After rejected: Becoming a true Luna

Chapter3

AVERY'S POV

River shifted beside me, his jaw tight.

“This is ridiculous,” he said. “You’re twisting everything, Stephanie. I wasn’t there, but I’ll swear on my life that Avery isn’t the one lying.”

Stephanie snapped at him.

“Stay out of this, River! It doesn’t concern you.”

River didn’t back down.

“It does concern me. Avery’s my best friend. You’re slandering her for something we both know didn’t happen. Isn’t it enough you already stole her mate? What else do you want?”

Just then, Jaxon appeared, walking towards us with a folded envelope in his hand.

“What the hell’s going on?” he demanded, eyes darting between us. He turned to Dad. “Beta Hank, is there a problem?”

Before Dad could answer, River lashed out.

“Yes. The problem is you, Jaxon. This whole mess is your fault.”

Jaxon frowned, looking confused.

“What are you talking about?”

“You started this.” River’s voice rose.

“If you had waited for your fated mate instead of bouncing from one she-wolf to another, none of this would be happening. And now you’re letting your little mate here paint Avery as the villain while you stay silent? Classy. I’m sure our parents would be so proud.”

Instead of replying to River, Jaxon spun on me, eyes blazing in anger.

“Perfect! Now you’ve turned my brother against me as well. This is what you want, isn't it?"

I narrowed my eyes.

“Don’t start with me. Maybe try owning your mistakes for once instead of pushing the blame to someone else.”

His voice dropped to a dangerous growl.

“Watch your mouth, Avery. I’m still your Alpha.”

I didn’t flinch.

“Then act like one. Because right now? All I see is a mess. A confused, cowardly mess!”

Stephanie sobbed, collapsing into Mom’s arms.

“She hates me, Mom! She always has! She wants to ruin everything I’ve worked for. After what I’ve been through, I finally opened my heart again, and she doesn’t care!”

Mom’s hand stroked Stephanie’s hair, shooting me a glare over her shoulder.

“Avery, what kind of sister are you? How can you be so heartless? Don’t you see your sister is hurting?”

Stephanie’s face was hidden against Mom’s shoulder, but I still saw it.

That sly glint. That smug little smirk she always wore when twisting the truth.

She was doing this on purpose.

“I didn’t want to say anything,” Stephanie whimpered, dabbing fake tears. “But maybe it’s time. Avery deserves to know.”

My eyes narrowed at her in suspicion. Somehow I just knew she was up to something.

“I’m pregnant,” she said sweetly. “I'm carrying Jaxon’s child.”

Silence swallowed the clearing.

My body froze, cold as ice.

On the outside, I stood tall—but inside, something shattered. Not because I wanted him back. No. Because I knew this was all a calculated, cruel game meant to break me.

Stephanie’s lips curled into a slow, cruel smile before masking it with fake sympathy.

“I’m sorry, Avery. I know this can’t be easy. I wish it didn't have to be this way. But the heart wants what it wants.”

My eyes slowly moved to Jaxon, and he looked away.

No denial. No defense.

The coward.

I swallowed the poison of betrayal, holding my pain tight inside so no one could see.

“Congratulations, Stephanie,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m leaving first thing tomorrow with the volunteers for the service. If I’m lucky, I’ll die in my sleep before I even have to return to Blue Dawn.”

Mom gasped. Dad’s jaw dropped. Stephanie blinked, confused.

“You’re what?” Dad barked. “Leaving? Without telling us?”

Mom’s voice cracked.

“You’re really just going to leave? Without saying goodbye?”

“You never noticed I was here,” I said flatly. “Stephanie was always enough for you. I didn’t think it would matter.”

They said nothing. Good.

I turned to Jaxon and my eyes moved to the envelope in his hand. "I assume that's for me?" I asked, holding out my hand to collect it.

Jaxon hesitated for a moment and I stepped forward, snatching it out of his hand.

I opened it to confirm if it had been signed and sure enough it has. I folded it up and turned back to Stephanie.

“Don't worry, Stephanie. You have nothing to fear. Even if Jaxon hadn’t rejected me, I still wouldn’t want him. A man who’s cheated with half the females in this pack—my sister included—is not worth my time. He’s all yours, Stephanie. For keeps.”

Her face twisted in rage, but I didn’t wait for her to answer.

I turned and walked away as the crowd parted silently.

“Avery!” Jaxon’s roar tore after me. “Where do you think you’re going? You think you can just disrespect your Alpha and walk away?!"

I didn’t stop. I didn’t even look back.

Let him scream. Let them all wonder.

This was the last time they’d see me like this.

Tomorrow, I leave.

Tomorrow, I start a new chapter.

One without them.

One that finally belongs to me.

Jaxon can go to hell. And he can take my treacherous family with him.

I don’t care.

*******

We left Blue Dawn just as dawn broke.

With every mile we drove, I felt something leave me. The sadness, fear, and heartache began to fade. The farther we went, the lighter I felt.

This didn’t feel like I was running.

It felt like I was becoming someone new.

