The Exiled Luna's Return

Three

Serenya's POV

The low hum of conversation wraps around me as I step into the restaurant with my bandmates. We’ve just finished rehearsal, and they’re buzzing with laughter. We head toward our usual corner, but movement near the center of the dining floor pulls at the edge of my vision.

Then I see him.

Again.

Kaelen Dravenhart. The weird man who went up to me last night and told me he was my mate, and then rejected me.

He sits at a table draped in white linen. And beside him sits the same woman from yesterday.

Her hand is looped through his arm. She leans toward him like she belongs there, as if the entire room exists only to admire them. Together, they look untouchable, the picture of a powerful couple everyone else can only envy.

My stomach tightens. I tell myself to look away, to keep walking. Whatever faint bond tugged at me last night means nothing now. He made that clear after he rejected me.

Besides, I am not really interested in him.

I am about to ignore him and his fiancee for the rest of the night, but then something catches the light.

The woman’s hand shifts against the tablecloth, and the same ring she wore yesterday flashes under the chandelier. This close, I am able to see, a familiar engraving. It is so familiar my chest constricts.

No. It can’t be.

I slow my pace, my gaze narrowing on that small circle of metal. The pattern etched along its band, the curve of its design—it matches the memory I’ve carried for years.

The one thing I thought was lost forever.

The ring that once belonged to me.

My wolf stirs uneasily, pressing at the edges of my control. I force myself to breathe, to keep my steps steady as my bandmates chatter ahead, oblivious.

Maybe it isn’t the same. Maybe I’m seeing ghosts where there are none.

But the unease claws deeper with every second I stare. The woman laughs again, tossing her hair back as if the world belongs to her. She flaunts the ring with every movement as her fingers graze Kaelen’s arm.

“Are you alright, Serenya?” asks Darian.

I look at him and smile.

“You sure?” he asks and places a hand on my arm.

I sign, Yes, it’s nothing. I just thought I saw someone I knew.

“Alright,” he signs and says back. “If you say so. Come on, our bandmates are waiting.”

I give one last glance at Kaelen and his fiancée, then drag my gaze away to follow Darian to our table.

But the image won’t leave me.

That woman’s ring burns in the back of my mind, sparking questions I can’t silence.

Something is wrong. I feel it in my bones.

After dinner, I feel the need to relieve myself as my bladder feels full. I poke Darian, and when he looks, I sign, I will go to the ladies’ room.

“Okay,” he replies. “Make it quick, Serenya. Dessert’s coming.” He smiles.

I stand up and make my way to the bathroom, eager to pee. But when I open the door, I stop in shock.

Kaelen’s fiancee stands at the mirror, touching up her lipstick, the ring flashing with every careless flick of her hand. My chest tightens. Up close, there’s no mistake.

That really is my ring.

My feet move before I can stop them. I hover near the sinks, staring at her reflection, then at the ring again.

She notices. Her eyes catch mine in the mirror. “What are you staring at, weirdo?”

I swallow hard. Words form in my head, but they won’t come out. So, I lift a trembling hand, pointing at the ring.

Her expression shifts. She raises her hand deliberately. “This? My fiancé gave it to me. It's gorgeous, isn’t it?”

I shake my head slowly, gesturing again, trying to ask without sound.

Where did you get it? Why do you have it?

She turns to me fully now, lips parting in a cruel laugh. “Wait... are you mute?” The disgust in her tone is sharp enough to cut. “Oh, goddess, you are. And here I thought you were just socially awkward.”

Heat floods my face, but I stand my ground. I tap my chest, then point at the ring again, desperate for her to understand that the ring is mine. Heat rises in my face. I reach out, only wanting to touch the metal to confirm my suspicion.

However, she snatches her hand back as if I were a thief. Her face twists. “What are you doing?” she hisses, louder now. “Don’t you dare—”

I stop, but she throws herself forward like I already grabbed it. Her voice cracks into a shout. “Someone, help! This woman just tried to steal my ring!”

The sound ricochets off the tiled walls. And then the restroom door swings open. The sound of someone coming fills the space between us.

The door slams against the wall, and Kaelen strides in. His sharp gaze lands on us—Celestine clutching her hand to her chest, me frozen with my palms still lifted as if caught mid-crime.

“Kaelen!” she gasps, rushing to him. Her fingers seize his arm, clinging like she’s been rescued from an attack. “She... she tried to take my ring. This woman is a thief!”

I shake my head in desperate denial. My throat burns with words that won’t come. My hand twitches toward my phone, but Celestine buries herself against him, turning the picture into one that suits her.

His eyes flick over me, storm-dark and unreadable

“You,” he says, recognizing me. “I don’t know what game you think you’re playing, but it ends here.” His stare pins me to the tiles. “Stay away from us. Stay away from her.”

The words strike harder than any blow. For a moment, I can’t breathe. My wolf stirs restlessly, but I keep my body steady.

Celestine smirks faintly where he can’t see, her head tucked against his shoulder. She knows she’s won this round.

I lower my hands slowly, swallowing against the ache in my throat. If I reach for him, if I try to speak, it will only feed her lie.

So I stand still, and I let him believe it. Let him walk her out, his arm around her, his warning still ringing in my ears.

But inside, my thoughts turned into anger.

That ring isn’t hers. I’ll prove it. I’ll drag the truth into the light, no matter how much venom she spits or how coldly he looks at me.

I will not be silenced forever.