Twice Rejected: The Luna Forged in Fire

Chapter 5

SLOANE

I don’t remember running upstairs.

One moment I’m staring at Hunter and Ava in that room — too close, too familiar — and the next I’m in our bedroom, yanking open drawers, grabbing whatever my hands land on.

I can’t think or breathe.

I can’t stay here.

I throw clothes into a suitcase without folding them. My hands shake so badly I drop half of what I pick up. I don’t care. I just need to leave.

I move to the closet, grab a jacket, shoes, anything. My vision blurs. My chest feels tight. I can’t tell if I’m angry or heartbroken or both.

Probably both.

I go to Caleb’s room next. His night-light glows softly, casting stars across the walls. He’s asleep, curled up with his stuffed wolf. I pack his clothes quickly — shirts, pants, pajamas, his favorite blanket.

I’m not leaving without him.

Back in my room, I change into jeans and a sweater. My hands pause on my wedding band. The gold feels heavier than it ever has.

I slide it off.

It leaves a pale circle on my skin.

That’s when Hunter walks in.

He’s dressed now, hair damp like he splashed water on his face. He looks startled when he sees the suitcase.

“Sloane, wait—”

I don’t look at him.

He steps closer. “You misunderstood. It’s not what it looked like.”

A humorless laugh escapes me. “Hunter, I’m not stupid.”

He reaches for my arm.

I step back like he’s something rotten. Something I can’t bear to touch.

His expression hardens. “Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?” I snap. “Avoid you? After what I saw?”

“You’re blowing this out of proportion,” he says, voice rising. “Ava just had a baby. She needed comfort.”

“From you?” I ask. “In her bed? At midnight?”

He opens his mouth, closes it, then gets defensive. “You’re being dramatic.”

I zip the suitcase. “I’m leaving.”

Before he can respond, Ava appears in the doorway, baby Mason in her arms. She’s still half dressed, hair messy, completely unbothered.

“Hunter,” she says sweetly, “he won’t stop crying. Can you help?”

Then she sees the suitcase.

Her expression shifts instantly — smug, satisfied.

“Oh,” she says lightly. “Finally leaving? About time.”

Something inside me snaps.

I walk straight to her and slap her across the face.

The sound is sharp.

Ava gasps.

Mason wails.

Hunter steps between us immediately, blocking me with his body. “Enough!” He pushed me and I hit my head on the wall.

My vision dimmed for a moment, but I am determined to leave this hell.

I don’t look at him. I grab my suitcase and head for Caleb’s room.

Caleb stirs when I lift him. “Mommy? What’s happening?”

My throat tightens. “We’re going, sweetheart.”

But Hunter appears in the doorway, blocking the hall.

“You can leave,” he says. “Caleb stays.”

“No.”

“He’s not going with you.”

“He’s my son.”

Hunter’s eyes shift — not fully, but enough to show the wolf beneath. A warning. A threat.

I freeze.

I don’t have my wolf.

I can’t fight him.

Not like this.

Caleb clings to my neck. “Mommy, don’t go.”

My heart shatters, hearing what he called me gave me hope.

I kiss his forehead. “I’ll come back for you. I promise.”

Hunter steps forward, and I know I have no choice. I gently place Caleb back in his bed. He reaches for me, crying, but Hunter pulls him away.

I grab my suitcase and walk out before I break completely.

The night air is cold when I load the suitcase into the car. My hands tremble as I start the engine. I don’t know where I’m going. I just know I can’t stay.

I drive.

Ten minutes.

Fifteen.

Twenty.

The road winds through the cliffs — dangerous curves, no guardrails. I’ve driven it a hundred times.

Tonight it feels different.

In my rearview mirror, headlights appear.

Close.

Too close.

I slow slightly.

The car behind me speeds up.

My pulse spikes. I grip the wheel tighter.

Another turn.

Another curve.

The headlights stay glued to me.

I speed up.

So do they.

My breath catches. I can’t see the driver. The windows are tinted. The road narrows.

The other car swerves closer.

Too close.

“Please,” I whisper. “Not now.”

The first hit is small — a tap to my bumper.

The second is harder.

The third—

The wheel jerks out of my hands.

The world tilts.

The cliff edge rushes toward me.

I try to brake. Steer. Breathe.

The car goes over.

Air.

Darkness.

Weightlessness.

Then—

Impact.

A burst of light.

Heat.

Sound.

Everything blurs.

I hear myself scream, but it feels far away.

The world fades at the edges.

Then everything goes white.

And then—

I gasp awake.

My lungs burn. My skin feels hot. The echo of twisting metal rings in my ears.

Then—silence.

I’m in my bed.

My bed!

The sheets are cool. The room is dim. I checked my phone, saw the date and the clock reads 5:12 a.m.

The morning of Caleb’s award ceremony!

The morning everything started to fall apart.

I sit up slowly, my heart pounding. My hands shake as I touch my face, my arms, my legs.

No blood, smoke or flames.

I’m alive. I’m back!

And every memory — Hunter, Ava, Caleb, the betrayal, the cliff — slams into me like a tidal wave.

I choke on a breath.

This is real.

I’ve been reborn.

And this time…

I’m not letting them destroy me.