Rejected by My Alpha Now He Replaced Me with a Copycat Luna novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Five years later, I ran into my ex-mate at a tattoo shop on Silvermoon Isle—Alpha Ronan Hale of the Hale Pack.

He was there to touch up his current Luna’s name.

I was there to cover the scar on my wrist.

His son tugged at his sleeve. “Dad, do you know her?”

I spoke first. “No. We’re strangers.”

Ronan’s throat tightened. “Aurora… five years. You still hate me?”

I didn’t answer.

Hate takes energy.

I’d already spent mine on more important things.

—

Five years since I broke the mate bond with Ronan Hale, Alpha of the Hale Pack.

And here we were again—running into each other at some tattoo shop on Silvermoon Isle.

Ronan was getting his Luna’s name touched up. Right there over his heart, bold as ever.

Me?

I was covering up the scars on my wrist. The ones I didn’t talk about anymore.

We just stood there for a second, staring.

All that history sitting heavy between us, and neither of us knew what to say.

Then, right before Ronan opened his mouth, a little hand grabbed his jacket.

“Papa.” Finn looked up at me, curious. Big eyes, totally innocent.

“Do you know her?”

The ocean breeze kicked up, rattling the wind chimes outside. It cut right through the silence.

“Just a customer,” I said, keeping my voice flat. “Same as your dad. Here for a tattoo.”

Finn tilted his head, confused. “But do you know Papa?”

Ronan’s voice came out sharp. “Finn.”

The kid’s face fell, but he stopped talking.

I answered anyway. “Nope. We’re strangers.”

Something dark flickered across Ronan’s face, then disappeared.

Milo, the tattoo artist, tapped the counter. He looked back and forth between us like he could feel the tension.

“So who’s going first?”

Ronan had been leaning against the wall, all casual, but now he straightened up. His eyes locked on mine, intense. “She goes.”

He was wearing a dark henley and jeans. The collar dipped just enough to show the edge of the tattoo on his chest. A name I used to know too well.

Ronan’s voice was quiet. “Go wait outside with Gavin.”

I glanced toward the door.

Gavin Mercer stood there—Ronan’s Beta. The same guy who’d been around for everything. The same one who handed me the bond severance papers.

When our eyes met, he flinched. Just a little.

“Miss Blake…”

I nodded. Calm. No hard feelings. Not toward him, anyway.

Ronan picked Finn up easily, and when he turned, the light caught his watch.

It was one of those sleek platinum pieces that probably cost more than most people’s cars—the kind he used to say was a complete waste of money.

And on his left hand was a wedding band, brushed tungsten that looked like it had never come off since the day he put it on.

During our two years together, Ronan never wore a ring. Said it didn’t feel right.

Guess it feels right when you find the one.

I took a sip of my coffee, letting the bitterness settle in.

Some things don’t fade just because you want them to.

Some things stick around.