CHAPTER-1

Darkness embraced the Stoney Woods just like she wrapped her arms around her knees which were folded against her chest. Innumerable dark clouds blurred out the light of the full moon just like her vision which was blurred out due to the fog of tears.

The harsh rustling of the wind mingled her raspy and enraged breath to break the galas of silence that were protecting the sanity of the hours of darkness.

Closing her eyes she rested her head on her knees while trying to be strong to deal with whatever happened to her.

How could Rowen do that?

What was her fault?

How could he forget everything?

In order to get answers to these unanswerable questions she didn't realise when slumber pulled her in its arms. Her tears started to dry up in her beautiful dress which she wore for her dream night but unfortunately, that dream was converted into a nightmare.

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Today was a big day for her, not only because the Alpha was going to declare Rowen as the New Alpha of The Silver Moon Pack but also because she was going to be his Luna.

Being Delta's daughter she grew up around Rowen. She didn't realize when her admiration converted into love, but she waited for the right time to confess her feelings to him. She was a sore eye for girls because of her closeness with Rowen, and on top of that, on his 19th birthday, it turns out that she was his mate. She was over the moon knowing that… moreover her untamed, God-gifted beauty; no girl could stand her presence around her, Not even Rose: The sister of Rowen.

Her life could seem perfect but is this possible to get a perfect life ever?

Maybe not!

Every beautiful rose contains either less or many, hurtful thorns. So as LAUREN MONROE's life.

Even after being the most beautiful girl in the Pack,

Even after being the Mate of Rowen.

Even after being so nice…

She was the prey of everyone's taunts. She already hit her eighteen but still hasn't got her wolf yet. Sometimes she could feel something inside her… something like an unnamed power but a wolf never coming out.

For not having a wolf people always taunt her but she knew sooner or later she'll discover her powers.

Maybe!

With the passing of time her confidence

weakens but when she thinks about Rowen and his closeness all her insecurities vanish into thin air.

"Sweetie, look in the mirror. Look how pretty you are looking today." Her mother's voice brings her back from the train of her thoughts and she looks up at the mirror to have a look into it.

Staring in the mirror she could find a beautiful young woman wearing a golden gown with sequence handwork, with her red hair pulled up in a beautiful bun with some hair strands hanging from the side of her face. Her big round, chocolate dark brown eyes look gorgeous with the shade of gold and silver eyeshadow. Her full lips were painted with blood-red lipstick that gave her a fabulous look.

"How Could She Be So Beautiful?"

"Who gave her the right to be so pretty?"

With a little hint of arrogance or maybe self-importance her lips curve up in a smile.

"You are going to kill the unmated male wolves with your gorgeous look tonight. If it wasn't your big day then I won't let you go out of your room today like this. What if someone abducts you." Her Mom chuckled, placing her chin on Lauren's shoulder.

"Come'n Mumma, you are too much. I don't have such intentions. I groom only for my Rowen. And I just want his attention no one else. His one look took my breath away." She smiled and her Mom gave her a squeeze on her shoulders.

Rowen was Lauren's first and only love. Imagining life without him was impossible for her and tonight he was going to be hers; officially. No one could spare a glance at him in a wrong way, If so, she would gouge their eyes out of their sockets.

Only the remembrance of girls roaming around Rowen throwing themselves on him turned Lauren's face hardened.

The Over Possessive mate, just like her father.

"Don't you think we are getting late? Let's go." Seeing her expressions her mom laughed and Lauren gave her a small smile while composing herself. She didn't want to spoil her mood. It was her big day.

"Yeah Mom, let's go. It should not happen that we get late and the Alpha declares someone else as the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack." She joked to make herself feel better but got a smack on the arm in return.

"Don't jinx the spacious day of your life." Scolding Lauren, her mother just dragged her out of the room.

As soon as they reached the courtroom they could hear the echoes of whispers

addressing Lauren and her inability to get a wolf.

"Look, who is here? Our Miss Diva, who thinks she can be the Luna of our Pack because She's beautiful. Poor little human."

"Oh, Goddess! Don't you think she overestimated herself? I agree that she's beautiful but does she have the power and aura that a Luna should have? Huhh!"

"Oh, Com'on. Do you think Rowen will make her his Luna? Who has no wolf at all? A mere human being. She can't even breed an Alpha heir."

