Reclaim the rejected Luna's Heart

CHAPTER 4

Lyra

I hovered outside the pawn shop, the weight of the ring box suddenly feeling a hundred pounds heavier in my purse.

"Just do it, Lyra." I muttered, "The worst Liam can do is kill you, right?"

Squaring my shoulders, I pushed the door to the shop open and walked in. An older gentleman was behind the counter, his shrewd gaze leveled at me as I approached.

"Welcome to Nostalgia. How may I help you, ma'am?"

"Umm...hi," I said, and winced at how I sounded.

Like a scared schoolgirl about to do something terrible, I wasn't doing anything wrong. The ring was mine to sell if I wanted.

So why was I so nervous?

I cleared my throat and tried again. "I'd like to sell something."

He nodded. "Of course. May I see the item?"

I hesitated for a moment, then brought out the ring box. The box was just as beautifully crafted as the ring inside, and I felt a tug in my chest as I ran my fingers over the hand-carved designs one last time before placing it on the counter.

I had to clasp my hands tightly behind my back to resist the urge to snatch it and hightail it out of the shop.

"This belongs to you?" he asked, and I nodded.

"It was a gift," I replied, leaving it at that. There was no need to go into detail. "It's authentic, the moonstone, I mean. It's real. Not fake."

He gave me an odd look and merely let out a thoughtful "hmm,"

"So, how much will you give me for it?" I asked, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt.

"Well, I don't usually deal with pieces like this one. However, I'm willing to make an exception." He scribbled some figures on a piece of paper and slid it across to me.

I saw the amount and tried not to let my disappointment show. "Just this? I was hoping for something more."

Five hundred thousand dollars would barely cover the ICU bills, let alone the main surgery costs. I'd been hoping for at least a million dollars—the moonstone was one of a kind, after all.

"This is an exquisite piece, custom-made and impossible to find anywhere else. You can—"

I was cut off by a jingling sound and the opening of the shop's front door. Even before I turned around, I already knew who had just walked into the store.

Liam.

He wasn't alone.

Perched on his arm was Evelyn.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," her voice rented the air. She laughed, a mocking sound that made me stiffen. "Lyra, I had no idea you visited this sort of place. What are you doing here? Shopping?"

She came up to the counter and stood in my line of sight, making it impossible for me to look away. Dammit.

My fingers curled into fists, and I fought to tamp down the anger that flared the moment I heard her voice. I took a deep breath and reminded myself to remain calm.

"Evelyn," I said evenly, forcing a small smile. "I didn't expect to find you in a place like this either."

She laughed and tossed her hair with a flick of her manicured fingers. "Oh, I don't. I was just passing by with Liam..." she trailed off, resting her hands lightly on Liam's arm and squeezing affectionately, "...when I spotted your car and got curious."

Her gaze flickered to the box, and I winced, cursing my luck. Why her, of all people?

"Oh my! Isn't that..." she reached out to grab it, but I moved quickly and snatched the box before she could.

Evelyn stared at me, mouth open in disbelief, her gaze flickering between me, the box, and the shopkeeper.

"Oh goddess!" She gasped, hands flying to her mouth. "Liam told me you were desperate for money, but I thought he was exaggerating. So it's true? The great Lyra Montreal, formerly known as Stone, has been reduced to selling off her personal belongings. Isn't this the ring Liam gave you? I thought you treasured it above everything else. Now you're trying to pawn it like a cheap trinket? Goddess, you really are a gold digger."

Liam spoke then.

"What are you doing with that ring, Lyra?"

Wasn't it obvious? I almost scoffed at him, but said instead. "Does this ring mean anything to you?"

I stared him down, waiting for an answer, waiting for the one word that would stop me from selling the ring. That would give me hope.

I was too lost in my thoughts and waiting, I didn't notice Evelyn reaching out to grab the box.

"Arghhh!" Her sudden cry of pain was followed by the clatter of the ring box hitting the floor.

"My fingers!" Evelyn screamed, holding up her hand so I could clearly see that the tips were an angry red. She glared at the discarded ring on the floor, "What the hell is that thing? Why did it burn me?" Her accusing gaze shifted to me. "What did you do?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I spat, bending down to retrieve the ring, but someone kicked the box, and it skidded a few feet away.

The sudden action made me stagger back, and I lost my footing, falling to the ground. A sharp pain shot down my spine.

"What did you do to that ring, Lyra?" Liam growled.

I must have looked pathetic—crumpled on the floor like a beggar, hand outstretched, tears stinging the back of my eyes as Evelyn stared down at me.

But it wasn't her glare that gutted me, or the high-pitched sound of her fake cries as she hurled accusations my way.

