THE REJECTED LUNA

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6

The Hollow Expanse felt alive around us. Trees stood twisted like old bones under the dim light. The air carried a smell of old blood and wild things that made my nose wrinkle. My side throbbed from the fight with the wolves. Each step sent a dull ache through my hip and up my back. I kept walking anyway, teeth clenched tight.

Kade moved ahead without a word. His feet made no sound on the rocky ground even when he stepped over roots. I followed close behind, my breathing still a little fast. My chest felt heavy, like a stone sat inside it and pressed down hard. The bond tugged again without warning. A sharp spark of Drax hit me right in the middle of my ribs. His face flashed in my mind clear as day. Cold eyes looking straight through me. No smile. Just the quick turn of his head away from me in the clearing.

I pressed my hand flat against my chest. My fingers shook a little against my shirt. Tears stung my eyes and blurred the trees in front of me until the shapes ran together.

We are not weak, Nythera said inside my head. Her voice stayed calm and low like still water. They tried to hide us. We will not hide anymore.

I stopped walking right there. My feet planted hard on the dirt and would not move. “They planned it all, Kade,” I said. My voice came out rough and broke at the end like it could not hold. “The Council. Selene. Drax too. They picked me as nothing before the bond even showed up. I felt it lock in place. My breath caught in my throat. For one second everything felt right and full. Then he looked at me and broke it like it was trash he did not want.”

Kade turned around slow. He looked straight at me with dark eyes that did not blink. He did not reach out or say sorry or touch my shoulder. “Good,” he said. His voice was flat and even. “Anger that moves becomes power. The girl from that clearing is gone. You are changing now. That scares them more than anything.”

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. The tears left wet streaks on my skin that cooled in the air. We started walking again side by side for a bit. My legs felt heavier than before but I pushed them forward one after the other. The old me would have looked down at the ground and stayed quiet in the back. Now my hands curled into fists at my sides without me telling them to. Nythera pushed up inside me slow and strong. She did not rush or shake with fear. She stayed steady like a rock in a river.

The anger sat cleaner in my chest after that. It did not burn wild anymore. It felt like something I could hold and use.

We found a small cave behind long hanging vines that brushed my face when we ducked inside. Cool dry stone met my back when I sat down and leaned hard. Kade dropped his pack with a soft thud on the ground. “Rest,” he said and nothing more. I leaned against the wall and let my head rest back. The bruise on my hip sent a fresh stab of pain when I shifted my weight. Sleep came in short bursts that did not feel like real rest. Dreams pulled me under fast. Silver eyes watched from dark trees and followed every move I made. Drax’s voice called my name across empty ground, loud but far away.

I woke up fast each time, heart beating hard in my ears. Sweat cooled on my neck and made my shirt stick.

You are not alone, Nythera whispered right away. Feel the strength they tried to bury deep.

Gray light touched the sky outside the vines and made everything look soft. We moved again as soon as it was bright enough. Kade pushed harder today than yesterday. When my foot slipped on loose rocks he did not stop or help me up. I caught myself quick with my hands scraping the ground. My arms burned as I pushed up and kept going. Each slip taught my body to move first before my thoughts could catch up. The pressure in my chest grew steady with every step. It no longer jumped wild like before. It felt like something settling into place.

By the middle of the day the trees thinned out more and more. Rocky ground stretched ahead with sharp edges. Old ruins rose in the distance against the sky. Broken stone pillars stood covered in thick green vines that climbed high. They looked like they had waited here a long time without anyone coming. The air felt different the closer we got. It hummed against my skin like a quiet song I could almost hear.

I stepped into the clearing first, my boots pressing into the dirt. The second my foot touched the ground Nythera rose fast inside me. A soft silver light danced at the edges of my eyes and made the world look brighter. The bond flared hot in my chest all at once. I felt Drax somewhere far away like he stood just behind a wall. His breath came quick and short. His shoulders tensed up tight. He shifted in place like he could not sit still no matter how hard he tried. His control slipped a little more with every second.

Let him feel the c***k he made, Nythera said. Her voice sounded like smooth stone under water. He threw us away. Now we rise without him.

A small smile pulled at my lips even though I did not plan it. Tears slipped down my cheeks anyway, warm and slow. They felt warm on my skin as they ran. I did not wipe them this time. My hands stayed loose at my sides and did not move. Something inside me woke up slow. It stretched after sleeping too long like an animal coming out of a cave. I was not the quiet girl they pushed to the side in the pack anymore. My back felt straighter as I stood there.

Kade stood nearby and watched me the whole time. The corners of his mouth lifted just a little at the edges. “You feel it now?” he asked in a low voice.

I nodded once. My throat felt tight but I swallowed hard once. “Yes,” I said. My voice came out clear and steady. “I feel her. I feel me.”

We stayed near the ruins while the light grew brighter and warmer around us. The bond tugged again after a while. It pulled sharper this time and would not let go easy. Drax knew something had changed on his end. I could feel the questions in him even from far away. I did not pull back from the feeling like I used to. I leaned into it on purpose. My chin lifted a little higher without thinking.

He will come looking,Nythera told me clear as day. When he does, he will not find the girl who stepped back in silence.

I took a deep breath. The air filled my lungs slow and full until my chest rose. The Hollow Expanse had burned away the scared parts of me bit by bit. What stayed behind felt solid under my feet like new ground. I stood taller without even trying to. My shoulders stayed back and my eyes looked straight ahead.

When Drax Halvorsen faced me again the bond would not decide anything for us.

I would decide.

I would stand there and make him see what he left behind.