The Rejected Luna Who Became His Obsession

Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13 — “THE HUNT THAT FAILED”

The forest stretched endlessly, shadows clinging to every tree, every root, every fallen trunk.

I moved silently, senses sharp, muscles coiled like springs. The air smelled of damp earth and decay, but also… her.

Melissa.

The thought of her ignited a storm inside me. Anger, frustration, obsession. She had slipped through my grasp before, a weak Luna trembling in my presence, but now… now she was gone.

And I would find her.

The forest was vast. Endless. Merciless. And yet, I could feel it—she had moved beyond it. She had left.

A pang of fury struck me. She had outsmarted me, evaded me, vanished from my world.

But she had not escaped fate.

I closed my eyes, breathing deeply. The pulse of the forest, the whisper of wind, the faint hint of her energy—one day, all of it would lead me to her.

And when that day came,

the weak Luna who had slipped through my grasp would no longer be so small,

and neither would I forgive what had been done.

I opened my eyes and scanned the shadows once more. Something gnawed at me—a cold, unfamiliar dread.

She was gone. Truly gone.

For the first time, doubt crept in. What if she had vanished completely? What if she had found a way to hide beyond my reach?

My chest tightened. My mind raced. My instincts screamed.

“Search for her,” I growled to the remaining members of my pack, my voice sharper than I intended.

They froze, waiting for orders. I could feel their unease. The forest knew, and it mirrored it back at me.

“Every path,” I continued, pacing, silver eyes flashing in the dying light. “Every corner, every shadow. She cannot slip through again. Spread out. Leave nothing unchecked.”

I should have felt confident. I should have been sure of my control. But I wasn’t.

I was worried. Scared, even.

Melissa—the weak Luna I had underestimated—had become a ghost.

And ghosts were impossible to catch.

I clenched my fists, trying to shake off the fear. But it lingered, gnawing at the edges of my mind.

If she had left the forest, where would she go? Who would protect her? Could she survive the human world… alone?

I didn’t want to think about it.

And yet I could not stop.

I called out again, louder this time. “I want her found. Every trail, every path, every village on the outskirts! Do not return until she is located!”

The pack members nodded, leaving without a word, moving into the shadows like extensions of my will.

But I stayed rooted, pacing in the clearing, heart hammering.

The truth was undeniable: she had slipped through my grasp.

And the idea of her walking free, building her strength while I searched in vain…

It unsettled me in ways I had never known.

I lowered my head, ears flicking, senses straining to catch any whisper of her pulse.

But it was gone.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt… powerless.

I prowled through the undergrowth, every step careful, every sound measured. My pack was gone—hunted, slaughtered, leaving only me to track the girl who had eluded fate itself.

She had survived the forest. That much was clear.

But I could feel it—her pulse, weak, faint, almost imperceptible. She was close. But she was hiding.

I followed the faintest trails: a broken branch here, a displaced stone there, the subtle scent of movement. My instincts screamed at me. She had been here… recently.

And yet… nothing.

I circled, doubled back, retraced paths, and scanned the horizon. The forest itself seemed to conspire against me, hiding her, protecting her in some way I could not comprehend.

How could a weak, trembling Luna escape me so completely?

Frustration coiled tighter around me. Every instinct, every skill, every sense I possessed told me I should be able to find her.

But she was gone.

I crouched near a cluster of trees, ears straining, eyes piercing the shadows. A rabbit scurried past, birds took flight. Every movement, every sound, became a test of patience.

And still… nothing.

She was clever. That much I could feel. She had survived the deadliest nights, the harshest predators, and yet she remained… hidden.

Somewhere, she laughed at me in secret. Somewhere, she walked freely while I searched in vain.

The sun dipped lower, casting the forest in long, silver shadows. My frustration turned into a gnawing hunger—not for food, but for her.

Selene. Weak. Fragile. Defiant. Gone.

I could sense the faint pulse of energy she carried. Weak. Hesitant. But it existed. She was alive, and she had grown beyond what I had left her as.

And yet, I could not find her.

Night fell. The forest was silent except for the occasional snap of a branch.

I prowled until my muscles burned, until my silver eyes strained in the darkness.

And still… nothing.

She had escaped me. For now.

But every shadow, every whisper of wind, every rustle of leaves reminded me that this was not over.

Melissa.

I would find her.

I would track her.

And when I did… she would not escape again.

The forest was vast. Endless. Merciless. And yet, I could feel it—she had moved beyond it. She had left.

A pang of fury struck me. She had outsmarted me, evaded me, vanished from my world.

But she had not escaped fate.

I closed my eyes, breathing deeply. The pulse of the forest, the whisper of wind, the faint hint of her energy—one day, all of it would lead me to her.

And when that day came,

the weak Luna who had slipped through my grasp would no longer be so small,

and neither would I forgive what had been done.