Rejected Luna's Destiny

Chapter 3: Heart in Exile

I don’t know where I’m going, but I keep walking. The familiar paths of the pack’s village blur around me, the houses, the trees, the distant sounds of laughter all melting into a dull hum. My legs feel weak, but I refuse to stop. I can’t stop. If I do, the pain will swallow me whole.

“Camila!”

A voice cuts through the night, making me freeze. I recognize it instantly. Jack.

I squeeze my eyes shut, debating whether I should keep going. But Jack is relentless. His footsteps draw closer until he’s beside me, his breath visible in the cold air.

“Camila, talk to me,” he urges, his voice low but firm.

I don’t look at him. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

Jack lets out a frustrated sigh. “Are you really going to pretend that what happened back there didn’t just rip your heart out?”

His words are like a knife, cutting through the wall I’ve desperately tried to build around myself. I shake my head, finally turning to face him. His dark eyes search mine, filled with concern, with anger—not at me, but at what has been done to me.

“What do you want me to say, Jack?” I whisper, my voice trembling. “That I feel like I can’t breathe? That everything I believed in was a lie? That I have no idea who I am anymore?”

Jack takes a step closer, his warmth battling the cold night. “That’s a start.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “And what good will it do? Talking won’t change the fact that Benjamin rejected me for my best friend. That Kayla—” I choke on her name. “She stole my scent, Jack. She made him believe she was the one meant for him.”

Jack’s jaw tightens. “That’s not something you just forgive.”

“I’m not planning to,” I say, my voice harder now. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m alone.”

Jack exhales sharply, running a hand through his dark hair. “You’re not alone, Camila.”

I want to believe him. I really do. But the weight of the night presses down on me, and all I can feel is the empty space where my heart used to be.

“I need to be alone,” I say, stepping away from him.

Jack doesn’t try to stop me this time. He nods, but I see the hesitation in his eyes, the worry he doesn’t voice. “If you need me, you know where to find me.”

I nod, even though I don’t think I’ll reach out. Not tonight. Maybe not ever.

---

I don’t go home. I can’t. The small cottage I call my own feels suffocating just thinking about it. Instead, I find myself near the edge of the village, where the trees grow taller and the silence is heavier.

The only sounds are the distant owls and the rustling of leaves. I sit on a fallen log, wrapping my arms around myself, trying to find warmth that isn’t there.

“Camila.”

The voice makes me jump, my heart pounding. I turn sharply, my breath catching.

Benjamin.

He stands a few feet away, his expression unreadable in the dim moonlight. His posture is tense, his hands clenched into fists. For a moment, I think he might apologize. That he might tell me he made a mistake. But then I remember the way he looked at Kayla, the way he dismissed me as if I meant nothing.

“What do you want?” My voice is sharp, cold.

Benjamin exhales, his gray eyes studying me. “I didn’t expect you to leave like that.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “What did you expect? That I would stand there and watch you claim my best friend as your mate?”

His jaw tightens. “You don’t understand—”

“No,” I cut him off, standing to my feet. “I understand perfectly. You made your choice, Benjamin. And now you have to live with it.”

For a moment, he looks like he wants to say more. But he doesn’t. He just nods, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face before he turns and disappears into the darkness.

I don’t watch him leave. I don’t care anymore.

But as I stand there, alone in the cold, I realize something.

I’m not just heartbroken. I’m angry.

And I won’t let them break me.

---

The next morning, I wake up with a fire in my veins. I refuse to let myself fall apart. Not over them. Not over this.

I head to the infirmary, determined to bury myself in work, to push everything else aside. But the moment I step inside, I feel the weight of curious eyes. People whisper, their gazes lingering on me as if I’m something to be pitied.

I hate it.

I grab my medical supplies and get to work, ignoring the stares, the murmurs. But then, the door swings open, and I look up to see Kayla standing there.

My hands tighten into fists.

She has the audacity to look nervous, to bite her lip as if she doesn’t know what to say.

“Camila,” she starts, stepping forward. “I—”

“Don’t.” My voice is firm, stronger than I thought it would be. “You don’t get to come here and pretend like what you did isn’t the worst kind of betrayal.”

She swallows hard. “I didn’t mean for it to happen like this.”

I let out a sharp laugh. “Really? Because it seemed pretty intentional to me.”

Kayla’s face falls. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

I shake my head, stepping away from her. “You did more than hurt me, Kayla. You destroyed everything. And I don’t think I can ever forgive you for that.”

She flinches as if I struck her. But I don’t care.

I turn my back on her, focusing on my work. And when she finally leaves, I don’t look up.

For the first time in days, I feel like I’m the one in control.

And I won’t let anyone take that from me again.

The night air is cold against my skin as I step through the dense trees, my heart pounding harder with every step. I don’t know where I’m going, but I know I can’t stay here.