REJECTED LUNA, BILLIONAIRE ALPHA'S OBSESSION

CHAPTER 2: FIVE YEARS OF HELL 🥵

CHAPTER 2: FIVE YEARS OF HELL

The music died the second she walked in.

Ava Carter.

The name whispered through the Grand Ballroom like a curse.

Five years.

Five years since Alpha Kael Blackwood rejected her in front of the entire Blackwood Pack.

Five years since he called her "weak" and "unworthy" of the Blackwood name.

Five years since she ran with nothing but the clothes on her back and a broken heart.

And now she was back.

Not as the scared 18-year-old omega in a hand-me-down dress.

But in a blood-red gown that cost more than most houses. Diamonds at her throat.

Head held high.

And a billion-dollar company backing her every step.

"Is that her?"

"That can't be Ava."

"She looks... different."

She heard them all. Let them talk.

Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she made her way to the bar.

Tonight was a charity gala. The perfect place to announce her new acquisition.

The perfect place to show them all what rejecting her had cost them.

"Miss Carter. Vodka, neat?"

The bartender didn't recognize her. Good.

"Thank you."

She took one sip.

And then she felt it.

That pull.

That chain around her soul that she thought she cut five years ago.

Her wolf, silent for years, stirred.

_Mate._

Her head snapped up.

Across the room.

Standing like he owned the entire building.

In a black tux that looked tailored by the gods.

Dark hair. Piercing gray eyes. Jaw clenched.

*Alpha Kael Blackwood.*

He was bigger. Scarred. And staring directly at her like she was a ghost.

Like she was the last thing he expected to see tonight.

The crowd parted around him as he moved.

Every step was deliberate. Predatory.

The same walk that used to make her knees weak.

It didn't work anymore.

He stopped in front of her. Close enough that she could smell him.

Cedar. Power. And something darker. Regret?

"Hello, Ava," his voice was low. Rough. The voice of an Alpha who hadn't slept in days.

"A year of searching. And you show up looking like this."

Ava set her glass down. Met his eyes without flinching.

The old Ava would have cried. Begged.

This Ava smiled. Cold.

"Alpha Blackwood," she said sweetly. "I didn't realize this was a pack-only event.

I should tell security you're trespassing."

His jaw ticked. "You left."

"You rejected me," she shot back. "Don't rewrite history, Kael."

The use of his first name made his eyes flare gold.

His wolf was close to the surface.

"You don't understand—"

"I understand perfectly," Ava cut him off. "You wanted a stronger Luna.

You got one. Just not yours."

She turned to leave.

A strong hand caught her wrist.

The entire room gasped.

No one touched an Alpha without permission.

No one touched _him_.

"Let go," Ava said quietly. Dangerously.

"I can't," Kael growled. "Not again. My wolf... he's going insane."

Ava yanked her hand free. Rubbed her wrist.

"Five years too late."

She started walking away again.

But his next words stopped her cold.

"The company you're about to buy. Blackwood Tech."

Ava froze.

"I'm the majority shareholder," Kael continued. "If you want it,

you're going to have to come through me."

She turned slowly.

So that was his game.

Ava smiled. The same smile she used in boardrooms to destroy men twice his size.

"Then I guess we're doing business, Alpha."

She leaned in. Whispered just for him.

"But don't get it twisted. I'm not here for you.

I'm here to burn everything you built... and watch you beg to be part of the ashes."

She walked away.

Leaving a furious, obsessed Alpha staring after the woman he threw away.

_And for the first time in five years, Kael Blackwood was terrified._

*Author's Note*: He rejected her. Now he wants her back. But she's not the same girl 😈