The Rejected Luna's Return

Isla “Ohhh… Luca baby…Yesss…” I peeped through the tiny hole and was able to make out the frame of the man I was betrothed to. He was f*****g Naked! I gripped at my small yet, tightly packed chest in a bid to calm the growing ache there. I shook my head, wanting more than anything to realize that I was in a terrible nightmare. But that too was a wish that would never come to pass. Alright. Pause and let's rewind. I ascended the grand staircase of the Romano mansion, my heart pounding with exhilaration. Tonight had been everything I dreamed of. The Maiden’s Gathering was a sacred tradition, and after months of anticipation, I had finally been chosen—Luna to Luca Romano, the man I had loved for as long as I could remember. I could still hear the applause, still feel the warmth of Luca’s hands as he had held mine in front of the entire pack, whispering, “It was always going to be you, Isla.” His dark eyes had burned with a promise of devotion, of forever. And now, here I was, mere moments away from celebrating this victory with him. I wanted to see him, to feel his arms around me, to hear him say the words again. He was my mate, my future, my destiny. As I reached the top of the stairs, a faint sound drifted toward me. At first, I thought I was imagining it, my mind still reeling from the excitement of the night. But then it came again—a low moan, followed by a hushed, desperate whisper. I frowned. The hallway was dimly lit, but I knew my way to Luca’s room by heart. My feet carried me forward, my fingers tightening around the delicate lace of my ceremonial dress. That sound—was that a woman? I swallowed hard. No. It couldn’t be. Luca was expecting me. He had just chosen me. I reached the door. It was slightly ajar. And that’s when I heard it. A deep, rhythmic grunt. Flesh meeting flesh. A woman’s gasp, breathy and desperate. A choked-out name. "Luca… oh, God… yes." My stomach plummeted. I pressed a shaking hand against the wooden door and nudged it open, just enough to see inside. The room was bathed in soft candlelight, the bed’s silk sheets tangled beneath two writhing bodies. And then I saw her. Rosie. My best friend. Her golden curls were fisted in Luca’s hand as he drove into her, his face buried against her neck, murmuring things that once belonged to me. She moaned, arching beneath him, her nails raking down his muscled back. His body—my Luca’s body—moved with a hunger I had never seen before. My breath caught in my throat. I felt like the walls were closing in, like the air had been knocked from my lungs. "No…" The word slipped out before I could stop it, broken, raw. Luca’s head snapped up. His grey blue eyes locked onto mine. For a moment, he froze, hovering above her, sweat-slicked and exposed in the most intimate way possible. Rosie turned her head toward me, her face flushed, her lips swollen from kissing the man who was supposed to be mine. A cruel silence stretched between us. Then, I ran. I didn’t wait for explanations. I didn’t stay to hear whatever pathetic excuse would spill from Luca’s lips. I turned, tears blinding me, and sprinted down the hall. "Isla! Wait!" His voice was frantic now, but I ignored it. I flew down the stairs, my heels clicking violently against the marble. The ballroom where I had once stood, proud and victorious, now felt like a cruel mockery. I shoved open the front doors and stumbled outside into the cold night. My car was parked at the edge of the driveway, the engine still warm from earlier. I fumbled for my keys, my fingers trembling as I forced the door open and slid inside. "Breathe, Isla. Just breathe." But I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop seeing them. Hearing them. I slammed the key into the ignition and tore out of the Romano estate, the tires screeching against the pavement. I didn’t know where I was going. I just knew I needed to get away. A few miles from home, I finally pulled over. My heart was still racing, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles had gone white. The car was eerily silent, save for my ragged breaths. And then, like a dam bursting, the memories came. “You’re everything I want, Isla.” Luca’s words from just last week echoed in my mind. We had been lying on the rooftop of his mansion, staring at the stars. He had traced idle patterns along my arm, his voice low and filled with something that felt so much like love. "The Luna ceremony doesn’t matter," I had teased him. "You know it’s going to be me." He had chuckled, rolling onto his side to face me. "Of course, it’s going to be you." He had kissed me that night, slow and deep, like I was the only woman in the world. I let out a hollow laugh, because what a f*****g joke that had turned out to be. "Luca, why?" My whisper barely filled the space around me. What had changed? When had he stopped choosing me? And Rosie. God, Rosie. We had been inseparable since childhood. I had confided in her about everything—my hopes, my dreams, my love for Luca. And she had looked me in the eye every single day, knowing she was f*****g him behind my back. A fresh wave of nausea rolled through me. I swallowed it down, gripping the wheel harder. "I’ll love you forever, Isla. I swear it." Luca had promised me that the night we first kissed, under the willow tree behind my house. "Forever." Forever had lasted until tonight. Until I walked into that room. A loud knock on my window made me jump. I snapped my head toward the sound, my stomach twisting at the sight of a neighbor standing outside. She looked worried, her brow furrowed. Taking a deep breath, I wiped at my tear-streaked face and stepped out of the car. "Isla," she murmured, reaching for me. "What happened?" The words stuck in my throat. I wanted to tell her. I wanted to scream it to the world. But instead, I whispered the only truth I could manage. "I lost."