THE BILLIONAIRE WHO REJECTED HIS LUNA

utiful. I wish now I'd chosen something ugly - something forgettable, something I could

ter of the Silver Moon Pack's grand hall, surrounded by hundreds of

it slammed against my ribs so hard I

, the most powerful man in the room, the future Alpha King, and

champagne and expensive perfume drifting through the hall. There was only him. His black suit fit his broad shoulders perfectl

looked at me, the way he smiled when he thought no one was watching, the way he'd once

smile, but he didn't smile b

- and the crowd slowly fell silent. Someone whispered, *I

said, swal

ar scent - cedar, rain, and something distinctly him. My wolf practic

uncle, Victoria Gray, every important member of the pack. To

briefest moment something flickered across

ou all

ightened.

't w

ake this

red. "What are yo

ghtened me more than anythin

hall, and then the Alp

lpha Marcus Sterling - do you accep

looked at me, and for one tiny second I saw

don

egister at first.

ned. "Speak cl

id I

om, and my wolf went completely

's expression darkened. "Ar

this time. "No," Adrian said, his voic

or exactly one second. Then h

cting Ele

disappear; my ears began ringing. Someone gasped.

came out as b

flickered - for the first time I saw something in them, some

lena Vale a

bed at my own chest as the mate bond snapped - as if someone had reached insid

oom e

le

ne hel

r b

ould see was Adrian - the man who had kissed me under the star

led with te

't change. "There's

stood here and destroyed me in front of e

nched. "Ele

mean the place where I've spent my

ened. "Don't

ound at the hundreds of people staring at me - some with pity,

esting against her stomach, and she smiled at me: not a ki

Adrian. "Is thi

ust slightly, but I saw i

explai

can

tepped close

or crying - hated that he could still do this to me after break

e for a long moment. Then he said the

d away. "None

ak a second time. I

ke it was worth more than every diamond in his family's empire. Slowly, I pulled it off and placed it in his palm. His fing

d me you stopped loving m

oved. "I nev

e I'd ever worn. "Then I su

my knees. The second was worse. But I kept w

s. Then I heard hi

le

urned. He was still standing beneath the chandelier,

get

nodded. "Don't worry." I

hey did, I collapsed against the cold marble wall, my whol

d he do

ve an answe

n't rejected me because he'd stopped loving me. He had rejected me be

had chosen