The Alpha's Regret: Chasing Back His Rejected Luna

8. A Hopeful Fresh Start.

~ JOCELYN ~

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

Cutie? Was she referring to me?

I get my answer when she holds up the basket and dumps it on the foot of my bed with a grin. Inside the basket, there are colorful clothes, soft pajamas, boots, sandals, hair stuff, and even perfume bottles.

I blink. “All of this… is for me?”

She plops down beside me on the bed like we’ve been friends forever. “Duh. You didn’t think we were going to let you keep wearing this one t-shirt and pants, did you?”

I laugh a little, surprised by how easy it suddenly feels to find myself relaxing around her.

“Alright, ladies.” Elian calls our attention to him. “I have to attend to something important.”

He turns to Nadia. “Sis, go easy on her. She’s still adapting.”

“I know, big brother. Now, are you going to leave or stay?”

Elian rolls his eyes, and I suddenly chuckle, already imagining how the two of them must be pissing each other off, even though they are siblings. I don't have a family, but I know siblings love nitpicking and fighting over weird, trivial things.

After Elian leaves and shuts the door, I find myself stuck alone with Nadia. She proceeds to make herself comfortable on the bed, lying down on her stomach while kicking her legs up in the air.

“Elian told me you’re staying with us for a while,” she's still smiling at me. “Welcome to the Moonclaw Pack.”

“Thanks. I guess I don’t really have a choice.”

“Oh, you always have a choice. But I'd like you to stay. I hope you don't mind, but Elian told me what happened to you in your previous pack. Whoever rejected you must be out of his f*****g mind. You're gorgeous, babygirl, just like me. It's his loss, and don't worry, I'm here to ensure you look super hot while figuring your life out.”

A laugh escapes me. She laughs too.

We talk for a while. Nadia here doesn’t judge me. She doesn’t look at me like I’m broken. She treats me like… a friend.

And it feels good.

Despite the pain and shame of the rejection I carry deep in my chest, for now, I just want to enjoy the moment, and Nadia makes it easy for me. I don’t tell her more about Caspian. In fact, I don't even bring up his wretched name at all, and she even does me the favor of not asking anything about where I came from. In all honesty, I think she is the one carrying and pushing this entire conversation forward. She freely tells me about her life in the Moonclaw pack, how she loves cooking, how she enjoys the discipline and her warrior training at the Pack's Institute. She even talks about her favorite weapons and how she once took down a nasty asshole who tried to mock her during her first warrior training.

“I ended up poisoning his lunch with laxatives. The asswipe couldn't take a proper s**t for three days straight.”

I burst out a laugh so hard, my ribs hurt.

She continues our conversation with another funny story about a recipe she just discovered. Watching her talk is therapeutic. Even her brother Elian is so nice to talk with too.

I guess it just runs in their blood.

“Try on the red tank top first.” She points to the basket. “It’s a good start for showing off skin.”

I raise an eyebrow. “I’ve never worn anything like that before.”

“Well, that’s the point,” she winks. “New life. New style. No more looking back.”

She makes a lot of sense.

“Okay.”

Smiling, she gets up to leave. “Jocelyn, I really hope you enjoy your stay here. If you need anything, I'm here for you.”

Her voice is so full of concern now, and I still wonder how someone who doesn't even know me well enough is this nice to me.

Well, I guess I'm feeling this way because naturally, when something is too good to be true, it's in our nature to question it and even tend to run away.

“Bye.” She smiles one last time before heading out. The door clicks shut after she leaves.

Phew.

Just then, my stomach rumbles in hunger.

~~~

My dinner arrives soon after. A kind older woman I don’t recognize brings in a tray filled with roasted chicken, rice, vegetables, and sweet-smelling bread. I thank her quietly and begin eating after she leaves.

The flavors are warm and rich, filling my stomach for the first time in days. And no, the food is not poisoned. It tastes absolutely great.

After eating, another woman returns to take away the tray and plates. When she is gone, I manage to pull myself up and gently head to the small bathroom attached to the room.

Inside, I undress slowly. The water is warm on my skin, and the soap smells like bathing with lilies. I wash my hair, my body, and let the water drench off all the soap lather before I finally step out and clean my body with a soft towel.

When I finally leave the bathroom, I put on a pair of fresh pajama shorts and blouse—the soft pink ones with little flower designs. I had chosen them from the heap of clothes in the basket. I will sort out the others tomorrow.

Sighing, I slide into bed. The sheets are soft. The wind outside is cool and blowing into the room.

Despite falling in love with this soft, king-sized bed, sleep doesn’t come for me quickly. As I wait, my thoughts circle back to him.

Caspian.

Thinking about him suddenly feels like a curse, but I wonder what the hell he is probably doing right now.

Is he working his ass off? Or is that b***h Lycena lying next to him right now and doing all sorts of—?

Fuck. I hate myself for still remembering that he exists. I hate myself for knowing that he was once the only air I breathed.

Now, all I want is to forget he ever existed. But I can’t help it. I close my eyes and try to think about something else.

Forgetting Caspian won't be easy, but I am willing to try.

If he can betray me and toss me aside for that b***h, then I can damn well forget him and move on with my life too.