The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon (Celine and Bastian) novel Chapter 103

The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon

Chapter 103

EX 20 vour hers

Bastian’s gray eyes remained fixed on mine for several seconds. He didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t try to argue with me either He knew me well enough to understand that once I’d made up my mind, insisting was pointless.

He quietly walked over and accompanied me to the dining room’s massive double doors. The guards opened them as soon as they saw us approaching, and a rush of cool air, carrying the scent of snow-covered pines, drifted into the castle.

Bastian cupped my face with a gentleness that stood in complete contrast to the tension still lingering in the air and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“I’ll see you later, then.”

I nodded silently before stepping out into the wide stone corridor.

For some reason, I had the feeling that my conversation with Silas Thorn would answer a lot of questions… and probably raise even more.

But things in this kingdom never go the way I want them to, and the moment I cross the hall, I spot Bastian’s obnoxious friend walking through the castle’s front doors. The icy air from outside sweeps in through the grand entrance before the guards shut the heavy wooden doors again. Her gaze immediately locks onto mine, and I feel the good mood I’d managed to recover during breakfast vanish within seconds.

Nadia Robinson walks toward me looking flawless, dressed entirely in black, her hair perfectly pinned up, and wearing a smile so fake I could spot it from here to the edge of the kingdom. Her boots echó across the marble floor with confident footsteps. Far too confident for someone who shouldn’t be walking into this castle so freely anymore.

I hold my ground. I don’t like her, and Aymara has already told me more than enough about her.

What she had with Bastian wasn’t friendship.

She wanted him for herself.

And judging by the way she’s smiling at me, I suspect she still hasn’t accepted that she came too late.

I keep walking, ignoring her, intending to pass right by as though she doesn’t exist, but the witch steps directly into my path with a casualness that instantly gets on my nerves.

“Your little friend came back to the castle. Either you throw her out, or I will, and you are not going to like it.” I tell Bastian through our bond without taking my eyes off Nadia.

“Hello, Celina. I came to visit you.” I arch an eyebrow when she calls me by the wrong name again, as though she’s doing it on purpose. “Where’s Bas?”

I take a step back when she tries to hug me and clasp my hands behind my back, making sure she doesn’t see the fists I’ve clenched so tightly that my nails are already digging into my palms. I stare at her without blinking, without offering her a smile or the slightest hint of emotion. If she’s expecting a warm welcome, she’s going to be disappointed.

“My name is Celine, not Celina. And if you want to visit us, you need to request an audience or ask permission before entering the castle. Bastian is with his family.”

She smiles, but it’s a strained smile. It lasts barely a second before she rearranges that pleasant expression she’s clearly practiced far too many times in front of a mirror.

“Oh. I’ve never had to ask permission for anything here. I’m Bas’s friend.”

I’d like to rip her eyes out and stick them on the castle gates.

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The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon

20 vousness

I take a deep breath before answering. I’m not going to give her the satisfaction of making a scene in the middle of the main

hall

“That’s no longer the case. Bastian is an engaged man now.” I place slight emphasis on my mate’s name, stressing every syllable on purpose “And you don’t get to come and go as if you own this castle.”

For a brief instafit, her smile falters. It’s only a tiny reaction, so subtle that anyone else might have missed it, but I catch it Her lips tighten before she forces that fake pout back into place, one that, far from making me feel sympathetic, only irritates me even more.

I decide to ignore her and try to walk past, but she stops me by grabbing my arm.

Her fingers tighten more than necessary.

It isn’t a friendly gesture.

It’s a very clear attempt to keep me from leaving.

“Arlet is a friend of my family, and she warned me about your personality. She told me you’re difficult to deal with, but I’m not your enemy. I want us to be friends.”

My gaze slowly drops to Nadia’s hand gripping my arm. I study each of her fingers before lifting my eyes back to her face. The smile is still there, flawless, carefully rehearsed… but her eyes tell a completely different story.

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