From Rejected Mate to Luna (Julia White) novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Julia’s POV

Dad and Eric exchanged confused glances as a heavy silence settled over the office. The weight of what I’d just said hung in the air

between us, suffocating and final.

Eric carefully broke the silence. “Why? This is exactly what Nathan wants, Ju.”

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My emotions finally broke free. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I leaned against the doorframe for support, my breathing becoming rapid

and shallow. The pain in my chest felt like physical wounds, matching what Daniel had suffered because of me.

“She said…” I gasped between sobs. “Claire said I would ruin him… She said Daniel deserves a real mate.”

Kaia growled low in my mind, fighting against this decision, but I pushed her protests away. This wasn’t about what either of us wanted-

it was about what needed to be done.

Dad walked toward me, pulling me into his arms as I completely fell apart against his shoulder. The familiar scent of his aftershave-pine

and citrus-reminded me of childhood moments when he’d comforted me after nightmares. But this wasn’t a nightmare I could wake up

from.

“They’re taking him back to their tribe… He’ll be far from Nathan… far from all the danger I bring,” I managed between ragged breaths.

Eric leaned against the desk, his face showing a mixture of guilt and anger I’d rarely seen directed at anyone but me. “This isn’t your

fault, Julia. It’s Nathan’s.”

I shook my head against Dad’s shoulder. “But Claire’s right… Daniel deserves his own mate… not some broken girl whose own mate

rejected her.” The words Claire had used cut even deeper as I repeated them aloud.

Dad gently held me at arm’s length, his eyes searching mine. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

I wiped the tears from my face, forcing my expression into one of determination despite the hollowness spreading through my chest. “No,

it’s not what I want. But it’s the right thing to do.”

“Then we’ll support you,” he said softly, and the gentleness in his voice nearly broke me all over again,

The ride to the hospital felt endless. Dad’s black SUV cut through the darkness, headlights illuminating the empty road ahead. I stared out

the window, barely registering the blurred landscape passing by.

In the rearview mirror, Dad’s eyes kept flicking to me, his brows furrowed with concern. Eric turned in his seat to face me. “I’ll go in with

you, make sure Nathan doesn’t show up.”

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Chapter 53

I nodded mechanically. “Will he come back?” My voice sounded flat, detached, as if it belonged to someone else.

“He’s not in the pack territory right now,” Eric said, his jaw tight. “I can’t sense him through our link, but I don’t think he’ll let this go easily. Nathan isn’t one to back down when he thinks something belongs to him.”

“When you found him… how bad was it?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I’d only seen Daniel after the doctors had cleaned and bandaged him, but I needed to know the raw truth-needed to understand just how far Nathan’s cruelty had gone. I need to know what

Nathan did to him.”

Eric hesitated, clearly not wanting to add to my burden, but eventually sighed. “Bad. If I’d been even a few minutes later… he might not

have made it.”

I drew in a shaky breath, more convinced than ever that my decision was right.

We can protect him, Kaia whispered in my mind.

No, we can’t, I answered silently.

Dad’s voice cut through the tense silence. “Eric, don’t leave your sister’s side. If you see anyone suspicious-”

Eric nodded grimly as we pulled into the hospital parking lot.

The antiseptic smell of the hospital made my sensitive nose burn. The fluorescent lights seemed to highlight every shadow under my eyes,

every trace of dried tears on my cheeks. We approached the ICU entrance where Claire and Richard stood waiting, the air instantly becoming charged with tension.

Claire’s eyes flashed dangerously when she saw me, her body immediately shifting into a defensive stance. “You dare come back?” She

stepped forward aggressively, forcing me to take a step back.

Dad moved between us, shoulders squared. “We need to talk about Daniel’s safety. He needs to be moved to another facility immediately.”

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