The Rejected Luna's Revenge: He Jailed Me For His Fated Mate

The day before my mate ceremony with James, I caught him in bed with Isabella.

He looked at me and said, I'm sorry, Emily, but Isabella is my fated mate.

I wasn't even surprised. I just thought to myself: *Like mother, like daughter. A home-wrecker's child will always be a home-wrecker.*

Without a second thought, I took the silver dagger James had gifted me and slashed Isabellas face.

James threw me into the Pack's dungeon immediately.

And my Alpha father, Arthur, didn't raise a single objection.

While I rotted in prison, James married Isabella and became the heir to the Moon Shadow Pack.

Three years later, I was released.

James assigned twenty werewolf warriors to guard Isabella, terrified I would hurt her again.

But he was flattering himself.

Like a drop of water vanishing into the ocean, I completely disappeared from his life.

Our paths crossed again at my friend's tattoo parlor.

She was away on vacation, and with nothing better to do, I agreed to watch the shop for a few days.

His aura hadn't grown stronger at all. It didn't look like marking his fated mate had given him the power boost he expected.

My wolf, on the other hand, had long since recovered. She was even stronger than she was three years ago. Not that I felt the need to let anyone know.

But none of that mattered to me anymore.

I spat out my toothpick, tore open a sterile tattoo needle package with my paint-stained fingers, and asked calmly,

"Want to get this tattoo removed?"

He stepped closer. Sensing my scent, he clenched his jaw and squeezed out,

"Emily, this is the matching tattoo we got together."

My hand froze mid-air.

"Oh. It's been a few years. It definitely needs to go."

My tone was so indifferent that James winced. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the words.

After a long silence, he finally nodded.

I didn't say another word. My movements were swift and precise.

James's expression shifted before he finally forced a mocking smirk.

"Emily, if you're strapped for cash, you could have just called me."

"There was no need to post those ads on Snapchat just to lure me to this sketchy place and put on a show."

I smiled, keeping my tone as light as if I were chatting with a random customer.

"If I could act, I'd be in Hollywood."

"Besides, you saw that on Snapchat? A regular customer of mine posted that to help bring in some business."

With that, I grabbed a nearby towel to wipe the ink from my hands.

James stared at the towel.

It was once gray, but now it was faded and frayed at the edges.

He couldn't take it anymore and raised his voice.

"Emily, you used to be as proud as a princess!"

"Claustrophobia, OCD, germaphobiayou had every single symptom of a spoiled Alpha's daughter. If there was even a weird smell in your room, you'd kick the maids out instantly..."

"And now look at you..."

"Hey, Emily! Look at this tattoo, the color's fading already!"

The glass door swung open, and Maggie, wearing a floral shirt, walked in. She threw some design sketches onto the counter.

"Sure, Maggie. Leave it here, and I'll take a look in a bit," I said, taking the sketches. "It might be an issue with the pigment. Easy fix."

"Alright, I'll leave you to it." Maggie patted my shoulder, glanced at James, and whispered, "Got a client? I'll head out then. Talk later."

After Maggie left, I smiled politely at James.

"Well, Mr. Harrington, we're all done here. That will be twenty dollars, please."

"You..."

James stared at me, looking paralyzed. Finally, he pulled out his wallet, grabbed a few hundred-dollar bills, and slammed them on the counter.

I looked at the cash and shook my head.

"Mr. Harrington, this is too much."

"Keep the change," James said, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "Redo another tattoo for me. Is this enough?"

I was thrilled.

"More than enough. What design do you want? I can sketch it up for you."

I dragged a stool over and pushed it toward him.

Looking at his expensive, tailored suit, I found a clean cloth and laid it over the stool first.

James fell silent. He sat down stiffly, elegant but tense, resting his hands on his knees.

The next second, the squeak of the glass door startled him.

"Emily, taking clients during lunch? Business must be good. No wonder you ordered two burgers today. Got a big spender, huh?"

It was Leo, the DoorDash guy who delivered my lunch every day.

I joked around with him for a bit and took the food.

James looked uncomfortable being referred to as a "big spender." He turned his face away and let out a soft sigh.

But this was just how the neighborhood was.

Wendy from the nail salon next door popped in to ask if I wanted to go to a bar tonight.

Sarah, a white-collar worker living upstairs, dropped off a heavy suitcase, asking if she could leave it here until evening.

Amy, a high school student, rushed in to borrow a power bank.

They all looked at James with curiosity, their eyes lingering on his expensive clothes.

Finally, he shifted uncomfortably and crossed his legs.

"Emily, how can you let yourself sink this low? Hanging around with these... humans?"

His eyes looked slightly red, though I might have been mistaken.

My wolf, curled deep in my mind, let out a lazy yawn, utterly dismissing his dramatic attitude.

I just didn't bother to tell him.

"The pattern you want is a bit difficult," I said, stretching my back and wiping the sweat from my forehead with my elbow. "My friends shop doesn't have the specialty pigments for it. You should go to a larger studio."

I gave him the address of another shop and eagerly opened my food.

But James didn't leave.

I felt a bit awkward, so I pushed the fries toward him.

"Are you hungry? If you don't mind, have some."

