Chapter 1

Alexie's POV

I entered the grand hall of the Lunskye Pack after the MC announced my presence, taking in the atmosphere and the cheers around. Then my eyes fell on the man waiting on the stage.

Alpha Rafe Ryder.

Today, he would crown me as his Luna, the ceremony I'd looked forward to my entire life. Every day of my existence has resonated around this moment.

I gripped the paper in my hand. The test result I had just gotten from the doctor. But instead of being over the moon that I was finally carrying Rafe's child, the anger that was swirling in my bloodstream was enough to flush out the baby.

Nevertheless, I pulled myself together and stepped forward. And as I neared the stage, the MC went on speaking.

"Miss Alexie Brown as we all know is our beloved future Alpha's betrothal. Her resilience since young beside the Alpha despite her status as Omega, and how she'd trained to be the best female warrior in the Pack has shown us that she will be one of the best Lunas we would have."

While the MC spoke, my footsteps got heavier but I kept pushing myself forward, maintaining my gaze on the man waiting for me on the stage.

Rafe stared at me dotingly, a look that would have made butterflies flutter in my stomach before, but all I felt right now was the sickening feeling in my belly.

"You are beautiful, darling."

He chuckled softly, but I couldn't even offer a brief smile, and as he was starkly aware of the paper in my hand, he went on.

"Today, I will finally give you what you have always wanted. The Luna crown."

Oh yes, what I had always wanted, not what he was willing to give me from his heart.

Behind him, the Pack elders were present including his parents and mine. Everyone had anticipatory smiles.

I almost laughed at the irony of the situation, my fingers gripping the paper tighter.

Without warning, I raised a hand and slapped him, causing the entire hall to fall into a hushed silence.

"Are we even mates?"

I laughed bitterly, the silence-filled hall echoing with my voice.

For years, I had grown up sick and weak, and had literally ended up in the hospital every two weeks because of him. Despite my constant ailments, I had always overexerted myself to study and train hard. To become worthy of the Luna position someday yet nobody knew the cause of my constant ailments.

No!

They always knew.

The Pack doctor.

His parents.

But to save the girl he'd love from little, they only needed a worthless Omega to serve as her drug vessel.

Because of them my wolf never surfaced, and I was considered the weakest in the Pack. The mockery and ridicule were never-ending. Yet, I persevered because I believed that in a world where everyone either wanted to kill or take advantage of me, Rafe was my only anchor.

Unknowingly to me, he was the cause of my suffering.

Fighting back my tears, I faced him confidently, rage surging through me.

"I refuse to be your Luna, Rafe, and I, Alexie Brown, reject you as my chosen mate!"

Rejecting Rafe wasn't an easy thing for me, it was so painful but I had to endure the pain because the foolish me thought I had found a mate.

The silence was instantly replaced by whispers from the crowd

"Is she crazy?"

"No, I must be hallucinating."

Rafe was shocked and speechless, even his parents, as well as the Pack elders.

With nothing more to say, I turned to leave but Skipper entered the hall at that moment, looking pale and weak.

Her appearance would have made me pity her, I would have run to her and helped her up the stage or supported her to sit down, but all I could see was a liar and a betrayer.

With tears slowly streaming down her face, she knelt in front of me, her hands crossing my left leg.

"You have misunderstood the whole thing, Alexie, there is nothing between Rafe and me."

She sniffled, her red swollen eyes fixed on me.

"Believe me, Alexie,"

At that moment, it all made sense to me that I was the fool. For years, Skipper had always posed as Rafe's sister and my best friend, she had always fallen sick and was always in need of help and I was always there, willingly ready to donate bags of blood for her. Remembering how out of pity, I gave my bone marrow to save Skipper's life made me want to strangle her.

I laughed and asked, "If there's nothing between you, how come you're pregnant for him?"

People gasped and began murmuring. At that moment, Rafe rushed forward and protected Skipper. With a panicked look in his eyes, he handled her carefully and helped her up from the floor.

Why didn't I notice it before? Rafe had always done the same thing, always protecting Skipper like a mother wolf protecting her pups, but none of that made me suspicious of their relationship. I had thought it was only a brother's love.

"So what?"

Rafe thundered, his voice piercing the walls, sending the hall into deep silence.

"You are a worthless Omega, Alexie, and you should be grateful that I even thought to make you my Luna!"

Grateful?

No! They should be grateful that I saved his chosen mate's life for twenty years.

The fact that he didn't deny the accusation and even insulted me didn't surprise me a bit. In fact, I was happy that he'd shown his true colors.

My heart ached painfully that I was used, and played by the man who had promised to lift the earth for me. If only I knew that his promises were fake, I wouldn't have wasted my time with him, I would have stepped away to save myself from such humiliation long ago.

My palm subconsciously settled on my lower abdomen to feel the life growing inside me.

Thank goodness I found out before I became his Luna. Otherwise, tomorrow might have been the beginning of my death-and my unborn child's. Skipper would fall sick again, and they would expect me to sacrifice myself to save her.

I turned my back on them and stepped out of the grand hall, knowing fully well that Skipper's life would be horrible without me.