The Luna Second Chance

Chapter 2

Natalia’s POV

As soon as I said those words, my room became completely and uncomfortably quiet.

My mom stared at me in total shock, looking at me as if I were a complete stranger.

"W—What did you say?" she asked. Her voice was quiet, but it sounded dangerous.

Instead of looking down like she thought I would, I looked her straight in the eyes.

I repeated myself slowly to make absolutely sure she understood me: "I reject Alpha Liam. I will not be his mate."

For a brief moment, she looked completely shocked. Then, just as quickly, that shock turned into pure anger.

She raised her hand incredibly fast, reacting without even thinking.

My head jerked to the side as she slapped me, leaving a sharp sting on my cheek. In my past life, a slap like that would have crushed my determination. I would have cried and apologized to her.

But things are different now. This time, I slowly turned my head back around and looked her straight in the eyes.

Her confident expression shook a little when she saw that I didn't blink or look away.

"Have you gone crazy, child?" she demanded. "Do you have any idea what a great opportunity you are throwing away?"

"Yes," I answered in a calm, steady voice.

My mom's face turned red with anger. "This was your only chance to improve your status, both in our pack and in his," she continued, her voice getting louder and louder with every word. "Without him, you are nothing, do you hear me, child—NOTHING!"

An empty, joyless laugh came out of my throat as I looked at my mom with my eyebrows raised. For years, I had been made to feel worthless hundreds of times. Whenever people said things like that to me, I always used to force myself not to cry.

But now, I don't care at all.

"I don't need their pack, and I definitely don't need this one," I said, staring at her intensely.

My mom opened her mouth, but for the very first time in my life, she completely ran out of things to say.

Her face changed, and she quickly tried to hide her anger behind frustration. She breathed in deeply, then looked at me with a strict, serious face.

"If you reject him, Natalia," she said in a harsh voice, "then you can get the hell out of my house."

There it was. A threat, just like what happened before.

I was facing the exact same choice, the same pressure, and the same final warning. In my past life, I gave in right away. This time, I didn't feel anything at all.

"Fine," I answered as I got up from the bed. "I'll leave."

Elara, or the woman I used to call mom, looked at me in total disbelief. This was clearly not how she expected me to react when she threatened me.

For a long time, she just stared at me blankly, as if she was trying to understand how I could have changed so much so quickly. Finally, she made up her mind, and her expression became cold and harsh.

"Go on then!" she spat angrily, pointing toward the door. "Let's see how well you do in life without this family and this pack."

I quietly and steadily walked right past her without saying a word. And for the very first time in my life, I didn't look back.

I had barely walked down the hallway when I noticed the air getting colder. The atmosphere changed, feeling slower, heavier, and strangely familiar.

My walking slowed down as I started to frown.

"Of course he's here," I whispered softly to myself.

I knew he would show up eventually, but he arrived much quicker than I thought he would. This meant my mom must have already found a way to tell him about my choice.

"Natalia." His voice rang out from behind me.

I stopped and closed my eyes for a quick moment to calm my racing heart. Then, I slowly turned around to face him.

I froze with fear as I looked at the man who had killed me in my past life not too long ago. Alpha Liam was standing at the end of the hallway, and his powerful energy completely took over the room like a storm.

He was tall, good-looking, and very intimidating.

He stared straight into my eyes, and I could see that he was angry.

"So, it's true," he said in a cold, unemotional voice. "You rejected me."

I didn't say anything because I didn't trust myself to speak yet.

He walked one step closer, his intense energy radiating all around him. "Explain yourself right now," he ordered.

Typical. He didn't care about my reasons, show any concern, or even seem confused; he only had demands. It was as if I was forced by fate to always obey his commands.

I looked him straight in the eyes and said calmly, "There’s nothing to explain."

His jaw clenched. "You don't have the right to say no to this," he spat in a cold, flat voice. "This has already been decided."

A small, unhappy smile appeared on the corner of my lips.

"... What is that supposed to mean... Adrian?" I tilted my head and looked at him closely, really analyzing him.

How on earth had I ever confused the way he looked at me for kindness and love?

"We both know you don't actually want a partner," I kept going. "You just want someone you can use because it's convenient. I refuse to be that person."

Adrian’s face looked even angrier. "Watch what you say, Natalia."

But I didn't stop. This was my opportunity to finally speak my mind, and I was going to take it.

"You only want someone who will solve your problems and run your pack and never question your decisions." My voice stayed calm and steady, even though I was boiling with hidden anger. "You don't want a partner, Liam."

I took a step closer to him and looked straight into his eyes. "You want a tool."

The hallway went completely quiet. Even the air around us seemed to stop moving.

Adrian stared at me, looking both surprised and confused. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me," I answered, crossing my arms.

His intense energy suddenly exploded, slamming into me with a force greater than a cargo train, but I didn't back up at all. I didn't bow down to him, and I didn't even shrink back.

That by itself shocked him more than anything I could have said.

"You have no right to talk to me that way," he growled.

"Then don't give me a reason to do it," I answered calmly.

I frowned as I watched him squeeze his hands into tight fists.

"You are making a huge mistake, Nyssa," he spat angrily.

"No," I replied. "I already made that mistake once before."

He squinted his eyes and asked, looking confused, "What?"

I gave a small smile and turned around. "Nothing you would understand."

That was the last straw. The very fact that I turned my back on him was enough to make him absolutely furious.

"You are throwing away the single best chance you will ever get in your entire life," he yelled.

I turned back around and laughed quietly.

It was a soft, low chuckle, but it felt sharp and cutting. His face looked even angrier, and I could tell he was just about at his breaking point.

"You are thinking a bit too highly of yourself, Liam," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

His look became deadly. "This is your final warning. Be very careful."

But I was completely finished with this situation and finished with him.

Without saying another word or making a sarcastic comeback, I turned completely around and started walking away.

"Natalia," he called out one final time.

I didn't stop, and I didn't look back. That simple action hurt his pride much more than any words I could have spoken.

The second I walked out of my mom's house, I smiled.

"My only opportunity, right?" I whispered to myself with a grin.

In three weeks, a trading delivery coming from Europe was going to be attacked. Everyone would freak out, deliveries would stop completely, and prices would go way up.

However, there was one specific thing that would suddenly become much more valuable than gold.

Moonshade herbs. They were very strong and helpful, so everyone relied on them, but they weren't rare enough to be expensive yet.

That was all going to change when the biggest delivery of the herbs was destroyed. This time around, I possessed the secret information, and knowing this gave me the chance to become wealthy.

This was merely the start of everything. I laughed quietly to myself while glancing up toward the sun.

In this life, I wasn't planning on just getting by. I was going to become successful.

“ Once I achieved that, absolutely nobody would be able to keep me from getting my revenge”.