Gulping down every single harsh comment with a big smile she passed them because she knew nothing could alter her destiny. She was the most confident girl tonight, and why shouldn't she be? After all, she was going to be Luna.

She knows people spout nonsense because of envy. After a few moments, they had to bow their heads in front of their Luna.

With her chin up she walked like a confident Queen. Soon the courtroom fills with cheers and claps when the Alpha announces Rowen as the New Alpha while placing the crown on his head.

The new Alpha, that was Her Rowen: turns to his pack members and stands with a powerful aura. She squealed happily standing between the crowd. Everyone bowed, showing their respect to their new Alpha and she did the same. She was just waiting for a call from the former Alpha who was going to announce her as the new Luna of the Silver Moon Pack.

In excitement, she already took a step ahead but…..

Loud howlings echoed everywhere in the dark woods and she came out of her dream…

It took her two moments to get back to her senses. What she saw in the dream was now the reality of her life. Before she could flow more tears for whatever happened another howling grabbed her attention. At a faraway point in the woods, she could see lights. It was the same celebration in which she wanted to be the queen but…

"Why Rowen?" The poor Human muttered and closed her eyes while the flashback came in front of her eyes one more time.

"Victoria, Come to the stage, Dear." Lauren's step halted in the air when Alpha's lips moved up and down and someone else's name echoed in the air which stopped me to believe that I wasn't in a nightmare. His words fell on her more like thunder. She stumbles back almost

falling to the ground if it wasn't her Mom to hold her. Her gaze falls on the girl who is

approaching the stage. It was the best friend of Rose, the daughter of the Blue Moon pack.

"Do you Victoria Ronald accept all responsibility that falls on your shoulder as a Luna? Will you stand by your mate's side in every up and down and help him run the pack? Will you become the mother figure of those who have no one as a family in this pack?"

Lauren's whole World crumbled down as she heard what Alpha just asked. She was supposed to be at her place? She was Rowen's mate then how could he just announce someone else the

Luna of the pack?

HOW?

"Lauren, get a hold of yourself. You can't break down like this. You are my strong child." She heard her Mumma whispering but she didn't know how to deal with her emotions.

She felt like Rowen pushed her into an endless abyss; An endless beak dark abyss of sorrow from which she could not come out. She felt as cold as ice…The blood in her frame ran cold in an instant when her gaze met with Rowen's but he just looked away.

Her heart ached, her breath turned uneven and thoughts swirled around him. The way he looked away showed as if he never loved Lauren… Love was a faraway thing… He showed it as if he never knew Lauren.

Tears begged to spill from the goblets of those beautiful eyes but she wasn't a weak girl to let them flow in front of everyone… she fought the tears welling in her eyes and dreams were flooded till a moment back.

Hiding the storm of anger as well as tears that were burning her eyes, she made her way to the stage. The cheering and hooting of the hall suddenly converted into a dead silence. A shocked expression was stuck on every face when they spotted Lauran on the stage. She couldn't

become Luna tonight but standing before the New Alpha like one… or even more confident than one. Seeing her there Alpha Atlas sent all the pack members to the ballroom to enjoy their time because he was already aware of the situation they had created.

"Lauren…" Alpha Atlas came forward to say something but she showed her hand to stop him. Though it was a disrespectful action, now she doesn't care. She just wanted her questions to be answered.

"Pardon, Alpha Atlas. I just want to talk to my MATE today." She emphasized the word Mate looking right into Rowen's eyes with her blazing eyes. She didn't know where she got the guts to talk in this tone. But it was the need of the hour and she was proud of herself for taking a stand for herself.

Before Lauren could select some suitable words to question her mate she

heard the Former Luna snarl at her, "How dare you to…" but Lauren's one sharp look made her step back with a terrified and pale face.

She focused back on the most important person in her life… her mate, her love, her dream guy.

"Why?" Her voice came out hoarse, no matter how strong she was showing herself but only she knew how hard she had been trying to hold back her sobs. She stared into those eyes which used to glow with a pool of emotions but now hold nothing.

"Look, Lauren. I know you are my mate and I'm not denying it either." His loud voice was as cold as ice. He admitted Lauren was his mate but not beloved!

How quickly his expressions shifted from adoring to indifference. Holding her abnormally beating heart she was hoping to find out a single hint of Her old Rowen but the very next moment he shattered that hope too. "But Lauren, you should also know that you can't be my Luna. You are not capable of becoming a Luna. Luna has to be powerful and will stand with me to run the pack. But you are a human!

