From Rejected Mate to Luna (Julia White) novel Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Julia’s POV

៥

71

The rest of my Christmas break passed in a strange, hollow calm. After receiving Professor Andrews’ email about the research project, I’d clung to that small promise of future purpose while mechanically going through the motions of family dinners and holiday traditions.

No one mentioned Daniel again. My parents and Eric treated me with careful gentleness, like I was made of glass. Even Sophia seemed to sense something had fundamentally changed, offering to watch movies with me instead of disappearing to text her friends. Nathan never returned, though I caught Eric and my father having hushed conversations whenever they thought I wasn’t paying attention.

I barely ate during those final days at home. Food tasted like cardboard, and more often than not, I’d push it around my plate until my mother stopped watching, then scrape most of it into the trash. Sleep came in restless bursts, punctuated by dreams of Daniel covered in blood or Nathan’s cold smile. I lost weight, my clothes hanging looser when I packed them to return to campus.

Kaia remained unusually subdued through it all. My wolf, normally so vibrant and opinionated, seemed to retreat into a watchful silence, as though conserving energy for whatever might come next. I couldn’t blame her; I was doing the same.

The day I left, my father hugged me tightly in the driveway, making me promise to call if anything felt wrong. My mother pressed containers of homemade food into my hands that I knew would likely go uneaten. Even Eric awkwardly patted my shoulder, his eyes conveying what he couldn’t say aloud that he was sorry, that he would keep watch, that I should stay far away.

–

I drove back to campus with a strange mixture of grief and relief. With each mile that passed, the invisible weight of pack territory – of Nathan’s territory – seemed to lift slightly from my shoulders.

I dragged my suitcase into my dorm room, the familiar scent of generic cleaner and old textbooks washing over me as I stepped inside. The space felt smaller than I remembered, but somehow freer than anywhere else I’d been in the past few weeks. I dropped my bag on the floor with a thud and stood motionless for a moment, my shoulders relaxing as I exhaled deeply.

Home, sort of, I thought, glancing around the modestly furnished room.

Here, I was just Julia-not the daughter of the Beta, not the reject, not Nathan’s property. The thought of him sent a chill through me, and I instinctively reached out through my mindlink, searching for any trace of Daniel. Nothing but hollow silence answered me. The emptiness confirmed what I already knew-he was far away, back to his pack with his family. Safe from Nathan. Safe from me.

Kaia, my wolf, stirred slightly inside me. She’d been unusually quiet since we left home, alert but subdued, as though she too was adjusting to the relative safety of being back on campus.

We’re okay here, I reassured her, though I wasn’t entirely convinced myself.

I unzipped my suitcase and began hanging my clothes in the small closet. My fingers brushed against a few new shirts I’d bought with Christmas money, simple pieces that held no memories attached to them.

The door burst open without warning, making me jump.

17:28 Tue, Jan 27

Chapter 62

:

“You’re back!” Amber squealed, bustling into the room with a coffee cup in one hand and a paper bag in the other. “I saw your car in the parking lot and ran to the café. One caramel latte and your favorite chocolate chip muffin!”

Before I could respond, she pulled me into a tight hug, nearly spilling the coffee. Her familiar perfume and the warmth of her embrace

caught me off guard. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed normal werewolf contact-contact that didn’t come with pack politics or

painful memories.

“Thanks,” I managed, forcing a smile as I pulled back to take the offerings. The smile felt strange on my face, like my muscles had

forgotten how to form one naturally. “It’s good to see you.”

Comments

3

Write Comments

← SHARE

17:28 Tue, Jan 27

From Rejected Mate to Luna