Jamess gaze flickered over my fingers.

My nails were permanently stained with ink that wouldn't wash off. Then his eyes drifted to my burgers and fries.

When he spoke, his voice was raspy.

"This is junk food. It's unhealthy... You never used to eat this."

In his memory, I was a picky eater who only ate the freshest meat.

If the food was even slightly off, I would throw up for hours.

I smiled.

"Well, I couldn't exactly order takeout in the dungeon, could I? Besides, working manual labor all day cured all my picky habits."

"Try some fries, Mr. Harrington. Oh, look, they gave me an extra packet of ketchup today. Score!"

I happily took the extra ketchup and threw it into the storage box behind me.

The box was already filled with leftover condiments. Sometimes, buying a loaf of bread and using these was enough for a meal.

"Enough!" James roared.

I startled.

The next second, he threw a black card onto the counter.

"This is my supplementary card. Take it."

His movement was so violent that he knocked over the stool and almost flipped my lunch.

Luckily, my reflexes were quick. I blocked the tray, barely saving my burger.

"Mr. Harrington," I sighed. "If you're not going to eat, I will..."

"Emily!" James growled, his voice trembling. "I'm serious!"

"This card is linked to my platinum account. There's a five million limit. Spend whatever you want."

"Buy a decent shop, start a real business, be your own boss! Stop rotting in this filthy place as a manual laborer!"

"Have you forgotten who you are? You are the daughter of an Alpha! The heir to the Moon Shadow Pack!"

His roar was deafening, dragging me straight back into my memories.

The pack I was born into was powerful. The Moon Shadow Pack was one of the largest rulers of this territory.

I was the Alpha's only daughter until I was seven, when my mother got pregnant with twin girls.

But just as we were joyfully anticipating their arrival, my father's betrayal came right on schedule.

He fell for a human woman named Victoria. Their love was loud, chaotic, and destructive.

It was so bad that Victoria paraded herself right in front of my mother, demanding she step down as Luna.

My mother refused.

So, Victoria secretly poisoned my mother with wolfsbane.

It took all three of their lives. My mother died with her eyes wide open, never finding peace.

Afterward, my father locked me up and starved me for a day and a night, forcing me to forget what happened and forbidding me from telling anyone the truth.

Victoria became the new Luna. She brought along my stepsister, Isabellawho was actually her daughter with my father.

That was when I realized my father had been cheating on my mother for a very long time.

My nightmare began.

Beatings, verbal abuse, lies, and constant bullying became my daily life.

To survive, I trained relentlessly. I became the fiercest young warrior in the pack.

Back then, James was the son of the Silver Moon Pack's Beta.

We met on the training grounds. We trained together and grew up together.

But I never expected that during a routine patrol in the woods, two rogue wolves would ambush us.

They tried to attack. To protect me, James threw himself into the fight.

I was injured while trying to save him, leaving a permanent scar on my chest.

That scar was once our sacred vow. He swore he would never betray me.

But then, Isabella noticed him.

She saw James standing by my side and smiled that bright, innocent smile.

It reminded me of Victoria. When she stood next to my father, her smile had the exact same calculating curve.

And my dark premonitions quickly became reality.

Before I knew it, James was constantly bringing up Isabella.

At first, he said she was sweet and innocent. Then, he said she was pitiful, living under our roof. Eventually, it turned into, "Emily, stop bullying Isabella all all the time."

I wanted to have a serious talk with James, but it was the anniversary of my mother and sisters' deaths. I had to visit their graves first.

But when I returned from the cemetery, I walked into a scene I will never forget.

Isabella and James were wrapped in each other's arms in bed.

"James, why didn't you go pay respects to your future mother-in-law today?" Isabella purred.

"Her mother doesn't deserve to be my mother-in-law... If I had to choose, I'd choose yours," James replied.

My mind went completely blank. Blinded by rage, I lunged into the room.

I used a silver dagger to slash Isabellas face.

Right after, James locked me in the pack's dungeon.

And my Alpha father didn't raise a single finger to stop him.

I let out a slow breath, quietly studying the man standing before me.

Wealth must be nice. Time hadn't left a single mark on this handsome man's face.

But it had left me with cracked hands, chin-length hair cut purely for convenience, and ink permanently stained under my fingernails.

I gently slid the black card back to him.

"There's no need, Mr. Harrington. My life is fine as it is."

"I have food, shelter, and my freedom. I don't steal, and I don't beg. I earn my own living."

But James stubbornly kept his hand extended.

"Just take it as... my compensation. Take the money, let go of the grudge, and we can call it even."

I looked at him, slightly amused.

The proud James had actually learned how to compensate someone.

He used to never bow his head to anyone.

"Then it's even less necessary. I saved your life because you were my fianc. I went to prison because I assaulted a pack member. We don't owe each other a thing."

James clenched his fists, his eyes locked onto mine.

It was as if he was trying to verify over and over that the woman standing in front of him was truly Emily.

Finally, he slowly lowered his gaze, a glint of moisture shining in his eyes.

"Emily... you feel like a complete stranger to me."

I glanced at the clock on the wall.

"It's been years. Of course I am."