No.

It was Liam's voice that undid me.

I looked up at him, meeting a cold, empty gaze that raked me over from head to toe with an intensity that left me branded.

"Answer me!" His jaw worked.

But I didn't.

Ignoring him, I reached out to grab the ring once more, only to be thwarted by his gleaming Oxford leather shoe stepping on it.

When I looked up again, Liam was sneering. "I knew you were a coldhearted liar, but I never expected you to stoop this low. This is pathetic, Lyra, even for someone as money-hungry as you."

Heat suffused my cheeks, and I scrambled to my feet, keeping my head high. I would not let him see how much his words wounded my ego.

"I'm just doing what is necessary."

Liam scoffed, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. "Is that what you've been telling yourself to justify your actions?" He glanced at the ring, mouth twisting in a grim smile. "I remember you saying how important this ring was to you. Looks like your sincerity was just as hollow. Things without heart are useless to me." His eyes flicked back to mine. "Just like you."

"I agree. I am useless and a fool. The only fool in this case is myself." I retorted bitterly, unable to stop the anger flooding through me. I didn't deserve any of this, to be insulted and called all sorts of names by a man I once loved. I was not having it. "I was foolish to believe your fake promises in the beginning."

"How dare you speak to him that way?" Evelyn demanded, bristling. "You forget your place, Lyra. You forget he's your Alpha."

"You're the one who's forgotten her place!" I snapped, whirling on her, furious.

Despite the humiliating circumstances, I was not about to let a mere beta's daughter disrespect me, whether or not she was sharing a bed with my husband.

Evelyn's gasp was nearly drowned by Liam's growl of displeasure. The sound sent chills crawling up my spine and I instinctively backed away, but he came right at me, his aura dark and threatening.

"This is another one of your sick games, isn't it? Coming to this very shop and trying to pawn off that ring because you knew Mr. Gold would recognize it and alert me."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Liam." I said, confused because the one reason I'd chosen this place was for the exact opposite of what he claimed. "I had no idea you knew this man, and I certainly wasn't trying to get your attention."

His hand shot out and gripped my chin hard, fingers digging into my skin. "Lie to me one more time, and I'll cut your tongue out."

He let go so abruptly that I stumbled, loosing my balance, and slamming painfully into the edge of the counter.

Pain bloomed from the spot, my chin still aching from Liam's iron grip. He gave me a disgusted look and drew out his handkerchief, wiping his hands as if ridding himself of my touch.

"How much did you offer her?" He asked the shopkeeper, no longer looking at me.

"Five hundred thousand, Alpha," the man replied.

Evelyn, who had been watching with a satisfied smile, laughed. "Just that? Why, you should have come to me first, Lyra, I would have offered even more than that."

I scoffed and turned to her, letting her see the mockery on my face. "That ring was blessed by the moon goddess herself. It burned you earlier because the goddess knows a b***h like you isn't worthy of her blessings."

"You—"

"Enough!" Liam's command silenced her.

He turned toward me then, his gaze so cold it made me tremble. "Is this really who you are, Lyra? Are you really this desperate for just five hundred thousand?"

Just five hundred thousand?

I wiped away the tear that had slipped from my eye, locking my gaze on Liam. It was strange. I once thought those cold blue eyes would always be filled with love for me.

And now, he betrayed me; he refused to lend me money and even mocked me for abandoning everything between us... for five hundred thousand.

I caught a flicker of something in his expression, but it didn't matter anymore.

I wanted to go anywhere—anywhere but here. I didn't want to be insulted, especially not by someone as low as Evelyn. Or by Liam—the man who once stood by me but now belonged to someone else.

I caught a flash of something in Liam's expression, but before I could figure out what it was, my stomach cramped painfully, forcing me to almost double over. Suddenly, I wanted to be anywhere but here, being taunted and mocked, especially by someone as lowly as Evelyn. Or by Liam, the man who once stood by me, but was now a stranger.

I was desperate… but not that desperate.

"You know what, Evelyn? You can have the ring. Throw it away, sell it, I don't care." I didn’t even know how I managed to get my voice out, "It's just a broken stone. It doesn't matter who takes it anymore. And as for being important? It's not. Liam means nothing to me, so it's only fair that the ring means nothing too."

I could have sworn I heard him flinch slightly after I said this. But what did that compare to what I had suffered?

"I don't love him anymore, I don't want him anymore. And just like the ring Evelyn, you can have him too."

Tears rolled down my cheeks; All the past memories, sweet or painful. I don't want them anymore.

I took a deep breath, forcing the words out:

"I, Lyra Stone, formally reject you, Liamander Montreal, as my mate."