PUBLIC REJECTION

The clearing had not returned to normal.

Even after Marcus spoke and the murmurs started up again, something heavy still lingered in

the air.

Ariana could feel it pressing down on her as she stood there.

Every eye was on her.

Some filled with pity.

Others with judgment.

And some watched with quiet satisfaction.

She took another step back, her chest rising and falling unevenly.

This couldn’t be how it ended.

Not like this.

Not in front of everyone.

"Marcus," she called again, her voice steadier this time.

The movement around the clearing slowed.

A few wolves stopped completely.

Marcus turned his head slightly, his expression already showing irritation.

“I’m not finished,” Ariana said.

The words surprised even her.

A Luna was supposed to be calm. Controlled. Respectful.

But right now, she was none of those things.

Right now, she was hurt.

And she needed answers.

Marcus sighed quietly, as if she were becoming a problem.

“Ariana,” he said, his tone low, “this is not the place.”

“No,” she replied, shaking her head. “This is exactly the place.”

A ripple of tension spread through the crowd.

Selene stood beside Marcus, silent but watchful.

Ariana stepped forward again, closing the gap she had just made.

Her hands trembled slightly, but she kept her chin up.

“You made this decision in front of everyone,” she continued. “So you can explain it in front of

everyone.”

Marcus’s eyes darkened.

“You’re letting your emotions control you.”

Ariana gave a short, bitter laugh.

“My emotions?” she repeated. “You just replaced me like I meant nothing.”

A few wolves shifted uncomfortably.

Others leaned in, clearly interested.

Marcus’s jaw tightened. “Watch your tone.”

The warning in his voice was clear.

But Ariana didn’t stop.

Not this time.

“Tell me the truth,” she said. “Did you ever plan to choose me?”

Silence fell again.

Heavy.

Waiting.

Marcus didn’t answer immediately.

And that hesitation told her everything.

It said everything.

Ariana’s heart sank deeper.

“Answer me,” she whispered.

His gaze hardened.

“I did what was necessary,” he said.

His words stung like a slap.

“That’s not an answer,” Ariana said, her voice rising slightly. “That’s an excuse.”

A low murmur spread through the crowd.

Selene finally stepped forward, her presence calm but firm.

“This is enough,” she said. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”

Ariana turned to her slowly.

“Am I?” she asked.

Her voice grew quiet again.

Too quiet.

Selene met her gaze without hesitation. “Yes.”

Ariana studied her for a moment.

The confidence.

The certainty.

The way she stood beside Marcus made it seem like she already belonged there.

As if Ariana had never existed.

“You knew,” Ariana said softly.

Selene didn’t deny it.

That hurt more than anything.

Ariana took a slow breath.

Then she looked back at Marcus.

“You both knew,” she added.

Marcus’s expression didn’t change.

But his silence was all the answer she needed.

Ariana felt something inside her twist painfully.

“How long?” she asked.

No answer.

“How long have you been planning this?”

Marcus stepped forward slightly, his patience clearly running out.

“That’s enough, Ariana.”

“No,” she said again, more firmly. “I deserve to know.”

“You deserve nothing more than what I’ve already given,” he replied coldly.

The words cut deep.

Ariana flinched slightly, but she didn’t step back.

Not anymore.

“Nothing?” she echoed.

Her voice trembled, but there was something different in it now.

Something stronger.

“I stood by you,” she said. “I supported you. I trusted you.”

Marcus didn’t react.

“I loved you,” she added, her voice breaking just a little.

That word, loved, hung in the air.

Heavy.

Painful.

But Marcus only looked at her with that same distant expression.

“That was your choice,” he said.

Ariana felt like the ground had disappeared beneath her.

It was her choice.

Like it meant nothing.

Like it was a mistake.

A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it.

She wiped it away quickly.

Refusing to cry in front of them.

Refusing to give them that.

The silence stretched again.

Then, suddenly,

Selene stepped closer to Marcus.

Not by accident.

Not casually.

Deliberately.

Her shoulder brushed against his arm.

And this time,

Marcus didn’t move away.

The message was clear.

Painfully clear.

Ariana’s chest tightened so sharply it almost hurt to breathe.

Still…

She forced herself to stand straight.

“I understand now,” she said quietly.

Her voice was calm again.

But it felt different.

Empty.

Marcus raised an eyebrow slightly. “Then stop this.”

Ariana looked at him one last time.

Really looked.

At the man she thought she knew.

The man she thought she loved.

And realised,

She didn’t recognise him anymore.

“You’re right,” she said.

A small pause.

“I’ll stop.”

The tension in the clearing shifted slightly.

Some wolves relaxed.

Others looked disappointed.

But Ariana wasn’t done.

Not yet.

She took one step closer.

Close enough that only Marcus could hear her next words.

“You didn’t just reject me tonight,” she whispered.

Marcus’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You showed everyone exactly who you are.”

For the first time,

something flickered in his expression.

Not regret.

Not guilt.

Something darker.

“Be careful,” he said quietly.

A warning.

A threat.

Ariana met his gaze without fear.

“Or what?” she asked.

The question hung between them.

Marcus didn’t answer with words.

Instead,

He moved.

It happened quickly.

Too quickly.

His hand came up

and shoved her back.

Not hard enough to injure her.

But hard enough to send her stumbling.

Gasps filled the clearing.

Ariana barely managed to catch herself before falling.

Her breath caught in her throat.

The world seemed to stop.

For a moment,

No one moved.

No one spoke.

Ariana slowly straightened.

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest.

She looked at Marcus.

Shock.

Hurt.

Disbelief.

All of it filled her eyes.

He had never done that before.

Never.

And yet—

He stood there, calm.

Unbothered.

Like it meant nothing.

“Know your place,” he said.

The words echoed in the silence.

Something inside Ariana broke completely.

Not cracked.

Not weakened.

Broken.

The last piece of hope she had been holding onto was gone.

She looked around the clearing.

At the wolves.

Her pack.

Her home.

No one stepped forward.

No one defended her.

No one spoke.

They just watched.

Like it was normal.

Like she didn’t matter.

Like she was already forgotten.

Ariana let out a slow breath.

And in that moment,

She understood.

She was alone.

Completely.

Utterly.

Alone.

Her gaze returned to Marcus one last time.

But this time,

There was no love in her eyes.

No hope.

No softness.

Only something quiet.

Something cold.

Something new.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

Marcus frowned slightly. “For what?”

Ariana held his gaze.

“For showing me the truth.”

Before he could respond, she turned away.

The crowd parted slightly as she walked through them.

No one tried to stop her.

No one called her name.

Each step felt heavy.

But steady.

Behind her, the gathering continued.

Marcus’s voice rose again, speaking to the pack.

Like nothing had happened.

Like she had never been there at all.

Ariana didn’t look back.

She couldn’t.

Because if she did,

She might break again.

And she refused to do that.

Not anymore.

As she reached the edge of the clearing, the sounds behind her faded.

The forest stretched out in front of her.

Dark.

Quiet.

Unknown.

For the first time in her life,

She didn’t know where she belonged.

But one thing was clear.

She didn’t belong there.

Not in Moonridge.

Not with Marcus.

Not anymore.

Ariana took a step forward into the shadows.

Then another.

And another.

Each step carried her further away from the life she once believed in.

And closer to something else.

Something uncertain.

Something danger

ous.

Something that would change her forever.

But she didn’t know that yet.

All she knew was this:

She could never go back.

And as the moonlight faded behind her,

Ariana Vale walked away from everything she had ever known.

With nothing left

but herself.