Banished Luna: The Mate He Sacrificed Returned To Rule

Kiera's POV:

"Kiera Mitchell, you can go back to Crescent Pack now."

The Alpha of Nocturne Pack threw a letter down in front of me, amusement lacing his mocking tone. "I thought Dominic had already erased you from his mind. Looks like I was wrong."

My hands shook as I picked up the letter. There was only one sentence written inside. "Kiera, come back."

That was all. There was no explanation for why he wanted me back, no words of welcome, and not even a simple "I miss you."

Yet somehow, those few words were enough to fill my heart with hope.

It was my twentieth birthday.

After I was exiled for three long years, my mate was finally asking me to return home.

I put on the only clothes I possessed that weren't covered in patches, tidied my hair, and splashed cold water over my face. I tried to hide just how worn-out I was and make myself look presentable before leaving.

Night had already settled over Crescent Pack by the time I arrived at the packhouse.

The great hall was glowing with light, and a long table had been prepared with an abundance of food. The rich scent of roasted meat mingled with the smell of wine, instantly lifting my spirits.

Could Dominic have arranged all of this to welcome me home?

The thought made my heart warm. After three years, he hadn't forgotten me after all.

Clinging to that small piece of hope, I walked deeper into the hall.

Several pack warriors were gathered in groups around the room. As soon as they noticed me, their expressions changed, and their eyes turned cold.

"Look who's here! She actually dared to show her face here."

"I heard she couldn't survive at Nocturne Pack."

"An omega who can't even shift is a disgrace to our Alpha."

I lowered my gaze and acted as though none of their words had reached me. Three years of exile had taught me that sometimes the best way to survive was to hear cruel words without allowing myself to react.

Instead of responding to them, I scanned the room for Dominic. He must have been waiting for me.

Then my eyes landed on Thalia Mitchell, my younger sister and Crescent Pack's strongest female warrior. She was seated beside the chair at the head of the table.

She had dressed in white, with her hair woven into an intricate braid, and there was a soft smile on her lips. The dress stretched over the curve of her stomach. She was pregnant.

Dominic Evans was sitting next to her. He was carefully cutting the food on her plate into small pieces before setting a glass of juice in front of her.

His movements were so natural and familiar that it was obvious he had done this many times.

Everything about the scene felt intimate. For a moment, the entire hall seemed to vanish. I could hear nothing except the violent pounding of my own heart.

Thalia smiled as she reached for Dominic's hand. He placed his other palm over her swollen belly, and the two of them leaned toward each other with the ease of a couple who had already shared a life together.

I curled my fingers into fists until my nails dug painfully into my palms. I needed that pain to keep me standing.

Dominic had betrayed me.

For three years, I had endured misery at Nocturne Pack while holding on to the belief that my Alpha would call me home.

I had convinced myself that he had finally changed his mind. Some foolish part of me had even believed that he might still regard me as his mate, yet I was totally wrong.

I turned around. I needed to leave before the tears came. I refused to cry in front of them, and I certainly wouldn't give them the satisfaction of watching me break.

"Kiera, stop right there." Dominic's authoritative voice came from behind me.

My body instinctively responded to his command. My knees almost buckled, but I forced myself forward anyway.

He reached me in only a few strides and grabbed my wrist. His fingers tightened around it until I felt as though the bones beneath his grip might crack. He spun me around, forcing me to face the anger burning in his eyes.

"What exactly are you doing?" His voice was dangerously low. "Thalia is eight months pregnant. I wanted you back so you could celebrate with us, and this is how you choose to act?"

He had called me back from the nightmare of Nocturne Pack just so I could celebrate his mistress's eight-month pregnancy. And I had been stupid enough to believe he had missed me. I had actually thought this feast was meant to welcome me home.

I looked directly into Dominic's eyes without lowering my head. "Dominic, three years ago, when everyone accused me of poisoning Thalia, did you ever defend me?"

He froze.

"You didn't." My voice remained surprisingly composed. "The entire pack accused me of poisoning Thalia because I was jealous of her being a warrior. They called me a vicious, useless omega. Everyone condemned me, and you never once stood up for me. And now you expect me to return here and celebrate her pregnancy?"

"That's all in the past-why are you dragging it up now?" His tone turned icy.

A hollow laugh slipped from my lips. "I was in exile for three years becaused I was wrongly accused, and you're telling me it's all in the past?"

Those three years had been hell. I had spent them barely surviving in the dirtiest, most miserable corners of Nocturne Pack.

Everyone there called me "Crescent Pack's worthless reject." They mocked me as the disgrace Dominic had driven out of his own pack.

They forced me to lick mud from their boots. They made me kneel on the floor and clean up wine after they deliberately spat it onto the ground. When winter came, they made me crawl through the snow while whipping me with belts.

The only thing that had allowed me to endure any of it was the belief that one day I would return home. And now that I had finally made it back, this was what awaited me.

"Dominic." I pulled my wrist from his grasp. My voice was calm despite everything raging inside me. "I only want to ask you one final question." I looked straight at him. "Is Thalia's baby yours?"

The question clearly caught him by surprise. His lips parted, but nothing came out.

I gave him a smile that probably looked more heartbreaking than tears ever could. "You don't need to say anything. I already have my answer."

After a long pause, Dominic leaned closer until I could feel his breath against my face. "Kiera, listen to me. If you behave yourself, I won't sever our mate bond. You'll continue to be the Luna of Crescent Pack, and I won't make your life difficult."

I almost laughed.

He had cheated on me, yet now he was standing here promising that he wouldn't make things difficult for me.

This was the Alpha I had once loved. My mother had paid with her life to secure his agreement to be my mate.

"Dominic." Thalia's soft voice came from behind us. She deliberately made herself sound weak and fragile. "Don't blame Kiera. She just came back, so it's understandable that she's upset. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have come between you two..."

Thalia slowly reached toward my hand as though she genuinely wanted to ask for my forgiveness. But I could see the satisfaction hidden behind her innocent expression. She had done this before.

Three years ago, she had played the helpless victim in exactly the same manner, and everyone had believed that I was the one who had poisoned her.

I wasn't going to be fooled by her performance a second time.

I casually brushed her hand away. My touch was so light that there was no reason it should have caused her to lose her balance. But Thalia fell anyway.

A scream escaped her as she stumbled backward and crashed heavily onto the floor.

Within seconds, a bright red stain began spreading across her pristine white dress. Blood trickled down between her legs.

The entire hall fell deathly silent.

Then Thalia's anguished cries shattered the silence. "My baby... It hurts so bad..."