The Alpha and Luna: His Rejected Luna

DANIELLA

I wake up to the sound of Skye belting out “Happy Birthday.” Her excitement is as palpable as mine. I spring out of bed and bump into Jaxon in the hallway.

He’s grinning from ear to ear. “Happy birthday, little sis,” he says. He beat me by a few minutes, but he insists he’s the elder twin.

“Happy birthday, big bro.”

We head to the kitchen where our entire family has gathered. Mom, Dad, our siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins—they’re all here.

As soon as they spot us, they break into a chorus of “Happy Birthday.” Jaxon and I can’t help but beam at our loving family.

They shower us with presents, but Mom and Dad have a special surprise waiting outside.

We dash outside and are greeted by a black Jeep Wrangler and a red Mazda6, both adorned with bows. My heart leaps at the sight of my dream car, painted in my favorite color.

I sprint towards the car and slide into the driver’s seat. I’m already in love with my new ride and can’t wait to take it for a spin.

“Why do we need a car when I can run anywhere we need to go?” Skye quips.

“You do realize you can’t just sprint into town without causing a human panic, right?”

She huffs, “Fine, I suppose I can get used to this ride.”

I barely register her sarcasm, too enamored with my new car. I glance at Jaxon, who’s grinning ear to ear, admiring his new Jeep.

He’s always admired Dad’s Jeep, and now he has one of his own. Our parents watch us, their faces lit up with joy.

Jaylah and the other girls flock to my car while the boys gravitate towards Jaxon’s Jeep. “Let’s go for a ride,” Jaylah suggests.

I nod, start the car, and drive them to our favorite café in town. It’s our go-to spot when we need a break from the pack. Jaxon follows closely behind, the boys in tow.

We all pile out of the cars and enjoy a hearty breakfast together. “Let’s hit the mall today and pick out new outfits for the party,” Jaylah proposes. Dakota rolls her eyes.

Dakota isn’t a fan of shopping. She’s a tomboy through and through. If it weren’t for her gender, you’d mistake her for Jace’s twin. She sports a pixie cut and prefers baggy clothes.

Olivia and Mia are on board with the shopping plan. Olivia is Uncle Liam’s daughter and Mia is Beta Noah’s daughter.

Despite our age differences, we’ve all grown up together, our parents being best friends.

Jace and Dakota are the youngest, turning thirteen in a few months. Olivia and Mia are almost seventeen, while Jaylah will be eighteen in a fortnight.

I can tell the boys aren’t thrilled about the shopping trip. Jaxon is already mind-linking me, making it clear he won’t be joining us.

Jace shoots me a defiant glare, daring me to ask him to come along. Mason and Lucas shake their heads, signaling their refusal. Mason is Beta Noah’s son and Lucas is Uncle Liam’s son.

Looks like it’s going to be a girls-only shopping trip.

I turn to Dakota, who’s glaring at me. She doesn’t want to go, but I want her to. I wish I could mind-link her and plead with her to come.

Her eyes widen. “What?” she blurts out. Jace, Jaxon, and I exchange puzzled looks, waiting for her to elaborate. “Why would you beg me to go with you, Dani?” she asks.

Everyone at the table looks confused. I didn’t voice my thoughts. I just thought them, and she somehow heard me.

I quickly mind-link Jaxon, “I didn’t say that out loud, just in my head. How could she have heard me?”

“Mom and Dad said we could only mind-link them when they got their wolves. That’s still three years from now.”

Jaxon’s eyes widen in surprise. He grabs Dakota’s arm and leads her away from the table. Jace and I follow them outside, leaving the rest of the group at the table in shock.

“Did Dani’s voice just echo in your mind?” he questions her as we step outside. She affirms with a nod, causing Jace to gasp.

“Can you hear my thoughts?” Jaxon tests. She negates with a shake of her head, leaving Jaxon and me exchanging surprised glances.

I decide to give it another shot. “Dakota, can you hear me?”

Her face lights up. “Yes, I can hear you, Dani. That’s amazing. I didn’t think we could mind-link until we turned sixteen and our wolves emerged.”

Jace interjects, “I attempted to mind-link with you, but you didn’t respond. Couldn’t you hear me?”

She turns to face him. “I only heard Dani’s voice in my mind.”

Jace insists, “Try me, Dani.”

So I do, and he hears me. I encourage Jaxon to try, but they still can’t hear him. I ask them to attempt to mind-link with me, but they fail.

“It’s strange, Jace,” Jaxon comments.

Jace looks at him. “How did you know I thought it was strange?” I turn to Jaxon too, because I didn’t hear Jace voice out that it was strange.

Jaxon responds, “You just said it was strange.” Jace shakes his head. “No. I thought it, but I didn’t say it. Did you just read my mind?”

Dakota and I are taken aback, and Jaxon falls silent. He appears to be communicating with his wolf.

“Skye, what’s going on? What is Shadow saying?”

Skye connects with Shadow and opens the link for Jaxon and me to eavesdrop.

Skye voices, “There are matters we haven’t discussed with you yet, and I believe we should do it in the presence of Mom and Dad.”

Shadow echoes her, “Let’s return home and discuss it with Mom and Dad.”

JADE

Darren and I are thrilled that the kids are delighted with their presents. We all reenter the house once they zoom off.

After Jaxon and Daniella were born, Darren and I decided to move out of the pack house and into our own residence.

We’re still in proximity to the pack house, but we have our own secluded space we call home. It’s a stunning house with five bedrooms and five bathrooms, a pair of offices, and an indoor swimming pool.

I didn’t think we needed the pool since the pack house has one, but Darren insisted the kids would enjoy it, and he was right.

We all head to the kitchen to savor the breakfast I prepared for the kids, who promptly disappear at the sight of their cars. As we’re enjoying breakfast, my phone rings, and I head to the room to answer it.

I see Vanessa’s name flashing on the screen. She’s been calling more frequently since the twins’ first shift. She believes they’ll be extraordinary wolves. I pick up her call.

“Good morning, Jade.”

“Good morning, Vanessa. How are you?”

“I’m well. How about you? I called to wish the twins a happy birthday and check if they’ve received their gifts yet.”

“Vanessa, I’m doing fine. The twins took off as soon as they saw their cars this morning. But what gifts are you referring to?”

“Jade, I told you they were special, and now that they’re finally eighteen, they’ll receive their gifts.”

“They haven’t received any gifts that I’m aware of. We both know if they do, I’ll be reaching out to you.”

“Well, I guess I’ll be hearing from you soon, then. Goodbye.”

She hangs up, and I’m left puzzled by her mention of gifts. Darren enters the room and wraps his arms around my waist.

“What’s bothering you, angel?” He always senses when something is off with me.

“I just ended a call with Vanessa, and she mentioned the kids should be receiving their gifts soon. She didn’t clarify what kind of gifts.

“But Darren, what if they inherit the gift I had? I don’t want them to experience what I went through.”

Darren spins me around in his arms and plants a passionate kiss on my lips.

“Relax, angel. If they ever receive special gifts or abilities, we’ll be there to guide them. And we also have Vanessa to assist them.

“Don’t fret about what hasn’t occurred and might never occur.”

I return his kiss and give him a reassuring nod. Once I’ve regained my composure, we rejoin our loved ones in the kitchen for some light-hearted conversation.