He Rejected The Wrong Luna.

Chapter 2: First Night Outside

{Linda's POV.}

My paws slammed against the forest floor as I pushed my wolf harder than I ever had before. Branches whipped across my face. The scent of Blackthorn warriors filled the air behind me — thick, angry, and closing in fast.

‘Reject you… worthless… murderer…’

Caleb’s words kept repeating in my head like a curse. Every time my heart beat, I heard them again. He had looked me in the eye and thrown me away in front of everyone.

My wolf let out a broken whimper inside me, but she didn’t slow down. She was just as desperate to escape as I was.

I could hear them getting closer. Growls,Heavy footsteps and the snapping of twigs under powerful bodies.

I was almost at the border. Just a little further—

A massive brown wolf crashed into me from the side.

The impact knocked the air out of my lungs. We rolled hard across the dirt. Before I could get up, the brown wolf pinned me down with his full weight. His jaws opened wide, fangs aimed straight at my throat.

This was it.

I closed my eyes.

Then something slammed into him.

A black wolf with a clear white stripe over its left eye charged in and knocked the brown wolf off me. The two of them crashed into a tree. The black wolf didn’t give the other one a chance to recover. He attacked fast and hard, forcing the brown wolf back.

More wolves appeared from the trees, all of them strangers. The Blackthorn warriors suddenly stopped. They looked around, realizing they were outnumbered.

After a few tense seconds, the brown wolf gave a sharp growl of frustration and retreated. The others followed him.

Silence fell over the forest.

I stayed on the ground, sides heaving, ready to fight if I had to.

A calm voice entered my mind through a mind-link. ”We don’t want to fight you or hurt you.’’

I hesitated. My wolf was still on edge, but the voice didn’t carry any aggression. Slowly, I got up and backed away toward a thick tree. I shifted behind it, my body aching from the tackle. My hands shook as I pulled out the leggings and black top I had stuffed in my bag earlier. I got dressed quickly.

When I stepped out, the wolves had already shifted too. Most of them were only wearing jeans shorts, their chests bare and covered in light scratches from the short fight.

One of them stepped forward. He was tall, with dark hair and a serious face. The white stripe over his left eye was still visible even in human form.

“My name is Ethan,” he said. His voice was steady. “We’re rogues. You’re safe with us for now.”

I didn’t answer right away. Trusting anyone felt impossible after what just happened. But they saved my life.

That counted for something.

“Come with us,” Ethan said. “You look like you need rest… and food.”

I followed them deeper into the forest. After a while, the trees opened up into a hidden campsite.

There were several small tents made from old fabric and tarps. A few fires burned low. People sat around them. Men, women, even a couple of children. All of them looked worn down, like they had been surviving out here for a long time. The air smelled like smoke and cooked meat.

A lady handed me a cup of water and a plate of food. I took the water but set the plate down beside me. My stomach was tight. I wasn’t sure I could eat.

I sat on a wooden log and stared at the fire.

I’m a rogue now.

The thought settled over me like a heavy blanket. Yesterday I had a room in the pack house, a place in the pack, and a mate who said he loved me. Now I had nothing. No protection, no home, no friends, and no to care if I lived or died.

My wolf curled up inside me, quiet and hurting.

Then the word came back.

‘Murderer.’

Caleb’s voice echoed in my head again. My fingers tightened around the cup.

I had tried so hard to forget that day.

We were just teenagers. Caleb, his younger brother, and I had been playing near the river. The water was higher than usual because of the rain the night before. We were laughing, chasing each other, not paying attention.

I still remember the exact moment everything went wrong.

His brother slipped on the wet rocks. I was the closest. I reached for him, but my fingers only brushed his shirt.

The current pulled him under so fast. I jumped in without thinking. The water was freezing and strong. I tried to grab him. I really tried. But the river was too powerful. By the time I managed to pull him toward the bank, it was too late.

Caleb had arrived just as I dragged his brother’s body out of the water.

He never looked at me the same way after that.

My wolf growled low inside me. Rage burned through her for a moment — rage at the secret I was still keeping, rage at how unfair everything was.But I forced it down.

I couldn’t tell the truth.

I had promised his mother.

She had been kind to me when no one else was. Even when most of the pack called me murdered, she treated me gently.

Only Caleb's late parents and I knew the truth. Not even Caleb knew the truth.

On her deathbed, she clutched my hand and wept, begging me to keep the secret so the pack wouldn't tear itself apart in a civil war. I took the blame to protect the pack's stability, watching Caleb turn his grief into hatred toward me. Even if it destroyed me.

I lifted the cup and took a small sip of water. It was cool against my dry throat.

Around me, the rogues talked quietly among themselves. No one forced me to speak or asked questions. For the first time since the rejection, the noise in my head calmed just a little.

Quiet sobs broke through the crackle of the campfire interrupting my thoughts. I turned my head and saw a woman sitting a few feet away, clutching a pale, unmoving little boy to her chest. His lips were white, and his chest barely rose.

Before I could ask what was wrong, the woman looked up at me with panicked, tear-filled eyes and thrust the dying child directly into my arms.

My heart sank at the sight.

“Help him,” my wolf said suddenly.