From Rejected Mate to Luna (Julia White) novel Chapter 92

92

“I’ve been unfair to you,” he finally said, his voice lower than before.

“The truth is… I’ve been drawn to you since we first met, but I lost my

mate, Rachel, only two years ago.” He looked away, pain flashing

across his features. “Having feelings for someone new felt like

betrayal. So I tried to keep my distance, but I wasn’t very good at it.”

I stared at him, speechless. I hadn’t known about his mate, about his

loss. Suddenly his erratic behavior made more sense–the coldness,

the professional detachment punctuated by moments of unexpected

warmth.

“Daniel’s presence made it easier,” he continued. “When you were with him, I could justify being friendly without feeling guilty. It was like… a buffer. And when you weren’t with him, I overcorrected, pushed you away too hard.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not

proud of it.”

“I… I didn’t know about your mate,” I said softly. The revelation left me reeling, unprepared for this sudden vulnerability from Spring

Valley’s Alpha.

“I’m not telling you this to pressure you,” Matthew said quickly, meeting my eyes again. “I just wanted to explain why I’ve been such an ass. You deserve that much.”

A flush crept up his neck and into his cheeks as he added, “That’s… actually another reason I don’t want you to leave.”

2/4

Chapter 92

I couldn’t help but stare. An Alpha–blushing? Nathan would never

show such vulnerability, would never admit to uncertainty or

conflicted feelings. His face would never color with embarrassment; his eyes would never hold that mixture of hope and fear I saw in

Matthew’s.

The revelation left me feeling off–balance, my thoughts scrambling to reorganize everything I thought I knew about him. This powerful Alpha had just laid his heart bare, admitting weakness and regret. And somehow, in this moment of unexpected honesty, I felt safer

with him than I had with anyone in years.

“I don’t know what to say,” I admitted, my voice barely above a

whisper.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Matthew replied. “I just wanted you

to understand.”

His confession hung between us, changing the very air we breathed. I looked at him differently now–seeing not just the stern Alpha, but a man who had suffered profound loss and was afraid to open himself

to that pain again.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, trying to gather my thoughts. “I still can’t stay here,” I said finally, gentler than before. “Nathan is attacking your pack because of me. I need to leave before more

people get hurt.”