The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon (Celine and Bastian) novel Chapter 156

Chapter 156

His words leave me speechless for several seconds.

At last, I lower my gaze.

“I can’t stop you from going… but if you truly love her, let her be free.”

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Johan holds my gaze for a moment before giving me a slight nod. He turns around and starts walking away down the corridor with slow, measured steps. The echo of his boots rings across the stone floor as the light filtering through the stained-glass windows glides over his figure.

“If Celine doesn’t want me… she can reject me.”

I remain still, watching his back.

“Johan.”

He stops immediately, though he doesn’t turn around. His shoulders remain rigid, his head slightly lowered, waiting for me to continue.

“I think my mother-in-law overlooked one very important detail when she decided to teach you about your new nature. A Dire Wolf female’s mate bond cannot be broken. Only a pureblood Dire Wolf can break the mating bond with another Dire Wolf. If fate chose to bind you to Celine… she won’t be able to break that bond

on her own.”

The silence becomes almost unbearable.

I watch his fingers slowly curl into a fist. Tension spreads through his arms, stiffens his back, and makes his chest rise with a deep breath that seems to catch in his throat before slowly escaping. He lowers his head a few inches, as though the weight of those words has just settled onto his shoulders, and for several long seconds, he does absolutely nothing. He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t move.

He simply stands there, motionless, trying to absorb a truth that has completely changed the course of his life.

When he finally begins breathing normally again, he lifts his face toward the corridor ceiling and squeezes his eyes shut. His jaw tightens so hard that I can see the muscle flex beneath his skin.

He understands exactly what I’ve just told him. If he goes after Celine and she can’t accept him, no rejection will ever be enough to break that bond. He’ll have to watch her live beside another man, build a family, hear her voice, and feel her presence without ever being able to tear her from his heart.

“Something is wrong with her. I can feel it, and I need to go. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s as if something… an invisible hand… is pulling me, and I can’t stay here doing nothing. I’ve seen her lying in a bed, wounded. If I can help my brother save her, then I’ll go.”

“Her mate is going to kill you if you go anywhere near her.”

“I don’t care.”

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The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon

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He doesn’t hesitate for even a second. His shoulders remain tense, and his jaw hardens with a determination that can’t be broken. He continues down the corridor with steady steps, never looking back, and I lose sight of him as he disappears into one of the chambers at the end of the hall.

A moment later, a brilliant light begins spilling from beneath the door, illuminating the dark veins in the stone floor and casting shimmering reflections across the walls. The air hums with a dense, familiar energy. I know, without needing to check, that he’s opened a portal… and that he’s already gone.

I like being here. This kingdom is peaceful, harmonious… at least when we’re not around. Every time we come here, something happens, and I’m tired of becoming a problem for the rulers of Avalon, even if we are family. The air always smells of fine wood, wildflowers, and freshly cut herbs. Everything radiates an almost perfect calm, a peace that seems to embrace every corner of the castle. And yet, the moment we walk through its gates, that tranquility falls apart. I’m beginning to think chaos follows us wherever we go.

I quicken my pace. The echo of my boots bounces off the towering stone walls as I make my way through the wide corridors. The servants interrupt their work as I pass and bow respectfully. I give them a brief nod without stopping and continue until I reach the Great Hall. The massive wooden doors are closed.

My stomach tightens immediately.

That can’t mean anything good.

I place both hands against the heavy carved wood and push the doors open. The hinges let out a soft groan before swinging wide. Inside, the women left in command are already gathered, along with the men who, for the most part, are members of my family. And the others… well, I can’t honestly say that a Greater Demon falls under the category of family. Then again, considering everything I’ve lived through, I suppose my family tree stopped making sense a long time ago.

After looking around at everyone’s faces, I arch an eyebrow.

Stephan Dubois, former hunter of the Silver Order, is now a member of the Sanctuary. He looks like he just got out of the shower. His face is clean-shaven, his hair much shorter than the last time I saw him three months ago, and his dark clothes fit neatly over a body hardened by years of battle. It’s hard to believe that this calm-looking man is the same one who once spread terror among our people.

His son, Derek, is under Darien’s and my care until Stephan completes his mission: killing as many hunters and Strigoi as possible.

For years, he slaughtered thousands of supernatural beings while serving the Order. The irony is that even back then, he was a far more dangerous predator than any hunter, Strigoi, or monster he ever hunted. The difference is that now he directs that brutality against the people he once called allies. Even so, the list of lives weighing on his shoulders is still far too long.

I haven’t forgiven him for everything he did to us. Not what he did to me, nor to my adoptive parents, nor to the packs he massacred for the sole purpose of forcing me out of hiding. He has far too much blood on his hands. Even if he’s a different man today, even if he’s changed and now serves under my command, I still feel an instinctive revulsion every time he comes to see his son or to update us on what’s happening in the world we no longer inhabit. Some wounds heal… but they never truly stop hurting whenever you look again at the face of the person who caused them.

“Valeria, congratulations on your baby.” He rises to his feet and takes a step forward.

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