A mere human! You can't even bear my pups! I've taken this decision for the sake of my pack. You know, for me My pack is my first priority and I will do everything for this."

Lauren let out the breath which she was holding back for the last few seconds. She wanted to cry out loud but she couldn't! She couldn't be so weak to show her tears in front of the man who doesn't care about her feelings! Gulping down the tears she looked at him with wet eyes and

smirked sarcastically.

"Yes, Pack… Your Pack!" A bitter chuckle leaves her lips as she begins to put her anger out.

"Okay! I understand that Now you are an Alpha. You have responsibilities. You have to put your pack first... But what about me?" Her voice lowered but not broken this time.

Only she knew how her trembling feet held her body. Only she knew how she managed to stand still not showing how broken and hurt she was.

Rowen didn't bother to give her a reply. Wasn't her question worthy enough to be answered?

"Rowen, I'm talking to you! If you had taken this decision then why didn't you feel the need to tell me? Was it necessary to make fun of me in front of everyone? You could have just told me. But you didn't. You just thought about yourself. Am I nothing to you?"

Maybe for the first time, she yelled at him from the top of her lungs. Tears weren't streaming down her eyes but her heart had been bleeding.

"Yes, from now on you are nothing to me." She stared at him in utter disbelief hearing his words with her heart beating wildly.

"Victoria is the Luna of my pack and tonight, I'm freeing you from this meaningless relationship." Her eyes grew wide as she sensed what he was going to say.

Before she could come out from the sorrow of Rowen calling their relationship meaningless, his next sentence dropped the sky on her head.

"I, Rowen Thomas, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack reject you as my Mate and the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack. And you are banished from this pack."

She wanted to stop the time. She wanted to do something by which he could stop saying the words she never wanted to hear. If she could run the earth backward to reverse the time, maybe she could even do so but she was already too late to think about all those things.

"Accept my rejection, Lauren," Rowen demanded in his powerful voice and she stared at him with rage-filled eyes.

"I, Lauren Monroe, as your mate, accept your rejection." She managed to speak up with much difficulty but didn't let her tears take over her self-respect.

Soon she watched her ex-mate leaving the room with his new Mate.

Finding no one to be the spectator, her legs collapsed to the floor, and her right hand clutched her chest; her heart was paining with agony.

Love is such a strange thing, if it happens with the right person, it becomes medicine and if it happens with the wrong person then it becomes a lifetime of pain.

Her parents hugged her and cried.

"Let's leave together." Her Dad suggested but she shook her head in denial.

"No, Dad. Let me go alone. You and Mum have already pampered me a lot. That's why I never realized how cruel this world is. How heartless the people around me were. I failed to recognize the true face of the people. Let me grow up, Dad. I promise you I'll take care of

myself. I need to learn how to deal with the cruel world and the people who live here."

Her voice cracked and broke down at the end.

"But, sweetie….." her mother tried to reason out something but she stopped her.

"No Mum. Don't stop me. It's necessary. Please." She tried to resist her feet from falling on the way which was going towards the place from where she could see the lights coming.

The night was coming to an end but the celebration wasn't! It seems like the most beautiful night of this year. Just like a thief, she was standing near that place which was full of happiness. She was there to steal something. She was there to steal a few last memories. Standing at the border she looked at the pack where she had spent eighteen years of her life. Tears blur her vision as memories keep bugging her

mind.

"If you can't earn blessings then don't earn a curse either. If blessing can bloom one's life, a curse can destroy it." She challenged her ex-mate with all her pure feelings which were converted from love to anger.

"Rowen Thomas, today you just didn't reject me but crushed my heart under your feet. You called me a weak human? So what if she has not yet got a

wolf? So what if I was tagged Human in the pack? Humans are not weak either! They can kill the wolves if they come to the peak of their courage and cruelty! Be ready, now you will have to pay for it." She pushed away the hairstands from her face and cleaned her tears.

Her heart took a pledge to be strong enough to fight the odds and turned to discover her new ways.

"Now go back soon… I'll update you." Lauren heard someone yelling in a whisper and she took steps to the back side of the big courtroom where a girl, in her golden brown gown, was

going towards the party and someone was already running away from that place.

Who was the man who ran away?

And who was this girl in the golden brown gown?

VICTORIA!!!