True Luna

True Luna: Rejected by My Mate (The White Wolf Series Book 1)

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Emma’s POV

I woke up early in the morning and got up right away. I was excited—really, really excited. Tomorrow is my birthday. Tomorrow, I will be eighteen, and I will meet my wolf. I couldn’t wait to shift for the first time. They say it’s painful, but I didn’t care about that part. It lasts only for a little while, and it gets easier later. I can survive a little bit of pain.

I just wished my parents were here to see me shift for the first time. It had been eight years since they died, and it hadn’t gotten any easier.

They were killed in a rogue attack.

Rogues are wolves that don’t belong to a pack. They become rogues after being exiled from their packs for committing various crimes. Some choose to leave their packs and live as rogues, though that is rare. We wolves are pack animals—we don’t like being alone. When a wolf chooses to become a rogue, it’s usually because something terrible happened to them in their pack, or they lost their mate, went crazy, and left.

Rogues usually live alone and don’t work with other wolves. But when they attacked our pack, they were working together. It was very odd. Since that night, our Alpha learned that a rogue wolf had gathered other rogues to attack various packs. They call him the Rogue King. The attacks haven’t stopped since. They have attacked our pack and others multiple times.

On the night of the attack, the rogues tried to kill our Alpha’s son. We were celebrating his 18th birthday and his first shift. He was supposed to start training to become the new Alpha and take over the pack.

However, that night, the rogues killed his father, our former Alpha, Luke. He was forced to become Alpha right away—and he did an amazing job. He finished his training early and made our pack one of the strongest.

My father was Alpha Luke’s Beta. He and my mom died protecting the Alpha, Luna, and their son. That was their duty.

After their deaths, my brother Andrew became Beta. He and our Alpha had been best friends since childhood, and now they run our pack together.

My brother is an amazing Beta—and an even better brother. He was seventeen when our parents died, and after that, he had to take care of our pack and me. He never complained. He took on those responsibilities and did the best he could—and he did great. He always made sure I was safe and taken care of. He still does.

I finished high school a few months ago, and now all I have to do is train. After the attacks, my brother and our Alpha decided that all pack members must train to be able to defend themselves.

The rule in our pack is that we all must go through high school. It’s similar to a human high school, but we also learn about werewolf history, pack laws, and everything needed to help the pack function properly. For example, if a wolf is interested in working for the Alpha, they will learn more about running the pack. If a wolf is interested in agriculture, they will study plants and our crops to help sustain our food supplies. If a wolf wants to defend the pack, they will learn defense techniques and attack formations and spend more time training than the rest of us.

I chose to help the Alpha run our pack. It came naturally to me. My brother is the Beta, and I wanted to help him as much as I could. So, I learned all about pack laws and everything else needed to run our pack successfully.

The Alpha, Beta, and pack healer are the only ones who leave the pack to train for their positions. They travel to different packs to learn everything necessary for their roles. The training usually lasts about a year.

Since our pack was attacked and our former Alpha was killed, our new Alpha and Beta finished their training in just a few months. The pack needed them, and it had to be done faster than usual. I missed my brother when he left, but I knew it was something he had to do.

We have to train every day, but tomorrow, I get a day off because it’s my birthday and my first shift—a special occasion. The first shift is important because it’s when you meet your wolf—and your mate.

Mates are essential in wolf culture. A mate is your fated partner, chosen by our Moon Goddess. It’s the connection of two souls. Your mate becomes the most important person in your life. You love them instantly. You want and need to be with them, to protect them.

My brother still hasn’t found his mate. Neither has our Alpha. Until he does, his mother, Gloria, still holds the Luna title and performs the Luna duties.

She had a hard time after her mate, our former Alpha, passed away. She almost didn’t make it—she stopped eating, sleeping, and doing anything at all. That’s what happens when you lose your mate—your will to live disappears. However, she recovered, and she is an amazing Luna.

I love her a lot. She helped me and my brother after our parents died, and we share a special bond. She is like a mother to me.

I asked her to be present for my first shift. She accepted and gave me a big hug. It’s a big deal to witness a wolf’s first shift—at least in our pack. Each pack has its own traditions, but in ours, only the wolves you choose get to see it. It’s an honor to be chosen.

I chose my brother, Luna Gloria, and my friends Amy and Jacob. They were all honored and excited for me.

I couldn’t wait to shift. It was going to be amazing. And maybe, I would be luckier than my brother and meet my mate soon.

I had to get to training soon, so I brushed my teeth, took a quick shower, and got dressed. I put on my black tights, training bra, gray hoodie, and black Nike sneakers. Then, I tied my long brown hair into a ponytail and went downstairs.