From Rejected Mate to Luna Chapter 37

Julia's POV

The hospital corridor seemed to stretch endlessly, the fluorescent lights casting harsh shadows across the linoleum floor. I stood there, my back against the wall, trying to steady my trembling hands enough to attempt a mindlink with my brother.

*Eric? Are you there? What happened? The nurse said you were covered in blood... please answer me.*

I pushed the thoughts through our sibling bond, desperate for some explanation. Nothing came back except a faint humming—the mindlink equivalent of static. My heart sank. Either Eric was too far away, unconscious, or deliberately blocking me.

Kaia paced anxiously within our shared consciousness. *Try again. He saved Daniel. He must have had a reason.*

Before I could make another attempt, the ICU door swung open. Claire Wright emerged, her designer clothes wrinkled from hours of sitting vigil by her son's bedside. Her eyes, red-rimmed from crying, instantly hardened like polished stone when they landed on me.

My throat tightened. I'd seen that look before—the way Nathan's mother used to look at wolves she deemed beneath her. A mix of disgust and dismissal that made you feel smaller than dust. I instinctively straightened my rumpled clothes, painfully aware of my disheveled appearance and the lingering smell of whiskey.

"You." The single word sliced through the air. Claire's jaw clenched as she took a deliberate step toward me. "The girl who's responsible for my son fighting for his life."

I flinched, unable to meet her gaze. The fluorescent lights caught on something clutched in her hand—Daniel's student ID card. Her knuckles were white where she gripped it, the plastic edges digging into her palm.

"Mrs. Wright, I—"

"This isn't a conversation I want to have in a hallway." She cut me off, glancing at a passing nurse. "Follow me."

It wasn't a request. Claire turned sharply on her heel, expecting obedience. My feet moved automatically, years of pack hierarchy conditioning kicking in. We walked in tense silence to a small waiting room at the end of the corridor. It was empty, with foam coffee cups abandoned on side tables and outdated magazines scattered across chairs.

Claire closed the door behind us with a decisive click that made me jump. Then she just... stared at me. Said nothing.

Those red-rimmed eyes boring into mine with such intensity that I felt physically pinned against the wall. Seconds stretched into what felt like minutes, the silence deafening in the small space. I shifted my weight, fingers nervously twisting the hem of my sweater.

The sheer power radiating from her was suffocating. If Daniel hadn't told me she was an executive in a company, I would have assumed she was a detective or prosecutor—someone who made suspects confess just by looking at them. My chest tightened with each passing moment under her scrutiny, her gaze methodically cataloging every flaw, every weakness.

I couldn't take it anymore. As I gathered what little courage I had left to break the silence or simply flee, Claire finally spoke, her voice low and razor-sharp.

"Stay away from my son. You've caused enough damage."

Thos words sliced through me like silver blades. I flinched, feeling the weight of accusation in each syllable. A hot flush of shame spread across my face, followed by a cold wave of fear that settled in my stomach. My wolf, Kaia, bristled defensively within me, but I pushed her back.

What right did I have to defend myself? Daniel was lying unconscious in a hospital bed because of me. Because I had selfishly believed I could have something normal, something good. I'd brought him into my poisoned world, knowing—somewhere deep down—that Nathan would never allow me happiness.

The most terrifying part wasn't Claire's anger; it was that I agreed with her. My presence in Daniel's life had nearly gotten him killed. My eyes burned with tears I refused to let fall, and my throat constricted around words of protest that died before reaching my lips. I was toxic. Dangerous. And Daniel deserved so much better than what loving me would cost him.

But somewhere beneath the crushing guilt, Daniel's words floated to the surface of my mind. "You make me happy, Jules," he had whispered against my hair just days ago. "Happier than I've been in a long time."

I remembered how his eyes had lit up when I aced that difficult exam, how he'd spun me around and proclaimed I was "the smartest wolf he'd ever met." The pride in his voice when he introduced me to his friends. The quiet conviction when he told me, "You are not defined by Nathan's rejection. You are so much more than that."

Those memories flickered like small flames against the darkness of Claire's accusation. Daniel had chosen me—chosen to be with me despite knowing about Nathan, despite the complications. He'd held me when I cried and laughed with me until we couldn't breathe. He saw something in me worth fighting for, when I couldn't see it myself. The thought straightened my spine just a fraction. Maybe I wasn't nothing. Maybe I deserved a voice in this conversation about our future.

"Shouldn't that be Daniel's decision?" I finally managed, my voice barely above a whisper. "Whether I stay or go?"

Claire's laugh was brittle, like glass about to shatter. "You really think you know my son after what—a few months?" She paced the small room, her expensive heels clicking against the linoleum. "I carried him for nine months. I raised him for twenty-one years. I know exactly who Daniel is."

She stopped abruptly, spinning to face me. "He's the boy who brought home injured birds when he was seven. The teenager who drove three hours to pick up a drunk friend rather than let him drive. The man who would throw himself in front of a bullet for someone he—" Her voice cracked. "For someone he thinks he loves."

The raw maternal fear beneath her anger was palpable, making the air thick and hard to breathe.

"He's stable now," I offered weakly, hugging my arms around my middle.

"No thanks to you." Claire's nostrils flared as she stepped closer. Her perfume—expensive and floral—invaded my space, mingling with the hospital's antiseptic smell. "What exactly did you think would happen when you dragged him into pack politics? Werewolf territory disputes?"

Each question felt like a physical blow. I pressed my back against the wall, cornered.

*She's right,* I thought miserably. *I knew Nathan was dangerous. I knew what he was capable of. And I still brought Daniel home.*

*That wasn't your fault!* Kaia growled defensively. *Daniel is an adult who made his own choices. He wanted to be with us!*

"Daniel deserves to make his own decisions," I said aloud, trying to inject strength I didn't feel into my voice.

Claire's eyes narrowed dangerously, reminding me of a predator assessing prey. "That's exactly what terrifies me. Because my son will choose pain and danger if he thinks it's for love." She leaned closer, her voice dropping. "And I will not stand by and watch him die for a college girlfriend."

She straightened her posture, smoothing down her cashmere sweater with trembling hands. When she spoke again, her voice was eerily controlled.

"Next semester, I'm taking Daniel back to our pack. He can complete his internship there. Away from here... away from you."