The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon (Celine and Bastian) novel Chapter 24

Chapter 24

My face burns completely. Because the doctor has asked me to remove my clothes so he can weigh me and although I know perfectly well that he is a professional and will not look at me inappropriately, he will still see the signs of the abuse my body suffered in the past.

My fingers lightly grip the edge of the robe while I avoid looking directly at the large mirror in the room. The metallic sound of the scale being adjusted makes me even more nervous and the cold floor beneath my bare feet sends chills across my skin.

Suddenly, Bastian’s voice echoes through my mind from that time back at the pack house, when he told me I should not be ashamed of my scars because I was not the one who caused them.

Even so, I still feel the urge to cover myself.

Bastian has already seen me from head to toe and I deeply appreciate the doctor’s empathy in making everything as brief as possible. He barely examines my scars, avoids asking unnecessary questions, and respectfully looks away while writing something down on a dark folder.

“Prince, there is not much I can do here. Let us take her to the hospital for a full examination.” He says while putting away the few things he removed from his briefcase. “Our Luna needs to see a nutritionist so she can be advised on how to eat until her stomach is able to handle larger portions without becoming sick.”

Bastian’s face turns pale for a second, though his expression quickly hardens again. His large warm hands help me adjust my clothes with more care than I expected from someone like him. He avoids touching my scars for too long, as if seeing them still enrages him.

“I can do it myself, relax.” I take his hand, trying to calm him and pull his mind away from whatever he is thinking about.

His fingers tighten slightly around mine before slowly relaxing.

Once I am ready, we leave the chamber and head toward the hospital.

In the hallway, King Magnus and the others who had been with us at breakfast remain waiting with the same uncertain expressions. Even Alaric looks more serious than usual and Jared seems to have been holding his breath for several minutes.

“I’m alright, I just ate too much.” I whisper to Jared, who looks worse than I did this morning. “Don’t worry.”

The boy’s shoulders lower slightly, though the guilt is still clearly written across his face.

“It’s my fault. I put too much on your plate.”

“We all put too much on our Luna’s plate, Jared.” Alaric’s voice reaches us from a few steps behind. “We all feel bad about it.”

Bastian helps me put on a thick coat. His hands adjust the fur collar around my throat before fastening the buttons one by one. He completely ignores the looks around us when he takes my hand and follows the doctor, who quickly says goodbye to King Magnus.

Jared, without caring much whether Bastian agrees or not, follows us outside the castle. The cold morning air hits my face and sends the golden leaves at the entrance dancing across the piles gathered along the sides of the road.

The boy settles into the back seat while I fasten my seatbelt in the passenger seat.

Bastian says nothing. He only gives me a small tired smile before starting the engine. The deep sound of the vehicle breaks the silence while the enormous black iron gates of the castle slowly begin opening in front of us.

I stare out the window, ignoring the concern of the two men accompanying me. I feel like they are exaggerating. But I get distracted when Bastian’s phone rings inside the pocket of his coat.

1/3

17

15:05 Mon, Aug 17 ·

The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon

He pulls it out and answers without saying a single word for several seconds The silence inside the vehicle becomes heavy and Bastian’s expression slowly changes. His gaze turns cold until it becomes completely unreadable and, suddenly, his eyes turn red.

Even the air inside the car seems to tighten.

“You may proceed, and do it well.”

That is all he says before ending the call and returning to normal. Even his eyes turn black again, as if the monster living inside him had never surfaced at all.

“I don’t want you to be afraid, Celine.” He glances at me for only a second before focusing back on the road. “They’re going to run many tests and you’ll see a skin specialist and a nutritionist. We’ll probably spend the entire day at the hospital”

I nod, trying to reassure him, but now his expression looks… dark. More than usual.

His fingers tap the steering wheel once before becoming completely still.

“Why do you have that look on your face?” I ask when the vehicle stops in front of an enormous building with white walls and windows covered in silver reflections. “What did they tell you to put you in such a bad mood?”

“Nothing you should worry about.”

Jared gets out first and pulls his thick jacket tighter around himself, which I had not noticed he was wearing. Vapor slowly escapes his mouth from the cold while he walks around the vehicle to open my door.

But Bastian pushes him aside before he can help me out.

“Let’s go inside. It’s cold and I don’t want you getting sick.”

Bastian’s words almost make me forget that, just a second ago, he nearly made Jared stumble into the snow.

I do not glare at him, but I do not move either.

“I understand that all of this has you a little nervous, but that does not mean you need to bulldoze everyone who gets in your way. Jared only wanted to help me and you almost made him fall to the ground. Be kind to the people who are kind to us. Understand?”

Bastian slowly raises one eyebrow and his gaze moves from Jared to me and then back to him again. Finally, he rolls his eyes, which now appear golden.

Zack is clearly glaring at Jared from inside those eyes.

The poor boy takes several steps backward over the snow.

“I’m sorry.” He tells my friend. “Just keep your distance, because you would not like another man touching or helping your mate with things that are not his place when you finally find her.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify