The Rejected Luna's Return

Chapter 2

Lyra's POV

I experienced cold and pain, and then my nostrils were filled with the smell of smoke and blood.

I quickly woke up, gasping for air as my heart pounded against my ribs. I tried to get up, but a severe pain in my shoulder caused me to fall back down. And my eyes were shaking.

What am I doing?

Memories of Kade's rejection, Sienna's betrayal, and the rogues assaulting me in the woods swept over me like a tidal wave. And then my savior, Darius Nightbane.

My glance wandered about. The chamber had dark stone walls, was softly illuminated, and smelled strongly of cedar and something more primordial. A fire flared in the corner, spreading spooky shadows over the fur-draped floor. It was hardly a dungeon, but it was not particularly inviting either.

I was roused from my daze by a loud, booming voice.

“You’re awake.”

I froze.

With his arms folded over his wide chest, Darius Nightbane leaned against the wall. The glittering scars on his arms were even more menacing in the low firelight. As a predator watches its prey, his silver eyes observe me.

I pushed my breathing to remain regular, ignoring the pounding in my brain. “Where am I?” My voice was harsh and dry. I don't care.

He c****d his head slightly, amusement across his cheeks. "Shadowfang Territory."

I stiffened. Enemy territory. The Shadowfang Pack had been exiled years ago, and their Alpha Darius was declared dead. And yet, here he was, alive, powerful, and standing right in front of me.

My fingers twitched toward my stomach instinctively. He had no idea what I carried in my womb. No one did. And if I wanted to survive, it had to stay that way else he would use it against me.

I swallowed hard. “Why did you save me?”

Darius pushed off the wall, his movements fluid and effortless. “Who says I saved you?” He took slow, deliberate steps toward me. He said, "Maybe I just did not want the rogues to have all the pleasure," and then the laughter came.

I felt a chill go through me. I suppose he was testing me and taking pleasure in my wriggling.

I refused to back down and looked him in the eye. “If you wanted me dead, you wouldn’t have carried me out of that forest or could you have?”

His mouth twisted into a grin. “Clever.” He observed me while leaning his elbow on his knee on a wooden chair by the bed. Why was the future Luna of the Thorn Pack wandering the woods in the middle of the night, covered in blood? Tell me, tiny Luna.

I clenched my jaw. He knew. Of course, he knew. The rejection must have spread like wildfire. But I refused to give him the satisfaction of watching me break.

"I do not have to give you an explanation, nor do I have?" I declared with a frustrated voice.

Darius gave a wicked, deep laugh. “You’re bold for someone who’s completely at my mercy.”

The pain flashed in my shoulder, but I forced myself to sit up and swallow it. “If you wanted to kill me, you would’ve done it already. So why am I here?”

He changed his face, his laughter turning into something more sinister. “Because you and I have something in common, Lyra Blackwood.”

I stiffened.

Darius leaned forward, his silver eyes gleaming at me. “We both want revenge.”

"You do not even know who I am," I shook my head.

He smirked. “I know more than you think. I know Kade Thorn isn’t the Alpha everyone believes he is. I know your sister played a role in what happened to you tonight. And I know that no matter how much you want to deny it, you’re angry.”

My nails dug into my palms. He wasn’t wrong.

Darius’s voice dropped lower, almost hypnotic. “You want to make them pay. I can give you that chance.”

I detested the way his comments made my heart race. “And what do you get out of this?”

The smirk on his face spread. “I want my pack back.”

A wave of shock swept over me. Years before, the Shadowfang Pack had been banished, their Alpha banished, and their territories taken. If Darius wanted to reclaim what was his… he needed power. He required someone who had a legitimate claim to Kade's reign.

Me.

I shook my head. "I am not your war's pawn."

Darius jerked to his feet. “You already are Lyra. The moment Kade threw you away, you became a weakness he couldn’t afford. And weaknesses?” His silver eyes darkened. “They get erased.”

He was not lying, and it sent a shiver down my spine. If Kade learned about the kid, he would not allow me to go. Not if he thought I was dangerous.

I swallowed, my throat dry. “So what are you proposing?”

Darius’s smirk returned, but this time, it was darker.

“A deal,” he said, his voice smooth like silk. “You help me take back what’s mine. And in return, I’ll give you the power to make Kade regret the day he ever crossed you.”

My heart pounded. It was reckless. Dangerous. But as I sat there, recalling the chuckle in Sienna's voice, the pack that had looked on and done nothing, the expression in Kade's eyes when he rejected me,

I understood that I had nothing more to lose.

I raised my chin. “Fine. I do have one condition, though.

Darius raised an eyebrow. “Already making demands?”

I looked him in the eye, unblinking. “No one can know about the child.”

A spark of something unreadable appeared on Darius's face for the first time. We were separated by an odd, uncomfortable quiet. He nodded slowly after that.

“Agreed.”

He bent down and ghosted his breath over my ear before I could release it.

“But be careful what you wish for little Luna,” he murmured. “Because once you step into my world, there’s no turning back,” he said to me.

I wanted to understand what he meant by those words, raising my eyes and seeking answers, but he chuckled, patted my back, and walked out.

What a scum!