Pursuing My Rejected Luna by Cara Anderson novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Skye

“When did you become this jealous woman who makes a fuss about every little thing?” Jaxon spits accusingly, his frustration bleeding through now. “Your aunt storms in here making wild accusations, you sit there saying nothing to defend me or Cassandra, and now you’re giving me these looks like I’m the villain in all of this.”

“I’m not making a fuss,” I say.

“Aren’t you?” He crosses his arms. “The cold shoulder, the silence, the way you’ve been acting since-” He stops himself. “Since the trip.”

There it is. The real issue underneath all of this.

“So you’re still holding a grudge about the storm,” he says, his voice hardening. “Is that it? We’re back to that again?”

“I haven’t mentioned the storm.”

“You don’t have to. It’s written all over your face every time you look at me.” He runs a hand through his hair, that familiar gesture of frustration. “I told you it wasn’t about you. The decision to have you stay behind-it was tactical. Necessary. Liam was in distress, the betas wouldn’t separate, and you were the logical choice. You’re a warrior, Skye. The strongest person there besides me. I thought you could handle it.”

Handle it. Like nearly freezing to death is just another training exercise.

“I lost track of time with Liam’s medical emergency,” he continues. “That’s all it was. Not some deliberate abandonment, not me choosing Cassandra over you. It was a father dealing with his son’s crisis and losing sight of everything else for a few hours. Any parent would have done the same.”

Any parent. But not any husband. Not any mate.

He’s rewriting history. Smoothing over the sharp edges, making it all sound reasonable. Unavoidable. And maybe to him, it is. Maybe he genuinely believes every word coming out of his mouth.

I never was the type to cause a scene. Never the one to raise my voice or make demands or fight for my own dignity when it would be easier to just stay quiet.

And I no longer have the urge to even speak up for myself. Not after any love I still had for him froze to death in that storm.

Because the truth is so simple it’s almost beautiful: when a man doesn’t love you, no reason in the world could be enough to earn his sympathy. You could nearly die in a blizzard and he’d find a way to make it about his own inconvenience. But when he does love you? Then even if you crashed his family dinner in a nightgown as a loathed mistress, he would chase after you and comfort you without a second thought.

“Jaxon,” Grandma Rose says gently, cutting through his justifications. “That’s enough. You’re here to apologize, not to explain why Skye should accept your behavior.”

He looks at her, something flickering in his expression. Resentment, maybe. Or shame.

Jaxon wasn’t the firstborn of his family. His older brother died young, and Jaxon grew up largely in his grandmother’s care while his parents destroyed the pack through incompetence. That’s why Grandma Rose means more to him than anyone else in the world. Why her opinion carries weight that even his Alpha authority can’t dismiss.

1/3

Chapter

+15 Bonus

And why he’s here now. Not because he’s sorry. But because she told him to be.

“Fine,” he says, his voice tight. “I apologize for how the storm situation unfolded. For not sending a car sooner. For–” He glances at Grandma Rose. “For making you feel like you weren’t a priority.”

Making me feel. Not actually doing it. Just making me feel that way.

“And I want to be clear about something else,” Jaxon continues, his tone becoming more formal. “What’s happening with Cassandra. There’s nothing between us. No love, no affection, nothing romantic.”

Cassandra nods from her place on the sofa, her hands folded in her lap like a repentant child.

“What happened between Cassandra and me was years ago,” Jaxon says. “Before I knew you were my mate. I got drunk at a pack gathering and made a mistake. We slept together once. Just once. And then, the very next week, discovered our bond.”

His voice softens slightly on those last words, and I wonder if he even hears himself. If he realizes how it sounds like I’m the consequence that came after his mistake with Cassandra, not his fated mate.

“Cassandra left the pack shortly after,” he continues. “On her own. And I claimed you, Skye. I married you. I’ve been faithful to our bond ever since.”

Faithful. Such an interesting word when your ex-lover is living in your house.

“I didn’t know about Liam,” Jaxon adds. “Not until Cassandra came back. That’s the truth.’

I look at Cassandra. She meets my eyes with that perfect expression of regretful innocence.

“It’s true,” she says softly. “I never told him. I raised Liam alone because I didn’t want to interfere with your bond. I only came back when he got sick and I had no other choice.

“I never wanted to disrupt your marriage,” Cassandra continues, looking at me with those wide, earnest eyes. “I know this situation is uncomfortable. But I promise you, there’s nothing between Jaxon and me. I’m only here for my son.”

The performance is flawless.

Grandma Rose stands, moving to place her hand on Jaxon’s arm. “I want your word. Your promise that from now on, you’ll treat Skye with the respect and consideration she deserves. That you’ll put her needs first, as you should have been doing all along.”

Jaxon’s jaw tightens, but he nods. “You have my word, Grandma.”

“And Cassandra will find alternative housing as soon as Liam is well enough to move,” Grandma Rose continues, her tone brooking no argument. “This arrangement is temporary. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Grandma,” Jaxon says.

“Good.” She turns to me, her expression softening. “Skye, dear, do you accept Jaxon’s apology?”

They’re all looking at me now. Waiting.

I could say no. Could tell them that apologies without changed behavior are meaningless. That I don’t believe a word of Jaxon’s careful explanations or Cassandra’s tearful performance.

But what would be the point?

Grandma Rose needs to believe her grandson is a good man who made mistakes. Jaxon needs to believe he’s done

2/3

25

+15 Bonus

his duty by apologizing. Cassandra needs to maintain her innocent victim act.

And I need to buy myself time.

Time to plan. Time to prepare. Time to get out before this trap closes completely around me.

So I nod.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify