All Chapters of REJECTED LUNA RETURNS : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Rose's POVThe days after Edwin left were hollow. The fortress felt emptier somehow. Quieter. Like a piece of me was missing.I went through the motions. Trained with Gunnar. Practiced with Magnus. Helped the healers. But my heart wasn't in it. My mind kept drifting back to Edwin. To the hurt in his eyes. To the way he'd walked away."You're distracted," Gunnar said one morning. We were in the courtyard. He'd just thrown a rock at my head. I'd barely moved."Sorry.""Don't apologize. Fix it." He threw another rock. I caught it. Barely. "What's wrong?""Edwin left. Because of me.""Because you kissed Aiden.""Yes."Gunnar was quiet for a moment. "Edwin's a good wolf. He'll come back.""How do you know?""Because he loves you. That kind of love doesn't just disappear." He threw another rock. I caught it. "Give him time. He'll come back."I wanted to believe that. But the days ke

Rose's POVThe war council gathered that evening. The great hall was filled with wolves. River Wolves. Lost Pack. Elders. Warriors. Everyone who mattered.I stood at the head of the table, Aiden beside me. Magnus on my other side. Seraphina across from me. Gunnar at the end."We need to strike first," Aiden said. "Before the Shadow Wolves can attack us again.""How?" Seraphina asked."With Rose as bait."Murmurs spread through the room. Wolves exchanged glances. Some nodded. Others looked skeptical."She's our most powerful weapon," Gunnar said. "But she's also our most vulnerable.""She won't be vulnerable," Magnus said. "She'll be protected. We'll have wolves surrounding her at all times.""Surrounding her?" Edwin stepped forward. "You mean hiding her behind a wall of wolves. That's not protection. That's a cage.""It's strategy," Aiden said. "We draw them out. They come for Rose. We surround

Rose's POVThe days after the battle were strange. The fortress was quiet. Subdued. We'd won, but the victory felt hollow. The Shadow Wolves had retreated, but they weren't defeated. And their leader was still out there. Waiting.I spent most of my time in the infirmary. Healing the wounded. There were so many. Wolves with deep gashes. Broken bones. The black-edged wounds that only I could heal.By the end of each day, I was exhausted. The hum was drained. My body ached.But I kept going. I had to."You're pushing yourself too hard," Magnus said one evening. He'd found me in the infirmary, slumped in a chair."I have to. There are too many wounded.""And there will be more if you burn out." He sat across from me. "You need to rest, Rose. Your body needs time to recover.""I can't rest. Not with the Shadow Wolves still out there.""Resting isn't giving up. It's preparing for the next fight." He met my ey

Rose's POVThe morning after I shared the scroll's discovery, I woke with the hum singing. It was different now. Clearer. More focused. Like it was guiding me toward something.I dressed quickly and went to the training ground. Magnus was already there, waiting."You feel it, don't you?" he asked. "The shift.""Yes. The hum is different. More... directed.""That's because you've accepted your purpose. You're no longer fighting against who you are." He stepped closer. "Today, we're going to do something different. No combat. No techniques. Just connection.""Connection?""To the land. To the pack. To the light within you." He gestured to the ground. "Sit."I sat. He sat across from me."Close your eyes," he said. "Feel the hum. Don't try to control it. Just let it be."I closed my eyes. The hum pulsed. Steady. Present."Now, let it spread. Let it fill your whole body. Your arms. Your le

Rose's POVThe world exploded into chaos. Wolves clashed. Teeth and claws and silver light. Shadow and hope colliding in the darkness.I fought with everything I had. The silver light blazed around my hands. I threw it at Shadow Wolves. They screamed. They fell. But more kept coming."Rose!" Aiden's voice cut through the noise. "Behind you!"I spun. A Shadow Wolf lunged at me. I raised my hands. The light blazed. He disintegrated."Thanks," I breathed."Always." He fought beside me. Back to back. Wolf and wolf.The battle raged on. Wolves fell on both sides. The ground grew slick with blood. The air filled with screams.But we kept fighting. We had to.---Rose's POVI saw the leader. He was standing on a rise, watching the battle. His eyes burned with hatred."It's him," I said. "The leader.""Then we go after him." Aiden's voice was hard. "Together."We fou