FATED REBORN: LUNA’S AWAKENING

Elaine's pov When two people who found each other, hold on no matter what. That's love – real love. I believed love like that is supposed to be unbreakable. I used to believe in that kind of love but that belief shattered like glass under foot when I watched Damien laugh at something Loretta just said. It started with the late replies which was followed by ignored text messages. Now, he didn't even bother pretending. Damien and I - - had real love. Now, I don't even know what we have. It was not just her laughter. It was the way he leaned into her, the way he listened. The way his eyes lingered on her like she was the most interesting thing in the world. That… used to be me. I tightened my grip around the red plastic cup in my hand, my knuckles turning white. The smell of burning wood filling my nostrils is the bonfire crackling behind me, filling the night air with its warmth, filling my body with warmth. The warmth gave me some kind of motivation, a foreign feeling burrowing in my chest. I told myself I needed to talk to Damien and I did. I took a step forward but my heart kept hammering in my chest. ‘Go back,’ a voice whispered to me to leave, to retreat, run back, but I had to stay. I had to tell him what was bothering me. “Damien,” I called out. I could tell he heard me but he didn't even turn. He just wasn't talking like my voice was nothing but background noise. It infuriated me. “Damien!” I repeated, louder this time. Finally, he sighed and looked over his shoulder. The expression on his face was clear — annoyance so deep it ran to the high heavens. It felt like I had interrupted something important. "What do you want!” He hissed. What do you want? Not Hey, Elaine. Not What's up? Just What do you want? What's up with that? “Can we talk?” I swallowed hard and turned to Loretta. “Alone?” But Loretta still clung to his arm, tilting her head with a smile that didn't even reach her eyes. She raked her eyes all over me and responded. “Oh Elaine. Didn't see you there.” Liar. And she lived for it. For making me feel so small and for coming between Damien and I. And the worst part of it all is that Damien even lets her. Damien sighed again, running a hand through his hair like my very existence exhausted him. “I'm very busy right now.” I glanced around. The entire pack was watching — some pretending not to while others openly enjoyed the show. A few months ago, they would've looked at me first. Now? Their loyalty was shifting and drawn to whoever Damien deemed worthy of his attention and tonight, that person was Loretta. I gritted my teeth and said. “It'll only take a minute, Damien.” For a moment, I think I see something flicker in his eyes. Guilt? Hesitation? But before he could say anything, Loretta let out a dramatic sigh. “Oh Damien, you promised you would help me with that thing, didn't you?” She said, pouting her lips at him. The thing? I turned to Damien, waiting for him to decide but he turned away, dismissing me like I didn't matter to him. “Later, Elaine.” He said. Later? I waited for a heartbeat, thinking maybe I didn't hear right. “I said later, Elaine!” He barked louder this time. I flinched. He wanted me gone. “You know what? Let's get out of here.” Loretta said, pulling him up to his feet. My stomach twisted into knots as I stared at Damien walking off with Loretta. Just like that, I had lost. I didn't realize I was still standing there until I heard a snicker from behind me. “Wow. That must be so painful to watch.” someone whispered. I whipped around and found Jake leaning against a tree, arms crossed, amusement dancing in his eyes. Jake was Damien's best friend and Beta. Lately, he seemed as disgusted with Damien as I was. Our eyes met and I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I don't need your commentary, Jake.” He gave a careless shoulder shrug. “I'm just saying. If that were me, I'd be pissed.” I am pissed. I am angry. I had been super humiliated. And all at once. But I told myself I wouldn't let anyone see any of that. “Good thing it's not you.” I snapped and turned on my heels. But as I walked away, I heard him mutter under his breath. “Yeah. Good thing.” After that, the party continued but I didn't feel like celebrating anything. I settled on a quiet spot near the edge of the bonfire, watching as Damien and Loretta sauntered through the crowd like they owned the place. Loretta would giggle and Damien would smirk at something she said. That smirk — it used to be mine. “I should leave.” I muttered under my breath. I should go home, curl under my blankets and cry but… something kept telling me not to back down. I rose to my feet and squared my shoulders. Damien could pretend like I didn't exist. That was fine by me but I wouldn't be ignored. Not again. I headed straight for them. “Damien,” I said again, and this time, I didn't ask. I demanded. He turned to me, irritation flashing across his face. “Goddess, Elaine, what now?” I faltered not Because of his words but how cold it sounded. Loretta smirked, stepping even closer to him. “You're really clingy, you know that?” She said, loud enough for people around us to hear. A muffled laugh rippled through the crowd. My cheeks turned red. “I just need to talk to Damien. Alone.” Loretta scoffed. “And I said he was busy. What is wrong with you?” I didn't look at her. My eyes were set on him, daring him to say otherwise. He sighed, a reaction I didn't expect from him. “Whatever you want to say, you can say it here.” My chest tightened. What is wrong with this man? Loretta snapped her fingers at me. “Um… Elaine. Have you zoned out?” “You know what?” I nodded my head, taking a step back. “Forget it.” I spun around and pushed past the onlookers. Let them whisper. Let them laugh. Let them talk but I didn't care. I didn't care. I didn't… I was lying. I did.