THE LUNA THEY REJECTED CAME BACK RUTHLESS

Between Life and Death

The forest was darker than I remembered.

Or maybe it was just me.

Everything felt heavier. Slower. Like my body was struggling to keep up with the reality I had just been thrown into.

Each step I took was unsteady, my legs trembling beneath me as the cold night air wrapped around my skin.

I didn’t know where I was going.

I didn’t have a plan.

All I knew was that I couldn’t go back.

Not after what happened.

Not after the way he looked at me… like I was nothing.

My chest tightened, and I forced myself to keep moving, even as the pain in my body grew sharper with every step.

“Just… a little further,” I whispered to myself.

But my body wasn’t listening anymore.

The strange warmth in my stomach pulsed again—stronger this time.

It wasn’t normal.

It wasn’t right.

I stumbled, my vision blurring as dizziness hit me suddenly.

The trees around me seemed to spin, their shadows stretching unnaturally across the ground.

“What’s happening…?” I murmured.

My breathing grew uneven, shallow, as a sharp pain shot through my chest and down my spine.

Then—

A sound.

Low.

Growling.

My heart stopped.

Slowly, I lifted my head, my eyes scanning the darkness.

And then I saw them.

Glowing eyes.

Not one.

Not two.

But several.

Surrounding me.

Predators.

Waiting.

Watching.

Fear slammed into me instantly.

I tried to step back, but my legs gave out beneath me, and I hit the ground hard.

“No… no…” I whispered, panic rising in my chest.

The growls grew louder.

Closer.

I was too weak to run.

Too weak to fight.

This was it.

This was how it ended.

Alone.

Broken.

Forgotten.

One of the wolves stepped forward, its massive form emerging from the shadows, teeth bared as it prepared to strike.

I closed my eyes, bracing for the pain.

But it never came.

Instead—

A powerful force surged through the air.

A presence.

Dominant.

Terrifying.

The growls stopped instantly.

Replaced by silence.

Then—

A voice.

Cold.

Commanding.

“Back away from her.”

My eyes snapped open.

And standing between me and the wolves…

Was a stranger.

Tall.

Unfamiliar.

Dangerous.

And for some reason—

The wolves were afraid of him.

My vision blurred again, darkness creeping in as my body finally gave up.

The last thing I saw before everything went black…

Was him walking toward me.