should, but she couldn’t. Then he was inside her with one hard thrust, and she cried out in pain as he took her. He stilled, realizing she had never been with anyone before. “Oh, even better,” he growled, and then his mouth was on hers again. He started to move slowly at first, the discomfort making her wince, but soon her body adjusted, and she felt herself stretching around him. His mouth moved to her neck as he tasted her skin, his tongue gliding over her mark spot. Her whole body ignited, burning with a heat she had never known.
She cried out his name, her hips lifting to meet his, as pleasure finally took over. He was her Mate, and he was finally having her, even if it was just this once. She would take all of him, give him everything she had. Ethan picked up the pace as he felt her acceptance. Lena cried out as the pleasure intensified, ripping through her body like nothing she had ever imagined. She clung to him, begging him not to stop. He chuckled deeply, “I think you like it.” “Yes,” she answered honestly, her voice trembling. “Please, I want you, all of you,” she moaned, meaning every word. His mouth found hers again, and his body moved harder and faster, giving her exactly what she had asked for. She heard him groan as he reached his climax, feeling his seed spill inside her like a hot river. She dug her nails into his back as she cried out his name, overwhelmed by the intensity of it all. As he caught his breath, his hand slid down her body. “You feel amazing,” he growled, gripping her firmly.
But before Lena could fully process what had happened, Ethan was moving again, hard and fast. “I want more,” he growled into her neck, pulling and pushing at her hips, his need to have her only growing stronger. Then, as quickly as it had begun, he suddenly pulled away and left her. Lena gasped at the sudden loss of him, only to be yanked onto all fours. She heard Ethan’s sharp intake of breath as he took her from behind. “Yes,” he growled, thrusting into her with a fierce urgency. Lena cried out repeatedly, feeling his strong grip on her hips as he drove into her, hard and fast. The room filled with her cries of pleasure, and she could hear Nova howling with delight in the back of her mind as Ethan took them. Lena screamed as she reached her climax, the intensity overwhelming. But Ethan wasn’t done. He shoved her down onto the bed, growling, “More.” He held her down with one hand on the back of her neck while the other pulled her hips up. “Oh,” he roared, his control slipping as he took her again, rough and dominating, giving in to his primal urges. Lena could barely catch her breath, waves of pleasure crashing over her one after another. She was lost in the sensation, her body responding to every thrust, every touch, until she screamed his name in pure bliss as she climaxed again, feeling his release deep inside her.
Ethan’s weight pressed down on her as they both lay there, gasping for air. “I like drilling you,” he groaned, rolling off her and onto the bed beside her. Lena’s joy at what had just happened evaporated in an instant as hot tears burned her eyes. ‘He liked sleeping with me,’ she thought bitterly, the pain quickly replacing the fleeting pleasure she had felt. She was his Mate, yet he still didn’t recognize her. The realization shattered not just her heart but Nova’s as well. She couldn’t look at him, couldn’t bear to. Instead, she lay there quietly, holding in her sobs of pain, waiting for him to fall asleep. When she finally heard Ethan’s soft snores, Lena dragged her aching body from the bed. Even now, he had no idea what she was to him—just a good time. She picked up her clothes, her tears falling silently as she dressed. At least they’d had him, just once.
She stepped away from the bed, her heart heavy, and tried to stop the flow of tears. Pulling on her clothes, Lena paused at the doorway, looking back at his sleeping form. Pain seared through her and Nova. They both knew they could never survive his betrayal again, not after this. They also knew he would move on to someone else soon enough. They were nothing to him, never had been, and without a scent for him to recognize, they never would be. Taking a long, silent breath, Lena whispered into the darkness, “I, Lena Ellis, warrior of the Shadow Ridge Pack, reject you, Ethan Hale, as my Mate.” Pain surged through her body, and she heard Nova howl in agony inside her mind. She fled as fast as she could from his suite, grabbing her bag and stumbling down the stairs, struggling with the intense pain of her rejection.