The Rejected Substitute Luna

Chapter 3

Jasmine's POV

Three days.

Three long, quiet days passed, and Garrett didn't return home from the hospital.

Not even once.

I wish I could say that I didn't wait. I wish I could say I've slept and it hasn't bothered me, but it felt like I was drowning in a sea of pain. The only one who could help me was the exact person pushing me deeper into the water.

I sat alone in the large, empty house, watching the sun go down every night.

Jenny was probably feigning the severity of her injuries just to keep Garrett by her side, and it was working perfectly. Garrett was so blinded by his love for her that he couldn't see through her lies. Or maybe, he just didn't care to look for the truth.

I stood in front of my walk-in closet, looking at the rows and rows of beautiful clothes. I used to think he loved seeing me look beautiful. But now, I know the disgusting truth.

I reached out and pulled a beautiful, pastel blue silk dress off the hanger. Garrett had given it to me for our second anniversary. I remember how he stared at me that night. He looked at me the whole night, and I thought he was looking at me with love. Now, I realize he was just looking at the ghost of Jenny.

He bought this dress because it was Jenny's favorite color, and he made me wear these clothes because he wanted to pretend his lost mate was still alive in his bed.

"A substitute," I whispered to myself, my voice shaking. "I was just a placeholder."

The pain in my chest was so sharp that I had to lean against the closet wall to catch my breath. It felt like a physical weight crushing my lungs. I tried for three years to be the perfect wife and the perfect Luna, but it was all a big, cruel sham.

I grabbed a large, black trash bag from the kitchen and came back to the closet. With trembling hands, I began to tear the dresses off their hangers. I didn't care if the expensive fabric ripped. I didn't care if the buttons popped off.

I packed them all into the bag, one by one. I wanted every memory of Garrett’s fake tenderness out of my sight.

"Jasmine?"

A deep, powerful voice broke the silence of the house. The sheer dominance in that tone made me freeze. I turned around quickly, wiping a lone tear from my cheek.

"The door was open, and I heard noise up here, so I wanted to check on you."

Standing at the entrance of the closet was Fred. He was Garrett’s closest friend and the Alpha of the DuskFall Pack. Fred was the kind of man who completely took over any room he walked into. He was incredibly tall, with broad shoulders and a commanding Alpha aura that made his presence known instantly. He was easily one of the most handsome men I had ever met, with a sharp jawline and warm hazel eyes, but Garrett had always been the only one I saw.

He hadn't been here for a while because his pack is quite far away from here, so I'm surprised he's here today. But maybe he's just as excited to see Jenny.

He looked straight at me, his rich hazel eyes burning with intense concern. His gaze swept over my pale face and my trembling hands. He didn't just look at me. He "saw" me. But I've recently come to terms with the fact that I'm not a good judge of character, so maybe I was just seeing things.

"Jasmine, what are you doing?"

I heard the deep sympathy in his voice, but I don't need anybody's pity. Especially not coming from the people who knew exactly what was happening, while all of them played me for a fool.

"I'm throwing away the things I don't need anymore," I said, forcing my voice to sound cold and steady. I turned my back to his powerful frame and continued stuffing the clothes into the trash bag.

Fred stepped closer, and I could feel the heavy heat radiating from his massive body. The air in the small closet suddenly felt thick and electric.

He hesitated for a second, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw his large, strong hand hovering in the air near my shoulder. His fingers twitched, desperately wanting to touch me, but he forced himself to hold back.

"Unfortunately, your friend isn't here at the moment, but I'm sure you can find him in the pack house or somewhere that's just not here," I said. It hurt to speak to him this way because I've always had this unexplainable connection with Fred. A connection to a point where I truly thought I could trust him. But he had deceived me, along with Garrett.

"I heard Jenny is back," Fred said softly.

Of course, he heard. So he rushed over right away.

"I know it couldn't be easy having her back," Fred continued, his voice dropping to a rough whisper. He took another step closer, his eyes locked onto the back of my neck. This makes me feel uncomfortable.

I stopped moving. The pain and anger inside me boiled over. I slowly turned around to look at Fred.

Looking up at his handsome face, I wanted to scream at him because he knew the truth all along. I wanted to ask him if they laughed behind my back every time I tried to dress up and be someone else. I just wanted to know why.

