The Rejected Substitute Luna

Chapter 10

Jasmine’s Pov

The car came to a stop, and my heart instantly began to beat harder, and I looked through the window.

There it was.

The Bloodstain Pack.

It was the same place I walked out of five years ago with a broken heart. A little bit different because it looked restructured, rebuilt, and modernized, but still the same.

Seeing the familiar gates made a cold shiver run down my spine. The memories, the good, the bad, Garrett’s harsh rejection, the terrifying rogue attack, and Clara's death rushed into my mind, making it hard to breathe.

I closed my eyes and gathered myself.

My sweet son, Orson, was safe back at the Hemlock Pack, sleeping soundly in our cozy cottage.

I was doing this for my foster mother, Willa. The woman who raised me deserves to know that I'm alive. She has to know.

I left her behind five years ago because the danger was too great, but I refuse to let her spend another day alone in this cruel territory. This summit was my only chance to take her away permanently.

"Jasmine, breathe." Fred’s deep, comforting voice broke through my panic. He reached over from the front seat and gently placed his warm hand over my shaking fingers. "You're safe. Your scent is different. No one is going to recognize you."

I looked down at myself in the dim light of the car's interior. I was wearing a stunning, elegant short backless dress with some beautiful heels. My style. Not the identity I was given 5 years ago.

Before we left, Fred paid a visit to the witch on the edge of town. He returned with a small glass vial filled with green liquid. The thick magical scent completely masked my natural scent. To any werewolf in that room, I would smell like a total stranger.

I was no longer Jasmine, the rejected Omega. Tonight, I was Lila, the future Luna of the Hemlock Pack.

"I'm ready," I whispered, my voice turning steady and firm, and I took a deep breath, pushing my fears away.

I've spent the last five years making sure that I would get stronger than the girl everyone walked all over. I'm not her anymore.

I pushed everything to the back of my mind as we made our way inside the pack gates all the way to the pack house.

Fred stepped out of the car first, opening the door and reaching back to help me out, and I held his arm tightly as we walked up the steps of the pack house.

The hall was packed. Hundreds of powerful Alphas, gorgeous Lunas, betas, gammas, and high-ranking elite warriors from every corner of the world flooded the room. The air was thick with the mixed scents of different packs, power, and testosterone. People were laughing, talking loudly, and arguing about pack politics.

I kept my head held high, walking with a graceful, confident stride beside Fred, but my eyes were secretly searching the room.

As we walked deeper into the hall, the crowd began to part for Fred. I looked towards the very front of the hall, where the host Alpha stood.

My chest tightened so hard it physically pained me.

There he was.

Garrett.

I froze for a split second before forcing my feet to keep moving. I don't know what l expected to see the man who ordered my death to look like but he looked entirely different.

He was wearing a formal black suit, but he looked more muscled and toned. His face looked harder and colder, and his eyes were dead, staring blankly into the crowd with a deep, heavy coldness.

If it were up to my stupid heart then l would look at him forever but long gone are the days when l let my heart drive me. Now I use my head.

I looked around, and of course, I saw Jenny.

She was sitting in a chair nearby. She leaned toward him, smiling sweetly and trying to whisper something in his ear, but Garrett didn't even turn his head. His expression remained deadly cold, ignoring her presence, but maybe that's my stupid heart, which didn't learn or understand.

Before I could think about it any further, Fred led me directly towards the steps. I could feel the tension radiating off his body.

I knew this moment was incredibly hard for him too. Five years ago, Fred and Garrett were inseparable best friends. They've known each other for years. But he made his choice. To protect my secret survival and keep my baby safe, Fred disappeared from Garrett's life. He didn't attend my fake memorial, he never called to offer condolences, and he cut off all contact.

He sacrificed his best friendship to become my quiet protector.

The guard stepped forward, his voice booming loudly over the voices. "Announcing Alpha Fred of the Hemlock Pack!"

At the sound of Fred's name, Garrett's head snapped up, and he turned to look in our direction.

Fred stopped at the bottom of the steps. He took my hand and turned with me to face everyone.

"Greetings, Alphas," His voice resonated through the hall. He turned slightly, placing his hand on my waist to introduce me. "This is my future Luna and fiancée, Lila."

I knew this was the moment I had to look at him to play the part. Slowly, gracefully, I tilted my head up, pushed past the fear, raised my chin, and let my eyes meet his.

At that exact second, the entire universe stopped moving.

The loud noise died instantly in my ears. Everything vanished into dead, suffocating silence.

I locked eyes with Garrett.

The moment our eyes connected, I saw his dead eyes explode with a sudden spark of life. The frozen mask on his face completely shattered into pieces.

He knew.

He knew it was me.

Even after five long years, he recognized me instantly. I saw the pure shock, the crushing guilt, and the raw, agonizing desperation that flooded his gaze.

It was a look of total, overwhelming disbelief, like a man who had just seen a ghost rise from the grave.

Even though I had long been prepared for this moment, my hands still began to tremble violently, and my breath came in short, ragged gasps. I wanted to turn around and run away, but I was glued to the floor by the sheer intensity of his stare.

With a frantic look in his eyes, Garrett stood up, pushed past his own guards, and stepped down the stairs with desperate steps straight towards me.

"JASMINE!"