Lahat ng Kabanata ng Rejected, Then Crowned Luna: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

Noise faded slower than it should have.Even after everything stopped moving, after the last body hit the ground and no one else rushed forward, something inside me still hadn’t caught up, like my body was standing here but everything else was still back there in that moment where it all went wrong.I stood still longer than I meant to, my chest rising too fast, my hands slightly unsteady even though the power had already settled, and yeah… that part didn’t sit right with me.It shouldn’t have been that easy.“Becky.”Ethan’s voice cut through the noise in my head, low but sharp enough to pull me back, and I turned slightly, my breath catching for a second when I realized how close he already was.Too close, closer than before.“I’m fine,” I said quickly, even though… that came out a little too fast, like I was trying to convince myself more than him.His gaze didn’t soften.“You’re not,” he said, calm, steady, like he already knew I was lying.I let out a quiet breath, dragging a han

Training started before I was ready for it.Actually, no… that wasn’t true, I just didn’t feel ready, and there was a difference, and that difference was currently making my chest feel tight as hell as I stood across from Ethan, trying not to think about how everything had changed overnight.“Again,” he said, calm, like this was just another normal day.I let out a breath, dragging a hand through my hair as I shifted my weight slightly. “You know, I’m starting to feel like you enjoy watching me struggle a little too much.”His expression didn’t change.“I enjoy watching you improve,” he replied.“Yeah, okay, that sounds nicer, but it still feels like the same thing,” I muttered, even though part of me knew he wasn’t wrong.That was the problem, everything he said lately made sense, even when I didn’t want it to.“Focus,” he added, his voice lower now.“I am focused,” I said, a little sharper than I meant, then exhaled slowly. “I just… don’t like how this feels.”His gaze stayed on me.

It happened fast, not dramatic or explosive like I expected, just one small slip, one second where my focus shifted, and that was enough to make everything feel like it tilted under my feet.I was holding it steady, I knew I was.The pressure sat right where it was supposed to, controlled, balanced, and for once it didn’t feel like it was fighting me, it felt like it was listening, like we were actually working together instead of against each other.That should’ve felt good, but it didn’t.Because the second something feels too easy, my brain starts going, what the hell is about to go wrong.“Hold it,” Ethan said, calm as usual, like nothing about this was different.I nodded slightly, even though my chest still felt tight. “Yeah, I’ve got it,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I actually felt.For a second I believed that, then I made the mistake and looked at him, not long, not enough to matter, but it did.Because the moment my focus shifted off the power and onto him, o

It wasn’t just Ethan watching anymore.I felt it before I even turned around, that shift in the air, the weight of attention pressing against my back, it made my chest tighten in a way that had nothing to do with the power.I glanced over my shoulder, and there they were, watching.My stomach dropped a little. “Oh, come on… seriously,” I muttered under my breath, dragging a hand through my hair as I turned fully, my chest already tight. “Since when did this turn into a damn show?”No one answered.Some of them held my gaze for a second too long before looking away, others didn’t even bother pretending, just watching openly like they were trying to figure me out, and a few, a few had already stepped back.Ethan didn’t move or react, like this was expected.I exhaled slowly, shaking my head once as I tried to brush it off, even though it was already getting under my skin. “Okay… I don’t like this,” I said, my voice lower now, tension slipping through. “Why are they looking at me like th

Training didn’t ease up.By the time we started, my body already felt tight, like I hadn’t really come down from yesterday, like something was still sitting under my skin waiting to snap if I pushed it wrong.Ethan didn’t ask how I felt or slow down.“Again,” he said.I stared at him for a second, my chest tightening slightly. “We just started,” I said, my voice edged, not fully annoyed yet but getting there.“Again,” he repeated.I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through my hair. “You know, you could at least pretend I’m not about to lose my mind right now,” I muttered, even as I turned back and reached for it.The power came instantly, too fast.My breath hitched slightly. “Yeah… still hate that,” I said under my breath, trying to steady it.“Control it,” Ethan said.“I am controlling it,” I snapped, my chest tightening as I held it in place.“Better.”I shot him a look, frustration spiking fast. “You keep saying that like I’m not already doing it,” I said, my voice sharper now. “L