Rejected by My Alpha Now He Replaced Me with a Copycat Luna novel Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Raven’s POV

I pulled the bathroom door just shy of closed, only enough to let a hint of light peek through. Back at my apartment, I’d had night-lights, but I’d been embarrassed to pack and bring them here. I didn’t want to answer the questions using them would raise. So, leaving one of the bathroom lights on was my only option.

Slipping into bed, I sighed at the feel of the soft sheets and fluffy mattress. While my wolf felt at peace, my-human half was on edge. Asher’s cruel words stoked fury among his pack mates. Now, they were all at odds.

It didn’t matter how much of a prick Asher was. I didn’t want him on the outside looking in-even if it was his fault. Because I knew how that felt, how lonely it could be. And something told me he was mistrustful for a reason. He’d been hurt before. I could feel it even with my emotional shields up.

A soft knock sounded on the door. The three raps had long pauses between them, as if whoever was on the other side wasn’t sure they wanted to see them through.

“Come in,” I called.

The door swung open slowly, and Nox filled the space. He wore flannel pajama bottoms with some sort of video game design on them, a tee that stretched across the lean muscles of his chest, and those black-framed glasses. He looked adorable and gorgeous.

“Hi,” I said, my voice dropping a fraction.

One corner of his mouth kicked up as he shut the door behind him. “Hi. I, um, I was wondering if I could sleep with you.”

My eyes flared. We hadn’t talked about what today had meant, not really. I got the sense that Kael wanted more, but I wasn’t sure about the rest of the guys. Well, other than Asher’s crass offer.

I felt the most at ease around Nox, as if my soul sighed in his presence, so my words came quickly. “Of course.” I pulled back the covers to welcome him in.

Nox quickly crossed to me, pulling his glasses off and setting them on the nightstand before sliding into bed. I rolled over to face him, my hands tucked under my chin. He hesitantly reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

“It can take a while for the touch-hunger to leave when it’s been that long,” he murmured. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

My heart clenched as I put the pieces together. “You’ve experienced it.” It wasn’t a question, but Nox answered anyway. “When I turned thirteen, and my parents realized I was a submissive wolf, they turned me out.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, the inhale coated in invisible razor blades. “Nox.”

“They’re both dominant wolves. They didn’t understand how I turned out the way I did and wanted nothing to do with me. I lived on the streets for about five years before Kael found me. He taught me that I have value beyond my dominance or submission. That I’m more than what my

parents saw me as.”

My hand found Nox’s under the covers, and I threaded my fingers through his, squeezing gently. “You’re so much more than that. We all are. Our value is not determined by physical strength. Our existence is so much more multifaceted than that.”

I said the words for me as much as Nox because I wanted to believe them, even though I wasn’t quite there yet. I could still hear Michael’s words echoing in my head. “Weak,” he spat. “If I couldn’t scent my blood running through your veins, I wouldn’t believe you were mine. A waste of fur and air.”

My eyes burned as I remembered the feeling of his belt slicing open the skin of my back. The stinging, blinding pain.

“Raven, Nox whispered, his forehead dropping to mine.

“They don’t see us,” I croaked. “But we’re still here.”

“I see you, Raven. And everything I see is beautiful. Gentic fierce. Strong and tender. You’re everything all at once, and it’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

That burn spread to my throat, making it hard to talk. “Nox.”

‘Sleep. I’ll hold you while you do.”

And for the first time since my mom was killed, I went to sleep knowing someone was looking out for me.

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