From Rejected Mate to Luna Chapter 18

Julia's POV

I froze, my entire body going cold at the sound of Nathan's voice. How was he here? My campus was hours away from Star Shadow territory. This couldn't be happening.

"Nathan," I managed, my voice barely above a whisper as I turned to face him. "What are you doing here?"

His eyes burned with contempt as he stepped closer, his hand shooting out to grip my shoulder. His fingers dug into my flesh with enough pressure to bruise.

"What am I doing here?" he snarled, his voice low but venomous. "I should be asking what *you're* doing, parading around with another male wolf like some desperate bitch in heat."

My cheeks flamed with humiliation and anger. "Let go of me," I hissed, trying to pull away.

His grip tightened. "You will address me properly," he demanded, his voice dropping to that authoritative tone he'd been practicing since childhood. "It's *Alpha Nathan* to you."

The audacity nearly took my breath away. "You're not my Alpha yet," I shot back, finally wrenching free of his grip. "And you're certainly not *my* anything. Are you following me now? What do you want?"

Nathan's face twisted into a cold smile. "Following you? Don't flatter yourself. I'm simply fulfilling my management responsibilities. Someone needs to make sure you're not ruining our pack's reputation by spreading your legs for every male wolf you meet."

The crude accusation hit me like a physical blow. I opened my mouth, but rage choked my words. My hands trembled at my sides.

"You promised," I finally managed, my voice shaking with fury. "You promised you wouldn't come to my school again and harass me."

His smile widened. "We're not on school grounds, are we? Speaking of school, I heard through Eric that you're considering applying for some scholarship exam. Planning to run away to Spring Valley pack after graduation? That wasn't our arrangement, Julia. You promised you'd return to Star Shadow."

His wolf eyes flickered in the light, green and predatory. The possessiveness in his gaze made my skin crawl.

"You rejected me as your mate," I said, finding strength in the simple truth. "Yet you want to control every aspect of my life. Why, Nathan? Why can't you just let me go?"

"Let you go?" He laughed, the sound cold and brittle. "You don't seem to understand how this works. You're mine to reject, not mine to release."

"That makes no sense!" I exploded, no longer caring if anyone heard us. "You can't have it both ways! You already denied me as your fated mate, yet you still want to dictate my future? You don't get to own someone you've thrown away!"

Nathan's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing to slits. "Keep your voice down," he hissed. "If you ever tell my father or any of the pack elders the truth about me rejecting you—"

"What? What will you do?" I challenged, sick of cowering before him.

"They'll either force me to accept you as my mate—which would be a nightmare for us both—or they'll strip me of my Alpha inheritance for defying the Moon Goddess's will." His voice dropped to a threatening whisper. "And if that happens, I'll make sure you regret it every day for the rest of your miserable life."

The naked fear in his eyes, mixed with the rage, revealed how much he truly worried about losing his position. This was the real reason he kept me under his thumb—not because he wanted me, but because he feared the consequences of what he'd done.

"And don't think running to collage will save you," he continued. "Our packs have alliances. One word from me about your... unstable behavior, and any doors that might have opened for you will slam shut."

"You're threatening me because you're afraid," I said, my voice steady despite the pounding of my heart. "You're terrified someone will discover what you did."

Nathan's hand shot out again, this time gripping my arm. "You ungrateful—"

"She's your fated mate?"

Nathan and I both froze at the sound of Daniel's voice. He stepped out from behind one of the lobby's pillars, his expression shifting from confusion to shock as he looked between us.

"Daniel," I breathed, mortified. How much had he heard?

Nathan's demeanor changed instantly. His grip on my arm loosened, and a practiced smile replaced his snarl. "Ah, you must be Julia's... friend," he said smoothly. "I'm afraid you've walked into a private conversation."

Daniel's gaze remained fixed on Nathan. "I asked you a question. Is Julia your fated mate?"

Nathan sighed dramatically. "It's complicated. Julia here has been... fixated on me since we were teenagers. She believes we have a mate bond, but I've never felt any connection." He shot me a look of false pity. "It's sad, really. I had to turn her down because she simply doesn't meet the standards expected of an Alpha's mate."

I stared at him, speechless at the audacity of his lies. The smug smile he gave me was full of confidence that Daniel would believe him over me. After all, who would question the word of a future Alpha?

I looked at Daniel, watching his expression shift from friendly concern to uncertain confusion. My heart sank. Of course he would believe Nathan—everyone always did. Eric, my father, the entire pack... they all accepted Nathan's version of reality without question.

The familiar feeling of helplessness washed over me. No matter how far I ran or how hard I worked, Nathan would always have this power over me. He could twist the truth and destroy any new connections I might make.

"Is he your fated mate?" Daniel asked me this time, his voice quieter now.

I opened my mouth, my voice trembling, "I..."

Nathan gave an exaggerated sigh, cutting me off. "Like I said, she thinks she is. I've never felt that connection the Moon Goddess is supposed to create between true mates."

I waited for Daniel to look at me with the same judgment and dismissal I'd seen countless times before. Instead, he squared his shoulders and looked directly at Nathan.

"I don't think the mate bond works that way," he said firmly. "It can't be one-sided. Either you're both connected, or you're not mates at all."