The Alpha's Regret: Chasing Back His Rejected Luna

7. Reorientation.

~ JOCELYN ~

“I’m guessing you’ve been through a lot.”

His concern has me thinking back to Caspian again and what he did to me. The pain comes like a flood rushing through my veins, but now is not the time to dwell on it.

Instead, I focus on the two men, exchanging my glances between them. “Why did you guys bring me here?”

Declan chuckles. “You prefer dying out there in the wild?”

His question definitely has an answer that quickly rings inside my head—I don't prefer dying, especially dying out in the wild like I have no one in the world who cares about me. Being rejected by Caspian broke me, but I won't accept dying like a discarded loner and forgotten like I never even existed.

“Elian said I've been here for two days.” I turn towards Elian, who is the only one I feel more comfortable speaking with at the moment.

“He is right.” Declan’s voice pulls my attention back to him. “You went off-earth for two freaking days, Jocelyn. You were completely out. We weren’t sure when you’d wake up.”

Oh my goodness. So I have been here really for two days, and nothing bad happened to me. My head still feels a bit heavy, like I’ve been dreaming too long. But this isn’t a dream.

I am here. In the Moonclaw rogue pack. Not dead.

Declan sits in the chair Elian used earlier, his arms folded with a small smirk tugging at his lips. “You’re probably wondering if we’re going to eat you.” He jokes.

I steal a quick glance at Elian, who is now leaning against the wall with his hands tucked into his pockets. “Elian told me I am safe here.”

“Well, he is right, so relax.” Declan is fully smiling now. “The stories aren't exactly true, especially the ones about us. Moonclaw isn’t what you’ve been told. We don’t run wild in the woods, and we’re not mindless killers.”

“That’s not what I know,” I raise a brow. “In Nightfall, there are stories about rogue packs like yours. About how dangerous and lawless you all are.”

Declan nods, not surprised. “Of course they tell stories like that. It helps you guys sleep better at night, thinking we’re all monsters.”

“But I’m guessing the stories are… wrong?” I ask carefully, not wanting to come off as rude.

He shrugs. “In every story, there is always an atom of truth. Not every rogue pack is bad, but there will always be the bad ones. Here in Moonclaw, some of us were exiled. Some of us were born here. Others came from broken places. But here, they’re not broken anymore. We stick together, and we have built our lives away from the prejudice and nasty rumors.”

“You built this?” I ask, glancing at the neat room again.

“Not just me. Everyone did.” He smiles proudly. “We have farms. Blacksmiths. Engineers. Doctors. Healers. Teachers. Scientists, and so much more. We don’t follow the old ways, Jocelyn. We make our own.”

My ears are buzzing. Just then, I feel a cough rising in my throat. It releases before I can hold it back.

Declan pours me a cup of water and hands it to me.

I take a gulp and wipe my mouth. “Thanks.”

“You're welcome.”

I take another gulp while looking at the both of them—Elian’s soft smile and Declan’s calm, commanding presence. They don’t look like threats. They don’t treat me like a prisoner.

If anything, they are treating me better than anyone in my old pack ever did. Even though Caspian loved me, he ended up betraying me and treated me like I'm trash.

But Elian and Declan… I don’t know what to feel.

Maybe... grateful? Maybe I can trust them a little.

“Thank you for bringing me here and taking care of me.” I say to Declan.

“You’re welcome.” He rises from the chair. “Now get some rest.”

I smile weakly.

They leave me alone. After Elian closes the door, I lie back in the bed, pulling the thick blanket over me. My thoughts drift to Caspian—his cold blue eyes, his voice and words that stabbed me at the altar, that awful moment.

Closing my eyes, I force myself to shove it all away.

From now on, I am going to focus on myself. On healing. On surviving and trying my best to forget about the only soul who once meant the entire world to me—but left me to be devoured by the hyenas instead.

I hope Lycena becomes his worst nightmare… the same way she tormented and bullied me for years.

~~~~

When I wake up from my sleep, it's already evening.

I yawn a little and stretch out myself before sitting up and staring out the window. The sunset is beautiful, and watching how it dips over the horizon of the pack's mountains from this angle is pure mesmerization.

If the sunset is spectacular like this, then I wonder what waking up to the morning sun here will be like. I'm sure it will be an amazing sight to witness for myself.

Just then, I hear a soft knock on the door.

“Enter.”

The door opens. Elian steps in. He is here again—and he is not alone.

A girl walks in beside him, carrying a giant woven basket that looks like it’s about to burst with clothes, bags, and… shoes?

“Jocelyn,” Elian says, “Meet my sister. Nadia.”

Nadia.

And she is stunning.

Elian is taller than her, but I am guessing that she might be taller than me. Her creamy fair skin shines like a polished porcelain glass, and her chocolate brown hair is a darker shade of her light brown eyes. Her hair is tied up in a red scarf, and her golden earrings glint and dangle as she walks beside Elian.

Her toothy smile is warm and captivating. Also, her outfit—

Oh.

She is wearing tight black leather shorts and a red crop top that shows off her toned stomach. Her arms are covered in thin tattoos, spiraling up towards her shoulders. She looks like a model queen. Or a warrior. Or both.

“Hi cutie,” she says cheerfully. “I brought you a little something.”