From Rejected Mate to Luna (Julia White) novel Chapter 166

The wing on my gut was as

physical presides ondas i would not allow to be aroused.

back from the aber in his eyes gradually reading a nomad Me. His seek bore the vivid red imprint of my hand, conduring starkly with his docked expression. For a moment, i fa a wings of something quite regret, perhaps the fainted ess of what might have been in envie de

“You dare try to mark ex? My voice was low and dangerous as I scrambled off him, potting the wedding dress back into place, never taking my eyes off time. The moment of vulnerability had pated, control was re–established.

dude–I didn’t mean to, lack shook his head, his eyes filled with regret and confusion. “It was just instinct, Grace. When a wolf is

mense they s

“Love? I let out a cold laugh, deliberately sharp to cut through any remaining intimacy, “I thought our rules were clear. No commitments, no marking, so interference in each other’s lives.

Jack’s expression shifted from shock to hurt, then to anger–a transformation I’d witnessed before and had prepared for. “So that’s all I am to you? A. dispotable distraction? You’re about to mate with another man tomorrow, yet tonight you’re in my bed, wearing your wedding dress

I turned away as I struggled with the zipper of my dress, movements attempting to remain elegant despite my internal turmoil Tve never hidden my plans from you, lack. You chose to accept these terms. The silk felt cool against my heated skin, a reminder of the luxury that awaited me as Lara.

“Because I love you!” Jack nearly shouted, the raw emotion in his voice almost breaking through my armor. Almost. “Because I foolishly believed that someday you’d see that our connection is more important than your political alliance with Nathan!”

I turned to face him, deliberately curving my lips into the cruel smile fd practiced to perfection in my mirror. “Love is a game for the weak, Jack. Look what it’s done to you–a powerful wolf, now begging for attention like a wounded puppy.” I gathered my red dress from the floor, feeling Aria whimper deep inside me. I silenced her with a mental command. “I choose power, status, the authority that will make an entire pack bow to me. Can you give me that?”

Jack fell silent, sitting naked on the edge of the bed, his bare body looking suddenly vulnerable in the hotel’s soft light. I allowed myself to memorize this image–1 might need it on cold nights beside Nathan.

‘You’ll regret this, Grace. Power won’t hold you in the night, won’t support you when you’re vulnerable, won’t love you like I do.”

“But it will make everyone respect me, fear me, I walked to the bathroom to change back into my red dress, emerging to check myself in the mirror, perfectly repairing my makeup with practiced movements. “Including those who once mocked my family, those who thought I wasn’t good enough. Tomorrow, when I stand beside Nathan and become the Alpha’s mate, no one will remember I was once just an ordinary girl at the edges of the pack.”

I took lipstick from my purse, reapplying the vibrant red to my lips–a ritual of self–armoring I’d performed countless times. “As for love–I looked at Jack through the mirror, watching him watching me, “it’s just another tool to gain power, like beauty, like intelligence, like skill in bed.”

Jack finally stood, slowly putting on his pants and shirt. I could see the defeat in his movements, and something inside me–something I refused to acknowledge–ached at the sight.

“You’ll miss me, Grace, When you stand beside that cold Alpha, when you discover the emptiness of power, when you’re alone in the dark of night—you’ll miss someone who truly loved you.”

I put my lipstick back in my purse and turned to face him. I approached slowly, my fingers lightly touching the red mark on his face, my touch almost gentle. A part of me wondered if he might be right, but that part was quickly silenced by years of ambition.

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Chapter 166

“Perhaps. But thats a problem for the future Grace, I placed a light kiss on his lips, leaving a vivid red imprint my brand, my mark, less permanent than a wolf’s bite but no less possessive. And the present me chonses to be Queen.”

I turned toward the door, keeping my steps graceful and determined, refusing to let him see the smallest tremor in my resolve. Before opening it, I cast svest last glance at Jack, standing motionless, the pain and longing clear in his eyes.

“Goodbye, Jack,” I said, forcing resolution into my voice, though even I could detect the almost imperceptible hesitation.

As the door closed behind me, I took a deep breath, feeling Aria’s mournful cry deep inside. Quiet, 1 commanded my wolf Tomorrow we’ll have everything

Yet as I walked toward the elevator, my fingertips still retained the warmth of Jack’s skin, my lips still held the feeling of his kiss. I pressed the elevator button, watching the numbers descend one by one, just like I buried that tiny sliver of regret into the darkest corner of my heart.

Tomorrow, I would wear a white wedding dress and become Nathan Reynolds‘ mate, the Luna of the entire pack. And tonight’s red dress, tonight’s fack, tonight’s slap–would become secrets known only to me.

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