From Rejected Mate to Luna Chapter 70

Julia's POV

The moonlight filtered through the oak leaves, casting dappled shadows across Matthew's face as he stood before me. His expression was fierce with determination, his words still hanging in the air between us.

"I promise you, Julia. I won't let anything happen to you."

My heart stuttered in my chest. Not from fear—though there was plenty of that churning inside me—but from something else entirely. Something I wasn't prepared to examine too closely. The intensity in Matthew's green eyes made it hard to breathe, and I forced myself to look away, to focus on the rough bark of the oak tree beside us.

"How am I supposed to trust you?" I blurted out, surprising myself with the directness of my question. "One minute you're cold and dismissive, the next you're promising to protect me. You've been hot and cold since I known you."

Matthew fell silent, his jaw working as though he was struggling with some internal debate. The seconds stretched between us, filled only with the soft rustling of leaves overhead.

"I've been unfair to you," he finally said, his voice lower than before. "The truth is... I've been drawn to you since we first met, but I lost my mate, Rachel, only two years ago." He looked away, pain flashing across his features. "Having feelings for someone new felt like betrayal. So I tried to keep my distance, but I wasn't very good at it."

I stared at him, speechless. I hadn't known about his mate, about his loss. Suddenly his erratic behavior made more sense—the coldness, the professional detachment punctuated by moments of unexpected warmth.

"Daniel's presence made it easier," he continued. "When you were with him, I could justify being friendly without feeling guilty. It was like... a buffer. And when you weren't with him, I overcorrected, pushed you away too hard." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not proud of it."

"I... I didn't know about your mate," I said softly. The revelation left me reeling, unprepared for this sudden vulnerability from Spring Valley's Alpha.

"I'm not telling you this to pressure you," Matthew said quickly, meeting my eyes again. "I just wanted to explain why I've been such an ass. You deserve that much."

A flush crept up his neck and into his cheeks as he added, "That's... actually another reason I don't want you to leave."

I couldn't help but stare. An Alpha—blushing? Nathan would never show such vulnerability, would never admit to uncertainty or conflicted feelings. His face would never color with embarrassment; his eyes would never hold that mixture of hope and fear I saw in Matthew's.

The revelation left me feeling off-balance, my thoughts scrambling to reorganize everything I thought I knew about him. This powerful Alpha had just laid his heart bare, admitting weakness and regret. And somehow, in this moment of unexpected honesty, I felt safer with him than I had with anyone in years.

"I don't know what to say," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

"You don't have to say anything," Matthew replied. "I just wanted you to understand."

His confession hung between us, changing the very air we breathed. I looked at him differently now—seeing not just the stern Alpha, but a man who had suffered profound loss and was afraid to open himself to that pain again.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, trying to gather my thoughts. "I still can't stay here," I said finally, gentler than before. "Nathan is attacking your pack because of me. I need to leave before more people get hurt."

The vulnerability in Matthew's eyes receded slightly, replaced by the determined protectiveness I'd glimpsed earlier. "Where would you go?" he asked, his tone softer but still carrying that unmistakable Alpha authority.

I considered my options, my mind racing through possibilities. "Not back to school," I said finally. "Too many innocent people there. That would just create more potential casualties."

The weight of my decision settled over me like a physical thing. "I need to go back to Star Shadow," I continued, my voice growing stronger with conviction despite the tremor of fear beneath it. "Face Nathan directly. Figure out what he really wants."

"This is my responsibility," I explained, meeting Matthew's gaze directly. The confession between us had somehow made it easier to hold his eyes. "Nathan is doing this because of me. If I can just talk to him, maybe I can end this without anyone else getting hurt."

"Absolutely not." Matthew's voice dropped an octave, low and unyielding, but there was something else there now—a personal concern that went beyond his duty as Alpha. "You just saved Olivia and that baby's life. There's no way we're sending you into danger."

"But—"

"No." The word was final, his stance unwavering. "If we need to talk to Nathan, we do it on our terms, with protection. Not by offering you up as bait."

I stared at him, struck by the fierce protection in his eyes. After his confession, it carried new weight—this wasn't just an Alpha protecting a guest in his territory. This was a man protecting someone he cared about, someone he might even...

Something warm unfurled in my chest at the thought. When was the last time someone had stood up for me like this? Not out of pity or obligation, but out of genuine respect and care?

"Fine," I conceded. "Then let's find out what he wants. The sooner we know, the sooner we can deal with this."

I pulled out my phone, scrolling to Nathan's contact. My finger hovered over the call button for a moment before I tapped it. Each ring seemed to stretch endlessly before going to voicemail. I tried again with the same result.

"His phone's off," I said, tucking it back into my pocket. I looked up at Matthew, suddenly aware of how differently I saw him now. "There's... another way I could try to reach him."

"How?" Matthew asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

"Mindlink." The word came out slightly tremulous. "If he's not too far away, I might be able to reach him."

Matthew's eyes widened slightly. "I thought you weren't mated?"

"We're not," I said quickly, suddenly feeling the need to make that very clear to him. "But there's still a connection. Even though he rejected me."

The memory of Nathan's voice in my head made me shiver involuntarily. I remembered how he'd used our connection to torment me, whispering threats and mockery directly into my thoughts when no one else could hear.

Matthew must have noticed my reaction because his expression softened, the protective Alpha and the vulnerable man I'd just glimpsed merging into someone who made my heart beat a little faster.

Without hesitation, he placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. His touch was warm and steady, a gentle weight that somehow made me feel more grounded.

"You don't have to do this," he said quietly, his eyes holding mine.

"I do," I insisted, but the weight of his hand on my shoulder made me braver. "If there's a chance it could help end this..."

"Then I'm right here," Matthew said simply. "You're not alone."

With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and carefully extended my consciousness, searching for the connection I'd spent years rejecting. It felt like reaching into a dark room where I knew something painful waited.

Then, like a cold finger tracing down my spine, I felt it—the familiar, unwelcome presence at the edges of my mind. Nathan's voice slithered into my thoughts.

*Miss me, mate?*