All Chapters of THE REJECTED WHITE LUNA: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Aria returned to the east wing on the fourth day. The room was the same. But something had shifted behind her eyes. She didn't go back to work immediately. She sat on the edge of the mattress and ate the medicinal broth Elara had sent with her. She drank the full flask of water relit the hearth herself. Then she began to watch. The kitchens were the heart of the pack. Aria had always known this, but she had never studied it before. Marta ruled with silence and sharp looks. The younger cooks feared her, while the older ones respected her. No one questioned her orders. But twice in three days, Aria saw Marta delay Selene's dinner by ten minutes. enough that the meat was slightly cool, the bread slightly hard. No one noticed except Aria. Marta caught her looking. Held her gaze. Said nothing. Aria filed it away. Mira was a well of information. She talked constantly, about warriors, servants, elders, patrols. Most people dismissed her as a gossip. Aria had dismissed her too. Now sh

The torches had been relit. The bodies had been moved, but the blood remained, dark smears on the stone. Servants pressed themselves against the walls as she passed. A warrior stopped mid stride and stared. “Traitor.” He said with gritted teeth. Aria stopped walking, she turned back and looked at him, not seeming to understand why he said that. Ethan's boots echoed ahead of her, he didn't look back. They were halfway down the corridor leading to the great hall when two armed guards stepped out. The scarred one from the training yard and a younger man with a bruise blooming across his cheek. They blocked their path. "We'll take her from here, Beta." Ethan stopped. "Why?”. I'm escorting her already.” “Alpha’s order.” The younger guard replied. Ethan nodded and moved aside. The guards seized her arms. Their grips were as strong as iron. They opened the halls door. The hall was no longer a place of feasting. The long tables had been shoved against the walls. The cr

Two guards came by dawn and unlocked the cell, they dragged Aria into the corridor. Her legs were stiff from the cold. Her bare feet stumbled on the stone. The torch in the corridor had burned out hours ago. She had spent the night in absolute darkness, counting her own breaths. No one came to see her, not that she was expecting anyone. They hauled her up the stairs and through the east wing. The blood had been scrubbed from the walls and the bodies had been moved completely. But the face of the servants they passed were all stone cold. The great hall doors were open. This time around the pack members we’re all present. They had gathered in numbers Aria had never seen. Warriors lined the walls. Elders sat in a row on the dais. Servants crowded near the back, and among them, Mira stood her face pale. Marta stood near the far wall with her arm in a sling, her face were unreadable. Ronan was there, near the warriors' ranks, his jaw tight. Ethan stood at the back of Kael his hand

Aria was given one hour to gather her things and say goodbye before the warriors would come and drag her to the border. Aria stood in the center of her room in the east wing. The hearth was always cold and her bed still unmade. The small silver stone still sat on the windowsill beside a withered apple core. She picked up the stone, turned it over in her palm then set it back down. There was nothing to pack, she had nothing not even a piece of cloth. The door opened without a knock. Lina stood in the doorway. Her eyes were red and swollen. Her hands were twisting in front of her. She looked like she had been crying for hours. "Ria." Her voice cracked on the name. "I'm so sorry, tried to defend you, I told them you couldn't have done it. But they wouldn't listen. They already made up their minds before I even spoke." Aria turned. Her face was calm "I know," she said. "I should have done more. I should have fought harder. I should have…" "I know," Aria said again. He

Aria woke up to sunlight. It was thin and pale, filtering through the pine branches above her. Her body was stiff and her dress was still damp from the rain. Her throat was raw. But she’s alive. She pushed herself up on her elbows. The world tilted. She waited for it to steady. Then she sat up fully and looked at the mountains ahead, white peaks against a light blue sky, and made a decision. She was going to reach them. She didn't know whose territory lay beyond those peaks. She didn't know if they would shelter her or kill her. But she knew one thing, staying in the wilderness meant death, Rogues and starvation. The cough that was slowly eating her from the inside. At least a pack was a chance. She pulled herself to her feet. Her legs still shook. Her vision blurred. She took one step at a time. Then she was walking. The morning was quiet. The forest was thin here, more rock than tree, more sky than shadow left from the branches. She found a stream and drank until her stomach