Luna's POV)
I couldn't breathe.
The moment Damien's words cut through the air, I felt as if my chest had been ripped open and something heavy was pressing down on me. My wolf whimpered inside me, clawing desperately, trying to make sense of what had just happened. But no matter how much I tried to steady myself, there was no denying the truth.
He had rejected me.
The mate the Moon Goddess chose for me… the one I had dreamt of since I was a child… had looked me in the eyes and spoken the words that shattered my soul.
"I don't want you."
I don't remember how I made it out of his presence. My legs moved, but I didn't feel them. My ears rang, drowning out the noises around me. I ran, though I couldn't tell where. My wolf howled inside me, furious, heartbroken, begging me not to leave him, but how could I stay when he had pushed me away so cruelly?
The forest swallowed me whole. Leaves brushed against my arms as I stumbled deeper into the woods, fighting the tears blinding my vision. My chest burned with every breath I dragged in, as if rejection itself was choking me from the inside.
"Why, Moon Goddess?" I whispered into the empty night. My voice cracked, and the words fell apart like broken glass. "Why him? Why Damien? Why give me a mate only to let him crush me?"
I collapsed against a tree, pressing my forehead against the rough bark. My fingers dug into the earth, trembling so hard it felt as though my body was breaking apart piece by piece. My wolf whimpered again, softer this time, like a wounded pup. She didn't understand. Neither did I.
Memories of Damien flashed before me, uninvited. The first time I saw him, the tall, broad-shouldered Alpha with eyes like a storm. The way his presence commanded respect, even fear. The way my heart had leaped when I realized he was my mate. I thought it was fate smiling at me. I thought it meant I belonged somewhere, with someone strong enough to protect me, to love me.
But I was wrong.
All he saw when he looked at me was weakness. A girl with no powerful pack behind her, no influence, no strength that could match his. To him, I was nothing but a mistake of the Moon Goddess.
The thought made my stomach twist, and I doubled over, clutching myself as a sob tore free. My chest heaved, and tears poured down my cheeks faster than I could wipe them away. The ache inside me wasn't just emotional, it was physical, like my very soul was being ripped apart. That was the cruelty of rejection. It wasn't just words. It was pain that cut deeper than any blade.
I don't know how long I stayed like that, crying until my throat was raw. The forest grew colder as the night stretched on, and my body shivered, but the pain kept me awake. I wanted to scream, to tear the mark of his rejection out of me. But no matter how much I cried, I couldn't erase the bond that still tied me to him.
Because here was the truth: even if he rejected me, my heart was still his. And that was the cruelest part of all.
I dragged my knees closer to my chest, hugging myself tightly. My wolf whimpered again, but this time her voice carried anger, a spark of defiance. She didn't want to give up, not yet.
But I was tired. So tired.
My thoughts drifted to my mother. I could almost hear her voice, soft and steady: "You are stronger than you think, Luna. No matter how hard life pushes you down, you will rise again."
The words stung, because right now, I didn't feel strong. I felt like a shattered glass, too broken to ever be whole again.
And yet, as I sat there under the cold night sky, something deep inside me stirred. Maybe it was my wolf. Maybe it was the part of me that refused to be destroyed by someone else's cruelty.
I wiped my tears with the back of my hand, forcing myself to sit straighter. Damien could throw me away, but I wouldn't let that be the end of me. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me crumble completely.
Still, no matter how much I tried to steel myself, the ache lingered. The bond was still there, raw and burning. And I knew sleep would not come easily.
As dawn crept closer, painting the horizon with faint streaks of gold, I pushed myself to my feet. My legs were weak, my eyes swollen, but I walked. I didn't know where I was going, only that I couldn't stay here drowning in despair.
Because if Damien thought I was weak… I would prove him wrong.
Even if it killed me.
But deep down, one truth haunted me with every step I took.
No matter how strong I tried to be…
No matter how much I fought to rise again…
Part of my heart would always belong to the Alpha who had shattered it.
And I feared that this was only the beginning of the pain he would bring into my life.