CHAPTER 3 — He Shouldn’t Regret It
1135 Words
I didn’t sleep.
Not even for a second.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it again
Damon standing in front of everyone…
his voice cold… final…
“I reject you.”
I turned on my bed, gripping the sheets tightly.
“Stop thinking about it,” I muttered.
But my chest tightened again.
Because the truth was
It wasn’t just the rejection.
It was how easy it had been for him.
Like I meant nothing.
Like I was nothing.
A sharp knock hit my door.
I froze.
No one visited me.
Not anymore.
“Lyra. Open the door.”
My stomach dropped.
I knew that voice.
Of course.
Of all people
Him.
For a second, I considered ignoring it.
Pretending I wasn’t there.
Pretending I didn’t exist.
But then
The door opened anyway.
Of course it did.
Future Alpha.
He didn’t need permission.
Damon stepped inside like he still owned the space… like he still had the right.
I sat up slowly, my body tense.
“What do you want?” My voice came out quieter than I intended.
His eyes scanned me.
Not gently.
Not lovingly.
But not as cold as before either.
Something else was there now.
Something… unsettled.
“You left the hall,” he said.
I let out a dry laugh. “Was I supposed to stay? Celebrate?”
His jaw tightened.
“I didn’t say that.”
“No,” I replied. “You just rejected me in front of everyone instead.”
Silence.
Thick. Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Good.
Let him feel it.
“You’re taking this the wrong way,” he said finally.
I blinked.
Then I laughed.
Actually laughed this time.
“You rejected me,” I said, shaking my head. “Explain to me please what the right way to take that is.”
His eyes darkened.
“I did what was best for the pack.”
“There it is,” I whispered.
That excuse.
The one people hide behind when they don’t want to admit the truth.
“What you mean is,” I continued, my voice sharper now, “you did what was best for you.”
“That’s not true.”
“Then say it,” I snapped.
He went still.
“Say you didn’t mean what you said,” I pushed. “Say I’m not weak. Say I’m not useless.”
Silence.
Again.
That was all the answer I needed.
My chest ached but I forced myself to stand.
Forced myself to walk past him.
“Get out,” I said quietly.
His hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.
I stiffened instantly.
“Let go,” I said.
But he didn’t.
Instead, his grip tightened slightly.
And for a second
Something flickered across his face.
Something dangerously close to… regret.
“You don’t understand,” he said, his voice lower now. “Things are changing in the pack. I need someone stronger beside me.”
The words hit harder than the rejection itself.
Because this
This was the truth.
Not duty.
Not strategy.
Choice.
He chose someone else.
“I hope she makes you happy,” I said, pulling my hand free.
It took everything in me to say that without breaking.
His expression shifted.
Confusion?
No.
Annoyance.
“Stop acting like this,” he said.
“Like what?”
“Like you don’t care.”
That did it.
I turned back to him slowly.
“You don’t get to decide how I react to being rejected, Damon,” I said, my voice steady now. Too steady. “You lost that right the moment you said those words.”
Something in his gaze snapped.
“You were never meant to be Luna,” he said harshly.
The words landed.
Hard.
For a second
I couldn’t breathe.
And then
“Then why,” I asked quietly, “do you still look at me like you’re not convinced?”
That shut him up.
Completely.
His grip loosened at his side.
His eyes searched mine
Like he was trying to find something.
Or deny it.
And that’s when it happened.
The door opened again.
But this time
The air changed.
Shifted.
Darkened.
I didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
Kael.
Damon stepped back slightly.
Just slightly.
But I noticed.
Of course I did.
“Brother,” Damon said, his tone instantly guarded. “This doesn’t concern you.”
A pause.
Then
“Everything in this pack concerns me.”
Kael’s voice was calm.
Too calm.
I turned slowly.
And there he was.
Leaning casually against the doorframe like he hadn’t just walked into something tense.
Like he hadn’t just shifted the entire atmosphere with his presence alone.
His eyes flicked to me.
Briefly.
But that was enough.
Because that same strange feeling from last night
It came back.
Sharp.
Unsettling.
Real.
I sucked in a breath.
Damon noticed.
Of course he did.
His gaze snapped between us.
“What is that?” he demanded.
Neither of us answered.
Because neither of us needed to.
Kael straightened slightly, his expression unreadable.
But his eyes…
They weren’t on Damon.
They were on me.
“Let her go,” he said.
Simple.
Direct.
A command.
Damon’s jaw clenched. “She’s not yours to”
“I wasn’t asking.”
Silence dropped like a blade.
And just like that
The power in the room shifted.
Damon hesitated.
For the first time since I’d known him
He hesitated.
Then slowly…
He stepped back.
Letting the distance grow between us.
But his eyes stayed locked on mine.
Not cold anymore.
Not detached.
No
Now they burned.
With something far more dangerous.
Realization.
Regret.
Possession.
Too late.
“Stay away from her,” Damon said quietly, his voice laced with warning as he looked at Kael.
Kael didn’t even react.
Didn’t look at him.
Didn’t acknowledge him.
Nothing.
Because he was still looking at me.
And somehow
That felt worse.
More intense.
More dangerous.
“You should listen to your Alpha,” Damon added.
That got a reaction.
Not from Kael.
From me.
I let out a soft, humorless laugh.
“I don’t have an Alpha anymore,” I said.
Silence.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Final.
And this time
When Damon looked at me…
He felt it.
The loss.
The distance.
The consequence.
Good.
I held his gaze for a second longer.
Then turned away.
Because I was done.
Done being the one who hurt more.
Done being the one who stayed.
Done being his.
And as I walked past Kael
Close enough to feel his presence, his heat
I heard him murmur, just low enough for only me to hear:
“Not for long.”
My steps faltered.
Just for a second.
But I didn’t stop.
I couldn’t.
Because something told me
If I did…
Everything would change.
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