His Rejected Luna

Aria

Pain lingers in my chest like the echo of a wound that refuses to heal.

I don't know how long I've been sitting here—knees drawn to my chest, breath coming in ragged, uneven gasps. The stone steps beneath me are cold, the night air biting against my exposed skin. But none of it matters.

Not when my entire world just collapsed.

I stare at the towering entrance of the Shadowmoon Packhouse, its arched doorway now nothing more than a barrier between me and the life I once thought I belonged to.

Wolves still murmur inside, their voices muffled through the thick wooden doors, but I don't need to hear them to know what they're saying.

"She wasn't worthy."

"How pathetic—rejected in front of the entire pack."

"Maybe she was never meant to be Luna."

I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the whispers away.

I should be numb by now. But I'm not.

Because despite Kieran's rejection, despite the sharp, brutal finality of his words, I still feel him.

The mate bond should be severed. The pain should be fading.

So why do I still sense his presence, distant yet unmistakable, lingering at the edges of my consciousness like an unfinished thought?

Why do I feel the faintest trace of his emotions—frustration, regret, something dark and unreadable—when he made it clear he didn't want me?

It doesn't make sense.

A sharp, uneven breath escapes me, and I finally force myself to move. My limbs protest as I push to my feet, my muscles stiff from sitting too long. I need to leave before someone finds me like this—broken, humiliated, weak.

But before I can take a single step, the heavy doors creak open.

I freeze.

Boots click against the stone steps, moving closer. The scent of pine and steel fills the air—familiar, suffocating.

Kieran.

My heart stutters, an instinctive reaction I hate. I turn before I can stop myself, expecting to meet his golden gaze, expecting an explanation, a sliver of regret—anything that will make this make sense.

But it's not Kieran.

It's Elijah, his Beta.

His expression is unreadable, his dark brown eyes scanning me carefully, as if assessing the damage. "You're still here."

I swallow back the lump in my throat. "Not for long."

Something flickers across his face—pity? Concern? But then it's gone, replaced by the cool indifference that all high-ranking wolves seem to perfect.

"Aria…" He hesitates, as if choosing his words carefully. "I tried to talk him out of it."

My body stiffens. "Did you?"

Elijah exhales through his nose, rubbing the back of his neck. "I did. But you know Kieran. Once he makes a decision, he doesn't—"

"Doesn't change his mind." My voice is hollow, flat. "Yeah. I know."

Silence stretches between us. A heavy, unbearable thing.

Finally, Elijah sighs. "I can escort you to the border if you want."

My hands curl into fists at my sides. The border. My banishment is official now.

I lift my chin, forcing my voice to stay steady.

"I don't need an escort."

His jaw tightens, and for a moment, I think he's going to argue. But then he simply nods. "At least take this." He holds out a small satchel. "Supplies. Just in case."

I stare at it for a long moment before reluctantly taking it. The leather is worn but sturdy. Lighter than I expected.

It feels final.

I look up at him. "Tell me the truth, Elijah." My voice wavers despite my best efforts. "Why did he do it?"

A shadow passes over his face. "I don't know."

A lie.

He knows something.

But he doesn't say anything else, and I'm too exhausted to press him.

With one last glance at the packhouse—the only home I've ever known—I turn on my heel and walk away.

------

The Journey to Nowhere

The forest swallows me whole.

The trees loom overhead, their branches twisting together like skeletal fingers against the night sky. The path beneath my boots is uneven, littered with fallen leaves and exposed roots. Every step takes me further from the Shadowmoon Pack. Further from Kieran.

Further from the life that was never really mine.

The wind howls through the trees, whispering secrets I don't want to hear.

"You were never meant to be Luna."

"He never wanted you."

"You're nothing without him."

I grit my teeth, pushing forward. I don't know where I'm going. I don't care. All I know is that I can't stop.

But the moment I cross the pack's border, something shifts.

A sharp, searing pain rips through me, sudden and unforgiving. I stumble, my knees nearly buckling beneath me. My breath leaves my lungs in a strangled gasp.

What the hell—

My vision blurs, and for a moment, I swear I feel him.

Kieran.

His presence is a phantom touch against my mind, distant but there. A crack in the rejection. A flaw in something that should have been absolute.

I clutch my chest, my heart pounding against my ribs.

The mate bond is supposed to be gone.

So why does it feel like it's still holding on?

A cold realization snakes through me.

Something isn't right.

Something is wrong.

And whatever it is, I have a feeling it's only just beginning.