Chapter 13: I Reject You

The sun rose over my new territory, casting long shadows over the freshly marked borders of my own pack lands. The howls of morning patrols echoed through the forest, a sound that now brought pride rather than fear. My pack was still young, forged in secrecy and loyalty, but it pulsed with strength. These weren’t wolves bound by bloodlines or old alliances. They were chosen. By me, and by fate.

We called ourselves the Moonclaw. A name both respectful of the past and boldly forged for the future.

I walked through the camp, nodding at the warriors training in the clearing, the pups tumbling near the riverbank, the scouts preparing for their rotations. Everyone had a place. A purpose. I made sure of it. No one here would feel discarded, forgotten, or lesser. Not under my rule.

My leadership was firm but fair. I listened. I enforced discipline when necessary, but I led by example. No ivory towers. Just trust and strength.

It was everything Marcus's pack had never been.

Celeste stood by the central tent, waiting. "He’s here."

I didn’t need to ask who. The bond may have weakened, but I still felt the echo of him. His presence. His guilt.

Marcus Steele.

He arrived alone, no guards, no fanfare. Just the broken remains of a once-proud Alpha stepping into enemy territory. My territory.

I met him in the courtyard, my warriors forming a loose perimeter. Not because I feared him, but because this was more than the two of us now. This was about precedent. Power. Closure.

He stopped a few feet away, drinking me in like a ghost he had prayed to see again. "Luna..."

"Queen Luna," I corrected. My voice was ice.

His eyes flinched. "I came to speak with you."

"Speak, then."

He looked thinner. Tired. But none of it softened my resolve.

"I made mistakes," he began. "Unforgivable ones. I see that now. I see everything. What Victoria did. What I let happen. I was blind, and in my arrogance, I failed you."

I said nothing.

"You were never weak. I was. I let greed and politics cloud my judgment. I thought rejecting you would save my pack, protect our pride. But I lost everything the moment I let you go."

I stepped closer, each word from him felt like poison I’d already built immunity to.

"I loved you," he said.

My voice was steel. "You don’t destroy what you love."

He fell to his knees. "Please. I am not asking for your love back because i know that's the least you would ever considered me worthy of, Just forgiveness. And please a chance to stand by you. To right my wrongs."

The crowd held its breath.

I stared down at him. Once, I would have begged for this. For him. But that girl was gone.

"Marcus Steele," I said, loud enough for all to hear, "you rejected me when I was at my weakest. You believed lies over love. You discarded your mate like she was nothing."

His head bowed.

I stepped forward and said the words he once used to shatter me, I wanted him to feel the exact way i felt, thats if its enough.

"I, Luna Blackwood, Lycan Queen, reject you, Marcus Steele, as my mate. You had your chance."

A crack echoed through the courtyard. Not from the sky. From the bond.

I felt it snap.

Something primal screamed in my soul not in pain, but in release. A tether I hadn't even realized was still binding me unraveled. And with it, the last of my grief.

Marcus clutched his chest, breathless. The physical pain of a severed bond hit like a blade. He crumpled to the ground, gasping, but I didn't flinch.

I turned away.

Kai stood at the edge of the circle, arms folded, watching. As I approached, he extended a hand.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

There is something tender about how he asked, like he was careful so i dont get hurt by his question, how was he so careful of my feeling?..... Kai has been perfect but this  felt soft,  without letting my thought out i replied immediately.

"I’m free," I said, but pain  burned inside of me damn, my heart was soaked in tears only if it could be seen, but I held it up and all I showed was courage.

Kai smiled, and I saw in his eyes not just admiration, but belief  In who I would become.

Together, we walked back into my camp.

But the day was not yet over.

As dusk approached, I stood on the high ridge overlooking our territory. A council of my new allies gathered around me Celeste, Kai, ambassadors from smaller packs, and even a lone sorceress. They had seen what I had done. Heard the rejection. And they looked to me now not just as a symbol, but as a ruler.

Kai laid out a map on the stone table. "The vampire armies have moved faster than expected. 

Celeste added, "They know the bond is broken. That Marcus is no longer a threat. They'll strike at you now."

"Let them come," I said, my voice calm. "We’ll be ready."

We spent hours detailing defenses, sending envoys to friendly packs, preparing messages for supernatural allies. My rejection of Marcus had been personal but it had also been political. It proved I had severed all old ties. That I was no longer bound by outdated allegiances. I was something new.

That night, a gathering was held in my honor. No grand banquets. Just a massive bonfire, music, and laughter. My pack celebrated not just my power, but our unity.

Kai found me near the edge of the firelight. He said nothing at first. Just sat beside me.

"You never asked me to reject Marcus," I said.

"It wasn’t my place," he replied.

I glanced at him. "But you waited. You knew I needed to do it."

"I believed you would. Whenever you are ready."

I took a deep breath. "Thank you. For seeing me."

He smiled, eyes reflecting the fire. "Always."

A howl rose from the edge of camp an alert. One of the scouts ran toward us, urgency in her step.

"Your Majesty," she said, bowing. "A message from the Blood Fang Clan. The vampires are on the move. 

I stood.

The time for mourning has passed.

The time for war has come.