The Rejected Luna (Avery and Kaden) novel Chapter 4

**TITLE: Between Then and Now by Mark Twain**

**Chapter 4**

Adrian’s figure loomed in the harsh light, his outline blurred and indistinct, as if he were a ghost caught between two worlds.

The moment I was set free, a whirlwind of activity erupted around me as preparations for the mating ceremony commenced with an urgency that felt suffocating.

The night preceding the ceremony, I found myself in the pack house’s living room, where Mother casually remarked, her tone almost dismissive, “Now that you’ve finally come to your senses, it’s time to prepare yourself properly. Eden has been emotionally fragile lately—make sure to apologize to her when you get a moment.”

Mike, leaning back with an air of nonchalance, flicked the ash from his cigarette, the embers glowing like tiny stars against the dim backdrop. “Hazel, just play along. It’s the only way the pack will let you keep a shred of dignity,” he advised, his voice dripping with condescension.

A laugh bubbled up within me, but the weight of my despair rendered me incapable of even curling my lips into a smile.

Weeks spent in confinement and torment had drained every ounce of vitality from my being; even the wolf within me felt dulled, its once vibrant spirit now shrouded in silence.

Noticing my lack of response, Adrian’s voice sharpened, cutting through the air like a blade. “The bond-sealing deal has been approved—what more could you possibly desire?” His frustration was palpable, and I could sense the tension radiating off him.

“If we’re tallying things up, everything you possess now was taken from Eden anyway, wasn’t it?” I shot back, my words laced with bitterness, the truth stinging like a fresh wound.

“Keep this up, and neither your pack nor I will have any use for you,” he threatened, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Eden, seated between us like a fragile flower in a storm, spoke softly, her voice almost a whisper. “Hazel, I’ve been craving the chocolate chip cookies you used to make.”

“The ones… you baked specifically for Adrian,” I added, the memory crashing over me like a wave.

Chocolate chip cookies.

I recalled the night I had stayed up, lost in my thoughts, baking them for him when his father was sentenced. He had been burning with fever, delirious and vulnerable.

In those moments, they had become our secret—a sweet promise shared between us that no one else could touch.

Adrian had once pinned me against the kitchen counter, his eyes fierce and earnest, making me swear on our bond that those cookies would never grace the hands of another soul.

Yet now, they were mere tools, twisted into a means for him to win over someone else.

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