The Rejected Luna (Avery and Kaden) novel Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Eden stood frozen in place, her body rigid with fear, paralyzed by the weight of the moment. The air around her felt thick, suffocating, as if the very atmosphere conspired to keep her from moving, from facing whatever horror lay behind her.

Adrian entered the room first, his presence commanding yet softened by the relief that washed over him when he saw that I was unharmed. His eyes, usually so sharp and calculating, held a flicker of concern that quickly faded as reality settled back in.

Luna Juliet and Mike followed closely, their expressions shifting from shock to a simmering rage. They took in the chaos surrounding us—the overturned furniture, the scattered remnants of a confrontation—and their fury crystallized into a single, accusatory question: “What have you done?”

In a matter of moments, the scene was brought under control, the tension thick enough to slice through. They stared at me, wide-eyed and speechless, clearly taken aback by the sight of me brandishing a mop handle as if it were a sword.

I lowered my makeshift weapon, the wood clattering softly against the floor, but the silence that followed was deafening.

Isla’s voice cut through the stillness, laced with contempt. “Your promises are worthless! Filthy liars, all of you!”

The three of them, once so confident, averted their gazes, their shame palpable in the air. “Hazel, we’ll make sure this is handled properly,” Mike finally said, his voice lacking the conviction it once held.

Adrian’s tone was strained, almost pleading. “Just… be well. And stay away from the likes of us.”

I chose not to respond, the weight of his words sinking in without the need for a reply.

Eden, who had been all but invisible until now, suddenly erupted in a desperate shriek. “Why do you only see her when she’s around?! Adrian, I’m your Luna!”

“Don’t you remember? You’re the ones who sent her to the werewolf asylum! You’re the ones who called her crazy! Now you pretend to care about her?!” My heart ached for her as she broke down, tears streaming down her face, but the trio who had once adored her turned their backs, offering nothing but a cold, dismissive glance. They had done the same to me years ago, and the bitter taste of betrayal lingered in my mouth.

Adrian’s voice dropped to an icy chill, cutting through the emotional haze. “You were explicitly forbidden from coming here.”

“Consider this your final warning. Disobey me, and the doors of that sanatorium will be the last you ever see.”

Mike and Luna Juliet stood by, their expressions devoid of empathy, as if they had already made their choices.

The irony of the situation was not lost on me. Adrian, forever haunted by his past, had become a creature of unquenchable ambition, his need for power and recognition overshadowing any semblance of warmth. His affections, no matter how deeply felt, were always entwined with cold, calculating motives.

He had turned on me once; it was only natural that he would do the same to Eden now.

As for Luna Juliet and Mike, they had always favored the “underdog.” First it had been Eden, newly returned to the pack, the one they had once cherished. Now it was me, reduced to a life stripped of status, living as a commoner among them.

A scream shattered my reverie, pulling my attention back to the chaos.

They placed the box down anyway, leaving it behind as they exited, their eyes rimmed red with unvoiced emotions.

Adrian lingered for a moment, his gaze locked on me, a myriad of emotions flickering across his face. Finally, his voice cracked, barely above a whisper. “Call me if you ever need anything….”

“The truth is, I’ve always loved the Hazel who carried me home that snowy night.”

“I’m the one who lost you.”

With that, he stumbled out the door, leaving me in the suffocating silence, the weight of his words echoing in my mind.

In the days that followed, news spread like wildfire through the pack—whispers of the young Alpha warrior’s tragic death in a training accident near the borders, his body never fully recovered.

Eden, upon receiving the devastating news, was found lifeless the next morning, a victim of an overdose of sleeping pills, her final escape from a world that had turned its back on her.

The once-mighty Darkstone Pack, its lineage now fractured and its legacy tarnished, gradually faded from prominence, becoming little more than a forgotten name in the annals of the Werewolf Realm.

To live out our lives on separate paths, never to cross again—that was the only fitting end to our story.