From Rejected Mate to Luna Chapter 112

Julia's POV

The summer heat settled over Spring Valley like a warm blanket as I carried the last box into my new apartment. After everything that had happened with Nathan, this place represented something I desperately needed: safety. Matthew had arranged for Sophia and me to have neighboring units in the central area of the pack territory—close enough to be protected, yet independent enough to feel like our own.

"This is actually... nice," Sophia said, standing in the doorway between our apartments. She had a camera hanging around her neck. "Way better than I expected."

I smiled, surprised by her positive attitude. Ever since we'd escaped from Nathan, the constant tension between us had begun to ease. Maybe nearly dying together had a way of putting petty differences into perspective.

"Matthew wanted to make sure we'd be comfortable," I replied, unpacking my few medical textbooks onto a small shelf. As if summoned by my thoughts, I felt the familiar warmth of Matthew's presence in my mind.

*Everything okay with the move?* His voice through our mindlink carried a gentle concern that still surprised me.

*All good. Just getting settled.* I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face, earning a knowing look from Sophia.

"Ugh, you're doing that thing again," she said, rolling her eyes but without the usual malice. "Your face goes all dopey when he talks to you through the link."

I threw a throw pillow at her, which she dodged with a laugh.

By my third week at the pack hospital, I'd established a routine. I refused to spend the entire summer idle, insisting on contributing to the community that had taken us in. Dr. Wilson, the pack's chief medical officer, had been skeptical at first about taking on an intern, but my nursing degree and experience with herbal remedies had gradually won her over.

"Julia, we've got a shift change emergency," Dr. Wilson called, pulling me away from inventory. "Eighteen-year-old male, first shift complications."

I rushed to the examination room where a teenage boy lay writhing, caught between human and wolf form. His face contorted in pain as fur rippled across his skin only to recede moments later.

"Tyler, right?" I said, keeping my voice calm and reassuring. "I'm going to help you through this."

I worked methodically, checking his vitals while preparing a solution of wolfsbane and chamomile that I'd found effective for easing transformation pains. The boy's parents watched anxiously as I administered the mixture.

"This will help stabilize the shift," I explained, guiding him through breathing techniques. "Your wolf is fighting too hard. You need to surrender to it, not resist."

Twenty minutes later, Tyler completed his transformation, the elegant gray wolf looking up at me with grateful eyes before shifting back to human form with surprising ease.

"That was... incredible," Dr. Wilson said later as we updated charts. "Where did you learn that technique?"

"I developed it during my studies," I replied, feeling a swell of pride. "Traditional treatments often ignore the psychological component of shifting."

She nodded thoughtfully. "You have a gift, Julia. I hope you'll consider joining us permanently after graduation."

"Thank you," I replied, unable to hide the genuine smile that spread across my face. The recognition of my skills meant more than Dr. Wilson could possibly know. "I'd really like that."

I headed back to the staff room to gather my things, my shift finally over after what had been an exhausting but fulfilling day. I was organizing supplies in the staff room when the door opened. I expected Dr. Wilson but turned to find Matthew instead, his broad frame filling the doorway. My heart immediately accelerated.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, unable to keep the smile from my face.

He closed the door behind him, his Alpha formality melting away as he crossed the room. "I wanted to surprise you." His voice dropped to a low rumble that sent shivers down my spine. "And I missed you."

Matthew's arms encircled my waist, pulling me against him. In the privacy of the empty room, he allowed himself to be vulnerable, to be simply a man rather than an Alpha. His lips found mine in a kiss that made my knees weak.

*I've been thinking about you all day,* he admitted through our mindlink, his thoughts carrying warmth and desire.

*Someone might walk in,* I reminded him, though I made no move to pull away.

*Let them,* he said, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed his words.

We broke apart just enough for him to look at me, his fingers tracing my cheek. "How's your day been? Wilson tells me you're revolutionizing their first-shift protocols."

Pride bloomed in my chest at his recognition of my work. "It's nothing revolutionary. Just applying what I've learned—"

The door swung open without warning. Nurse Margaret, the head nurse, bustled in—a chubby, kind-faced woman with a reputation for knowing every piece of gossip in Spring Valley.

What happened next played out in painful slow motion. Matthew's hand dropped from my face as if burned. He took a deliberate step backward, his posture straightening, shoulders squaring. The tender expression I'd been basking in seconds before disappeared behind the impenetrable mask of Alpha authority.

"Alpha Collins," Margaret greeted cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to the moment she'd interrupted. "I was hoping to find you! Did you hear about the Thompsons' twins? Both shifted for the first time last night—identical timing, can you imagine?"

"No, I hadn't heard," Matthew's voice was suddenly formal, all traces of warmth extinguished. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, as if he'd been discussing hospital business with me all along.

My stomach twisted into a knot, the familiar sensation of being someone's dirty secret washing over me.

"And Julia!" Margaret continued, turning her attention to me. "Everyone's talking about how you helped young Tyler through his shift. His mother was telling me at the coffee shop—"

I barely heard her words, watching instead how Matthew had physically positioned himself at a professional distance from me, his face a careful blank. The comparison to Nathan was instant and devastating.

"Excuse me," I managed to say, cutting across whatever Margaret was saying. "I need to finish inventory before my shift ends."

"Oh, of course, dear," she said, turning back to Matthew. "Alpha, about the summer festival committee..."

I slipped past them both, ignoring Matthew's attempts to reach me through our mindlink. I blocked him out, something I'd become adept at during my years with Nathan. The comparison made bile rise in my throat.

Outside, the summer evening air did nothing to cool the burning humiliation on my cheeks. I walked faster, putting distance between myself and the hospital, between myself and another man who couldn't bear to acknowledge me publicly.

History was repeating itself, and I was the fool who never learned. Would I always be someone's secret, someone to desire in private but deny in public?

Kaia howled mournfully in my mind as tears threatened. I blinked them back furiously. I would not cry. Not again. Not for this.