No Longer Be your Luna (Jane and Xander) novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Dead and Gone.

*Jane*

Just as I siad “ten“, Xander finally staggered back. But as I lifted

my gaze to meet his, I spotted it was Mia who wrapped around

his arm, yanking him away from me.

Xander tried to shrug her off, but Mia held him firm, planting

herself firmly in his path like a human barricade.

“Move, Mia, don’t invove yourself in these fights.” he growled.

But his eyes were still fixed on mine.

Mia remained motionless and didn’t look away. Her voice was

cold and calm, but behind this voice, there was burning a flame

that I had never seen in her. “No.” Her eyes flickered toward me,

then back to him.

“She nearly died tonight. Do you want her to burn the house down in a fit of rage? I have properties worth a lot scattered all over this place, Xander. You’re not going to make her light them up. Do yourself some good and calm the fuck down.” Mia hissed

at him.

Ryan’s face darkened and his shoulders drooped. He stared at

Chapter 25: Dead and Gone.

her in shock. She simply wanted to give him a beating. For the

first time in a long time, he remained silent. Sure, that was Mia,

his beloved beta. Otherwise, what else could he do?

I watched them, the woman who had taken over my life and

my mate who had betrayed me. It felt like I was outside looking

in as a silent moment passed between them. My wolf didn’t

whimper or growl. Instead, she went eerily silent.

“Could you step aside? You’re both blocking my path.” I said

Xander finally looked away from his mistress and met my gaze.

He didn’t move, didn’t speak, just stared at me.

I wasn’t sure how much time passed as we stood there just

staring at each other. But Mia finally tugged at his arm. She

stood on her tiptoes, whispered something in his ear, and like

magic he followed her to the side, clearing my path.

Good. I tightened my grip on my bag and moved to open the

door.

“You have nowhere to go,” Xander called out from behind me.

“You have no friends. Only me.”

I kept walking, my hand reaching for the doorknob,

“Do you think your siblings will take you in after you sent their

Chapter 25 Dead and Gone.

mother to jail?”

My fingers trembled on the door knob. He was right. I had nowhere to go. No family, no friends. I was completely alone.

What about Aaron? My wolf asked. I couldn’t dump all this on

him. It was just too much.

“Come back while you still can.”

Without looking back fully, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my car keys. Then, I tugged at the engagement ring and wedding band that had felt like a jagged collar all these years.

“Give these to your mistress,” I said, tossing them to the floor. “I‘

m sure she’ll appreciate the upgrade.”

It felt good, in a way, to say those words.

I twisted the knob and stepped out of that house for what

would be the very last time. The fresh night air welcomed me,

and I paused to take a deep breath. It felt almost foreign against

hotel. I reached into my wallet, pulling out cash.

grand chandeliers and clean marble floors. I was already

Chapter 25: Dead and Gone.

daydreaming about the soft sheets as I approached the front

desk.

A receptionist with a silver name tag looked up. “Welcome to

The Moontrace Hotel,” she beamed at me with a professional

smile. “I’m Rose. How can I help you this evening?”

“I need a room. For a week, please.”

Rose nodded, her fingers already moving across the keyboard.

“Of course. Any preferences for floor or view?”

“Something high up,” I replied, thinking of how I needed the

space from reality.

“Perfect. We have a lovely corner room on the fifteenth floor.

May I have a card for the reservation?”

I reached into my wallet and pulled out my debit card. As Rose

swiped it, I gazed around the lobby, mentally calculating how

much food I could eat within a week.

When I looked back, Rose’s expression had changed. Her brow furrowed slightly, lips pressed together.

I tilted my head. “Is something wrong?”

Rose hesitated, her eyes meeting mine briefly before darting

a car as been declined.”

A pit settled in my stomach. “That’s impossible,” I frowned, leaning closer. “Try again. It might be a network issue.”

She swiped once more, the machine emitting a soft beep that seemed to echo my growing dread.

“I’m sorry,” Rose said, genuinely apologetic. “It’s not a connection problem.” She turned the screen slightly, allowing me to see the message. “Your account’s been frozen.”