Alpha's Discarded Luna (Talia) novel Chapter 13

Talia’s POV

The look of triumph in Imema’s eyes is sharp and glittering while my confidence breaks, brick by brick.

“Let’s say that Aeson is just a child, but Aires! It takes just one word from me. Just a whisper, and he leaves everything. Even…”

She leans in, “Even when he’s being intimate with phone rings and that’s all it takes for him to leave empty and alone, to come to me.”

you. The

you there,

My hands curl into fists before I realize it. The pain is distant, but the memory isn’t.

The nails bite into my palms, sharp enough to draw blood, but I barely register it… because she isn’t lying.

There were actually nights like that when his mouth was still on my skin when his phone rang, and everything between us changed within seconds.

I begged him not to go… more times than I want to remember.

Don’t be difficult, try to understand, try to be reasonable…that’s what he used to say before leaving me behind in our bed, 13:28

Chapter 12

unfinished and humiliated like the mate bond between us was nothing more than an obligation.

As if my need was an inconvenience, while hers was a command.

But surprising myself, I break into a laugh… even when I want to cry bitterly.

“And when he arrives, panting from the run, does he finish what he started with you?”

A flash of irritation disrupts her fake mask of concern. “What we have isn’t some cheap, physical transaction. Our bond is pure and ethereal-

“Of course not!” I agree, my tone flat. “It’s pure and ethereal. So ethereal that it has earned you no title, even after so many years, You must be so proud of your pristine and inconsequential place in his life.”

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Her placid smile tightens. “My place? My place is the one he rushes to. If I wanted the stars, he would proudly declare war on the heavens. He proved it once, didn’t he?”

I frown, seeing her smirk.

“That beautiful winter solstice theme for your mating

ceremony… it was always my favorite, everything was exactly my style, even the dress. How thoughtful of Aires to remember 13:28

Chapter 12

my preferences after all these years, I’m so touched-”

“The theme is just some decoration. But if your hold on him is so absolute, why am I still his Luna? Why hasn’t he broken the bond and married you for real, instead of placating you with some fake vow ceremony like the humans?”

I hold her gaze, “Is the great love story too fragile to reveal in the daylight?”

Hot rage flares in her eyes before she smothers it. “You always were crude and unpolished. No wonder his family pities him for ending up with you, his friends mock you. No wonder your own son is ashamed to claim you as anything more than his nanny. You should look in a mirror, Talia, and ask yourself why.”

“Of course, I could never compare to you! His mom and sister adore you, his friends support you and his son gives you his heart on a platter. Even the Moon Goddess is in a rush to meet

the great Imema Volkov, isn’t it?”

you,

୮

Her eyes darken, showing that she caught my meaning directly.

Neither of us is interested in pretending this is a polite exchange

anymore.

Earlier, I would never have spoken so rudely. I swallowed all my hurt and smiled through my humiliation, bending until I nearly broke.

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But now, I finally understand how pointless that was.

Why should I suffer quietly just to make others comfortable?

The moment I speak, she switches from spitting venom to becoming the victim within seconds.

“Luna Talia, you don’t need to remind me. I already know I don’t have much time left. I’m just trying to make the most of the days I have, with the people I cherish. But I should have realised… everything I get is fake, just because Aires pities me.”

Her lip quivers, “You’re right to hate me. That ceremony, that life… it should have been yours. I’m so sorry I’m still here-”

“BY THE MOON, TALIA! HOW DARE YOU!?”

Nick’s roar fills the room. He stands in the doorway, shaking with rage. Beside him, Richard, Aires’s Beta, wears a look of discomfort… and next to him is Alpha Aires himself.

His face is carved from a glacier, his eyes fixed on me like two shards of ice. Nick jabs a finger toward me. “We heard it all! Your jealousy is a disgusting sickness! Mocking a dying woman? Belittling her? Is this the heart of our Luna?”

Richard tries to intervene. “Nick, stand down. This is not a

public den.”

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“It is when she attacks the defenseless!” Nick spits. “You heard her, Alpha! She’s a two–faced liar! Playing the meek Luna in public, then torturing poor Imema the second she’s alone! We caught her red–handed!”

I say nothing, letting the silence stretch. I had felt the change in Imema’s energy, the way her eyes kept darting toward the door…it’s my fault for not leaving earlier.

Richard’s gaze flicks to me, then away, with a deep frown on his forehead. But all energy flows toward Aires… he is the centre of gravity.

“Talia.” His voice vibrates with a power that makes the glass bottles on the sink tremble. “You will apologize. Immediately.”

Nick crosses his arms, a vindictive smile twists his lips. “The Alpha has spoken. Time to kneel, Luna!”

I look past him and at the man who has chosen, time and again, to believe the worst of me.

“This is not a request,” he grinds out, jaw clenching.

“You have wounded an honored guest of this pack under protection. You will fix it, now.”

my

Richard watches me, and I can see all of them waiting for the 5/6

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explanation, the tears, for me to defend myself or accept the blame they have imposed on my head.

It’s fine, I’m not in any rush.

Because if they want to wait, they will have to wait forever.

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