"Back then... I lost control of my emotions," he rasped, his voice cracking slightly. "For all these years, I kept thinking... if you hadn't committed that crime, I would have married you out of guilt. I would have treated you twice as well..."

I stayed silent, letting the ticking of the clock stretch the quietness into infinity.

"Everyone has their own path," I said, pulling a lollipop from my pocket and popping it into my mouth. "Don't look back on things you chose to do."

"You"

My blunt response left him speechless. After a long pause, he snapped in frustration:

"You haven't changed a bit. Still as stubborn and hard-headed as ever!"

I nodded cheerfully. "My neighbors say the same thing."

"Emmy!"

James clenched his fists, struggling for a long moment before suddenly uttering my old nickname.

I froze for a split second. The way he said those two syllables was exactly how he used to.

Seeing my distraction, his tone softened.

"If you won't accept my money, I can talk to your father for you. You probably don't know, but he was diagnosed with chronic wolfsbane poisoning. He doesn't have much time left."

"If you beg for his forgiveness now, you can still get a share of his estate. You'll never have to work a day in your life..."

"Really?" I smiled, genuinely pleased. "Karma finally caught up to him."

Losing his patience after being deflected again and again, James grabbed my arm, trying to drag me toward his car.

"Emily, stop being so stubborn!"

"Look at yourself! Look at what you've become!"

"Renting a tiny, dark apartment, doing dirty, exhausting tattoo work!"

"Eating junk food! Do you think living like this makes you look cool or independent? Do you think this is going to impress anyone?"

"You're just a bottom-tier tattoo artist! The absolute lowest of the low!"

I looked down at myself.

My overalls were covered in ink, my hair was in a messy ponytail, and I probably had dirt on my face.

I replied honestly:

"It's not that bad. At least my face is clean. Unlike some people..."

James flinched as if I'd struck a nerve, his face turning bright red.

"Isabella's face is completely healed! Even with the scars, makeup covers them perfectly!"

"But you? You smell like cheap ink, and your hands are rough as sandpaper! Who would ever want you like this!"

Right then, the glass door creaked open again.

Two kidsa boy and a girldashed inside like little rockets...

"Mommy!"

The kids scrambled into my arms, giggling uncontrollably.

Amidst their sweet laughter, the anger on James's face froze.

"Emily... whose kids are these?"

His eyes widened as he scanned their faces, searching for any detail that didn't look like me.

"Did you adopt them?"

The kids didn't like that.

My son, Mason, puffed out his chest.

"You're the one who's adopted! Your whole family is adopted!"

My daughter, Mia, pouted and wrapped her arms tighter around my neck.

"Mommy, who is this weird mister?"

Kids speak the brutal truth.

The color drained from James's face. Even his lips began to tremble.

"You... got married? You have kids?"

I smiled and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Mia's ear. "Yes. Twins. I inherited my mother's twin genes."

"And their father is..."

"None of your business."

I kept it short. Then, I gently nudged the two clingy kids forward.

"This is... someone Mommy used to know."

"Hello, mister!"

Though a bit reluctant, the kids greeted James politely.

James instinctively reached into his pockets, probably looking for some cash or gifts to give them.

But he realized his tailored suit didn't have any suitable pockets.

Awkward and out of his depth around children, he could only watch dumbfoundedly as they vied for my attention.

"Mommy, I learned how to make my bed today! My teacher praised me!"

"I helped the teacher wipe the blackboard! I'm better than Mia!"

"Mommy, what are we having for dinner?"

"Roast chicken! Daddy promised we'd get roast chicken!"

I patiently answered each of them, the faint lines around my eyes softening with their laughter.

James looked down, his long eyelashes casting shadows over his eyes. This domestic warmth seemed to cut him like a knife.

"Emily," he breathed, "you used to hate noise. You had such sensitive ears."

"Remember? I promised you we'd never have kids because I didn't want you to be stressed."

The kids were currently fighting to stuff their leftover candies into my mouth.

With my cheeks stuffed, I looked up blankly, trying to recall.

"Did you? I don't really remember."

"My husband and I love kids. Honestly, if pregnancy wasn't so exhausting, he'd probably want a third."

With that, I happily kissed both of my children on the cheeks.

James swayed slightly. Before he could speak, his phone buzzed.

It was a large folding phone.

I caught a glimpse of the caller ID on the screen.

[Wifey ??]

Isabella's shrill voice came through the speaker, complaining about something.

James frowned, his tone laced with annoyance.

"I know, I know. I'm coming home. You're an adult, how can you not handle this..."

He said he was leaving, but his feet remained glued to the floor.

I gave him a polite smile.

"Mr. Harrington, it looks like it's going to rain. You should head home."

"And if you want to get that tattoo removed, make sure you find a professional studio."

James muttered a quick response, took one last lingering look at me, and hurried out to his car.

I let out a sigh of relief and sent the kids to the back room to play with blocks.

Then I noticed he had slipped the black card onto the counter anyway.

I scratched my head in annoyance.

With no other choice, I locked up the shop after closing and walked over to the Werewolf Council office.

"A client named James Harrington left his card at my shop. Could you return it to him? I don't have his contact info."