Fred stared down at me with conflicting emotions, but they were gone as soon as they appeared. I didn't have time to dwell on whatever he wanted to say.

"Get out," I said with cold indifference. I could hardly recognize my own voice.

Fred flinched, as if my cold words had physically struck his chest. A flash of pure heartbreak crossed his face, but his strong, commanding posture didn't waver.

"I don't want your advice, and I don't want to talk about Garrett," I said, turning away from him completely. "Go to the hospital and help him take care of his first mate. I have work to do."

He stood there for a long moment. I could tell that he had so much he wanted to say to me. His powerful presence filled the closet, making it impossible to ignore him. But instead of speaking, he slowly knelt down on the floor.

As he reached out to help me, his large hand accidentally brushed against mine. A sudden, electric shock ran straight up my arm, making my breath hitch. Fred froze for a split second, his eyes locking onto mine with a burning intensity that made my heart race, before he quietly looked away. Without saying another word, he began picking up the heavy bags of clothes for me.

He carried them all the way downstairs and out to the disposal bins, his dominant, protective energy silently supporting me even though I didn't need him to.

He did it until all the clothes were gone. When he finished, he gave me one last, lingering look from the doorway—a look full of unspoken promises, and silently left, leaving me to drown in my pain all alone.

But I didn't allow myself to cry. I had to stay strong. I needed to keep my dignity.

I went downstairs to the Alpha’s study and sat at the large desk.

For the rest of the day, I diligently handled all my duties as Luna. I reviewed the pack's financial budgets, approved the food supplies for the pack warriors, and organized the upcoming schedules for the pack house staff. I worked until my fingers ached and my eyes burned. I wanted to keep busy so I wouldn't have to think about the emptiness in my life.

It was late at night when the silence of the study was broken by the loud ringing of the house phone.

I looked at the caller ID, and it was Garrett’s personal number.

My breath hitched, and I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Jasmine," Garrett’s voice boomed through the line. He didn't ask how I was doing. He didn't apologize for leaving me alone for three days, but instead, he did the opposite. "Why haven't you come to the hospital yet?"

I gripped the edge of the desk, my knuckles turning white. "Why should I come to the hospital?"

"To apologize to Jenny," he said harshly. "She has been crying for three days straight, Jasmine. Her arm is injured, and she's traumatized from her past. You attacked her in her own room, and you haven't even shown up to say sorry. How can you be so heartless and cruel to a woman who has suffered so much?"

The injustice of his words made a bitter laugh escape my lips. My heart was bleeding, but my pride wouldn't let me back down.

"I'm not coming to apologize because I did absolutely nothing wrong," I said firmly, standing my ground. "Jenny insulted me, then she raised her claws to attack me. I only pushed her away to protect myself. You didn't even care to look at me to see if I was hurt. You just blindly believed her lies."

"Enough, Jasmine!" he shouted, his Alpha aura leaking through the phone line, making the speakers crackle. "Jenny would never lie about something like this. She is weak and broken right now. I don't care what excuse you have, you're the Luna of this pack, and you will come here right now to make things right!"

"I am not your Luna anymore, Garrett," I said quietly. The words fell from my lips before I could stop them, but I couldn't bring myself to regret them.

The line went dead silent for a few seconds. Garrett caught his breath, his anger suddenly freezing. "What did you just say?"

"Let’s stop this game," I said, a tear finally sliding down my face, though my voice remained steady. "I know why you married me. I know you only chose me because I have her face. I'm not going to live my life as a ghost's replacement. Garrett, let's get a divorce. You can reject me."

There was a sharp gasp from Garrett’s side of the line. He was completely shocked. He never expected the quiet, obedient Jasmine to ever ask for a divorce.

"Jasmine, listen to me, you can't just-"

"Ahhh! Garrett! Help me!" Jenny’s scream suddenly echoed loudly through the line. "I tried to reach for the water, and I fell out of bed!"

Instantly, Garrett forgot all about our call, and I heard the sheer panic and anxiety in his voice. "Jenny! Hold on, I'm right here. Don't move. Nurse, someone help!"

The phone line abruptly went dead. I slowly lowered the phone from my ear and stared at the dark screen.

He didn't even hesitate. The moment she cried out, I ceased to exist to him.

I closed my eyes, a sense of heavy sadness settling into my bleeding heart.