THE ALPHA'S REJECTED LUNA

*CHAPTER 17: SHADOWS OF THE HEART.

*Arya's POV*

The coldness wasn’t just in the air—it lived under my skin. Watching Kayla laugh beside Kendrick while he barely noticed my presence made me question everything. The bond… the spark… had it all just been in my head?

My wolf, Lady, growled softly within me, unsettled. I’d walked away from the training grounds, needing distance. My steps led me to the woods—the only place where the pressure of my title and the weight of my emotions couldn’t reach me.

I wasn’t afraid of being alone. What frightened me was the thought of losing myself in this storm of betrayal, confusion, and longing. I had spent nights thinking about Kendrick’s kiss, the way his voice softened when he whispered my name, the way his presence made my heart flutter… but now, watching him give Kayla the attention he once gave me, I couldn't help but wonder if I was just another passing flame in his world of duty.

Lady stirred again. *Don’t doubt him*, she whispered. *But don’t let your heart be blind either.*

But how could I trust love when my past had taught me that it often came dressed in lies?

Just then, I sensed a presence—Darius.

He emerged from behind the trees with his usual controlled stride. “Running from someone, Arya?” he asked, voice calm, almost too friendly.

“I needed air,” I said without looking at him.

“Well, lucky me,” he replied, sitting beside me on the fallen log. “The moon has a way of showing us what’s hidden. It must’ve brought me here for a reason.”

I didn’t reply. But something about his tone unsettled me.

He glanced at me, lowering his voice. “You don’t have to endure this pain alone. I see you. The real you. Even when others are too blind to notice.”

A part of me wanted to believe him. Another part, the stronger one, told me to stay cautious.

*Kendrick’s POV*

The moment I saw Arya walk into the woods, something in me snapped. My wolf, Jay, growled in warning. I knew she was upset. I knew Kayla’s presence around me stirred tension, but damn it, was I not allowed friends?

"She's been with Darius again," Ryker had muttered earlier, not realizing how deeply those words cut.

I clenched my fists, jaw tight. If she could be close to other men, why couldn't I be close to Kayla? She had been my childhood friend. Always by my side. Loyal. Safe.

"She’s just a friend," I whispered to Jay.

But Jay wasn’t having it. *She is not your mate.*

That bond with Arya—it pulled at me like a force beyond reason. But seeing her with Ryker, smiling in ways she used to with me, stirred something darker in me. Possessiveness. Fear. Maybe even... jealousy.

Kayla walked in just then, holding a scroll from the council. Her smile was wide, confident.

“You’ve been busy,” she teased, sitting close beside me.

I didn’t stop her.

But Jay growled again, this time louder in my mind. And it hit me—I was trying to match Arya’s perceived betrayal with my own. Immature. Dangerous. Self-sabotaging.

I stood up suddenly. “I have to find her.”

Kayla frowned, but I didn’t stay to explain.

*Kayla’s POV*

I watched him leave without a word, and rage lit in my chest.

Arya.

That little stray who just walked into our lives and captured Kendrick's heart like some moon-blessed miracle. I had spent years by his side. I knew his favorite foods, the way his brow furrowed when he read ancient scrolls, the sound of his breathing at night. I knew *him*.

And now, I was losing him.

No. I couldn’t let that happen.

I stormed down the corridor and found Arya in the garden later that evening. She looked like a dream under the moonlight, and I hated her for it.

“I need a word,” I said, voice colder than ice.

She turned, composed. “Go ahead.”

“You may think you’re special. The Moon Goddess’s gift or whatever,” I snapped, “but I’ve been in Kendrick’s life since the beginning. I *am* his past. I *will* be his future.”

Arya didn’t blink. “Then why do you sound so scared?”

Her words cut deep. Too deep.

“You’ll regret this,” I hissed before storming off.

But I didn’t go far. I met someone in the shadows. Someone with his own agenda.

Darius.

“I’ll help you,” I told him. “I’ll break the bond between them, whatever it takes.”

He smirked. “Then let the game begin.”

*Darius’ POV*

Kayla was easier to manipulate than I thought. She was desperate, blind in her emotions. Just the kind of weapon I needed.

I pretended to sympathize with her pain, offered comfort cloaked in deception. But I had only one goal—Arya.

She was power incarnate. A mystery yet to be fully unraveled. And she was the key to Kendrick’s downfall. Taking her would not only complete my ambition, it would destroy him from the inside out.

But I had to be patient.

“You’ll get Kendrick,” I told Kayla, brushing her shoulder gently. “And I’ll get Arya.”

I didn’t tell her the rest. That once I had Arya’s power, once the bond was shattered and the throne was mine, I’d dispose of Kayla without a second thought.

But then, there was Maya. The little sister with her own delusions of grandeur. She thought *she* was using Kayla to get Kendrick. How laughable. She had no idea Kayla had already switched sides.

And Arya? Oh, sweet Arya. The storm in her eyes, the fire in her soul—she would be mine.

Even if I had to burn Kendrick’s entire legacy to ash.

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