THE LUNAR REBORN

Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Rejection.

Maya's POV

“Asher, why are you doing this?” I asked with a trembling voice. My heart pounded in my chest as I stood before him searching his eyes for a sign about anything that could explain what was happening.

His cold gaze distant the warmth which I had once felt from him. “It’s over, Maya,” he flatly said, his tone hard. “I don't want you, and I never did.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut stealing my breath. “You don't mean that,” I whispered, stepping closer. I needed him to look at me. I tried getting his attention but he just turned away. “You're lying. This isn't you”.

“I’m not lying and I can never do such to you, Maya,” He said, still refusing to meet my gaze. “It's better if you leave. We're not meant to be together”.

I could feel welling up making my throat tightened to emotion. “What happened to you, Asher? I thought we were happy, or weren't we?”.

“You thought wrong,” He cut me off with his sharp voice. “I’m Alpha of this pack, I have responsibilities. I don't even have time for……this?” He gestured between us like it was nothing like I was nothing to him.

A wave of despair washed over me. How could he say that? After everything we’d been through, everything we’d shared? "Asher, please. I don’t understand. What changed?"

He looked at me with his tightened Jaw, and for a moment, I saw something flicker in his eyes, something like regret. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "Leave me alone, Maya; just leave," he said quietly. “I am no longer interested, and this is how it has to be."

I could feel the tension, which made my heart for a moment. My breath, the pain was so deep that it felt like I was drowning. "Is this really what you want?" I asked, my voice breaking. "To throw everything away like this?"

He kept mute without answering. I felt like I was being neglected but nothing of these moved him.

“You aren't saying anything, Asher," I curiously said, waiting for his reply, but he just turned and walked away, leaving me standing there in the cold night with surprised tears streaming down my face. I watched him disappear into the darkness, and for the first time, I felt truly alone.

“What have I done wrong? Did I say anything bad?" I asked myself, my voice barely above a whisper.

I stumbled through the streets of Shadow Creek, my mind spinning. Everything in the town had once felt like home but now felt strange like it was hiding something from me.

This can't be possible. “What will I do? This isn't the Asher I know," my heart pondered as I mumbled beneath my breath.

The deep air made my body shiver over its calmness, but as I walked, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching me, lurking in the shadows.

I tried as much as possible to focus, so I stood still. There had to be an explanation. Asher wasn’t acting like himself. He couldn’t just stop caring about me like that—could he? What may have come over him?

I was left in contemplation, but the more I thought about it, the more troubled my heart became. Something seems to have changed, not just with Asher but with the town itself.

The people looked at me as they whispered beneath their breath, they thought I couldn't hear them. It was like they knew something I didn't.

I reached the edge of the forest, the place where Asher and I used to meet under the moonlight. I looked up at the full moon seeing its light casting long shadows through its trees.

“Why is he acting this way? Why did you leave me?” I whispered into the night though I knew there would be no answer.

The bushes suddenly rustled, which made me jump, and my heart raced as I turned towards the sound. “Who's there?”. I called out with a shaky voice. There was no reply, only silence.

“I guess someone was spying on me. I wasn't alone; I could feel it—The presence of someone or something watching me from the darkness”. I whispered.

I took a step back, my eyes scanning the treeline. “Show yourself, coward,” I demanded; though my voice was trembling, I hated how exposed and vulnerable I felt.

To my shock, a figure stepped out from the shadows. My breath caught in my throat when I saw him. It was a tall man with glowing eyes, causing a strange amber color in the moonlight. I have never seen him before but something about him felt familiar.

“Why are you here? You shouldn't be here,” he said, his voice low and rough, but there was an edge to it, like a warning.

“Who are you?” I asked, trying to steady my voice. “What do you want?".

He looked a step closer and I fearfully backed away. “You're not safe here, Maya. This is not a better place for you, here looks dangerous”.

I froze. “Wait a minute, how did you know my name?”.

“Your name isn't important in cases like this." The man smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. “There’s a lot you don't know about this town; there are things you need to know about yourself and Asher.”

“What do you mean?” “What do you want to tell me?"

He shook his head. "It’s not my place. But you need to leave. Now."

I stood my ground. "You can't just give me such an instruction, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on."

The man sighed, his glowing eyes narrowing. "You’ve been living in the dark, Maya. This is not all you got; there's a dangerous secret in town, friend. There are secrets in this town—dangerous secrets.

Failure to leave now will expose so many things, and you’re going to get caught in the middle of something you can’t control."

I swallowed hard, fear gnawing at my insides. "What does this have to do with Asher?”

The man’s expression darkened. "Asher made his choice. He’s protecting you, in his way."

"Protecting me? By breaking my heart?" I asked, bitterness creeping into my voice. "What could be so dangerous that he’d push me away like that?"

The man didn’t answer immediately. He looked up at the moon, as if searching for the right words and went his way.

I stood still trying to comprehend what just happened as questions began swirling on my mind. Who is this mysterious stranger trying to reveal things about me that are yet to be known?