I didn’t look back. There was nothing behind me I wanted to return to.

When we saw Moon Dome in the distance, I knew I had made the right decision.

The place looked like something out of another world, and there was an air of superiority around it. Blessed by the moon goddess indeed.

As we approached the large gates, two guards in black stepped forward.

“ID,” one of them said.

Our driver leaned out the window. “Volunteers from Blue Dawn.”

The guards stared at us without showing any emotion. “Everyone out. One at a time.”

I was the first to get out.

The others followed, joining the line of new arrivals from different packs. Most of them were young, like us—eager to prove themselves.

“Name. Pack. Age,” one guard asked me.

“Avery Scotts. Blue Dawn. Eighteen. Almost nineteen.”

He nodded, moving on to ask the same from the others.

Then a deeper voice spoke. “They’re clear.”

A man in military gear walked up. He had a clipboard and a silver crescent badge. “Follow me. Alpha Derek will speak to you soon.”

As we walked past the gates, the air felt different, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I could belong somewhere.

They brought us into a huge hall with tall pillars reaching toward a shining silver dome. Warriors stood along the walls, silently watching as we entered.

Then the doors opened—and he walked in.

Everything shifted.

He moved like a storm ready to break loose. He was tall and broad. His black hair was tied in a bun, and his eyes were dark and intense.

No one needed to tell us who he was.

Alpha Derek Storm of Moon Dome.

He looked at each person in the room. When his eyes found mine, they stayed.

He didn’t look away, and neither did I.

Let him look. I wasn’t here to hide.

His lips lifted slightly—almost a smirk—then he moved down the line.

“Welcome to Moon Dome,” his deep voice resounded in the room. “You’re here as volunteers. Supposedly the best from your packs.”

A few people shifted uncomfortably at that word—supposedly.

“Name. Pack. Age,” he asked again as he walked past each of us.

We took turns answering.

Then he stopped in front of me.

“Avery Scotts, is it?”

There was a hint of amusement in his voice, causing my brow to furrow.

I squared my shoulders and met his eyes. “Yes, Alpha.”

He looked at me for a moment, then nodded. “You’re in my squad.”

Gasps came from behind me, followed by whispers.

I ignored them.

Let them talk.

I wasn't here for their approval.

Alpha Derek kept talking about what the next eighteen months would look like: hard training, constant tests, and close watch.

But I wasn’t listening fully anymore. My mind wandered as something caught my attention.

A man standing alone near the edge of the room. He kept fidgeting, and his eyes were moving too much.

His pack crest was shaped like a hawk’s claw. It didn't look familiar.

No one stood near him either, which was strange. Did no one else from his pack volunteer?

Why?

Suddenly he turned toward me. Our eyes met, and I quickly looked away, feeling uneasy.

When I turned back to him, I noticed he was looking upward now.

I followed his gaze to the balcony above us.

At first, I saw nothing.

Then—just for a second—I saw a shadow move. Someone dressed in black.

My heart skipped a beat as I caught a shine of metal.

A knife.

"Avery, something's wrong," Amy whispered in my head.

My eyes moved to the strange man again, and I saw his hand—four fingers… three… two…

"He’s counting down," Amy said.

My stomach twisted.

It was a signal.

I looked back at the shadow—just in time to see the knife slice through a rope.

I followed the rope with my eyes straight to the chandelier hanging above the middle of the room.

Right above Alpha Derek.

"Avery, it’s him! He’s the target!" Amy's urgent voice sounded in my head.

I didn’t think.

I just ran.

“MOVE!” I shouted, pushing through the crowd.

Time slowed down, and the rope snapped.

The chandelier released and started to fall.

“Alpha, look out!” I screamed as I threw myself at him with all my strength.

We hit the floor just as the huge chandelier crashed down behind us.

Screams filled the room as glass and metal shattered around us.

I felt arms tighten around me, and that was when I realized I was lying on his chest.

Then pain hit me out of nowhere, like something had stabbed right through my side.

I gasped, looking down, and my eyes widened in horror.

Blood.

I’d been hit. Pieces of glass and metal had cut through my shirt—and my skin—and were sticking out of my side.

My clothes were soaked in blood.

“I…” I tried to talk, but my voice cracked with pain.

Alpha Derek moved beneath me, shifting me onto my back. His eyes were wide. “Scotts. You’re bleeding.”

“I... I think I’m... hurt,” I whispered, barely keeping my eyes open.

“You are,” he said. “But you’re not dying on me. Stay awake.”

I tried to nod, but my body felt weak and heavy. My eyes were hard to keep open.

I could hear voices shouting around us.

“Lock the doors! Find the attacker!”

But it all became background noise.

Alpha Derek pressed his hands to my wound. “Why would you do that?” he said. “You could’ve died.”

“I... saw him… the rope… the... chandelier…” I whispered.

He swore softly. “You’re not dying today, Scotts. You hear me? Look at me. Help is coming.”

I looked at him—into his storm-colored eyes. They looked strong, but they also looked scared.

And then my eyes rolled to the back of my head, and everything went black.