Rebirth Of The Rejected Luna Chapter 103: 103: Being Swayed Away

**Tiana's POV**

"I needed to see you,” he said, stepping closer. “I know I don’t deserve your time, but I couldn’t leave things the way they are.”

“There’s nothing to leave,” I replied, my voice sharper than I intended. “Whatever we had it’s over. I mean, we weren't even courting."

He flinched but didn’t back away. “I know I hurt you. And I’ll regret that for the rest of my life. But seeing you again... Tiana, I can’t pretend I don’t still care about you.”

I took a step back, my hands clenching at my sides. “You don’t get to say that. Not after everything you did.”

“I made a mistake,” he admitted, his voice breaking. “But I’ve changed. And I want to make things right. You deserve someone who sees you for who you are, someone who can help you become the wolf you were meant to be.”

His words hit a nerve, and I hated that they did. “You don’t know me, Derek. And you don’t get to decide what I deserve.”

He reached for my hand, but I pulled away. “Tiana, please..."

“No,” I said firmly. “I’m happy now. And nothing you say will change that.”

"Tiana," he whispered, reaching out to touch my shoulders. I slapped his hand away roughly and walked away.

When I returned to my chambers, Theo was waiting for me.

"How long have you been here?" I asked, closing the door behind me.

“Where were you?” he did not bother answering my question but I couldn't be bothered.

I hesitated, but there was no point in lying. “In the garden.”

“With Derek?”

I froze, guilt flashing across my face. “He came to me. I didn’t ask him to.”

Theo’s eyes narrowed. “What did he say?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said quickly. “I told him there’s nothing between us.”

“It matters to me,” he growled, his tone dangerous.

I stepped closer, placing a hand on his arm. “Theo, please. Don’t let him get to you. He’s trying to provoke you.”

He shook his head. “I need to make it clear to him that he’s treading dangerous waters.”

“No,” I said sharply. “You don’t. If you confront him, you’ll only make things worse.”

"He is the one making things worse so he has to be cautioned!" He thundered. "He is not even willing to respect the fact that our fathers are good friends. Why is he trying to sabotage us?"

"Oh, well why don't you let me talk to Elara when the Lycans arrive in the morning."

"That is different Tiana!"

"How is it any different?" I asked him, my voice rising to match with his.

"A conflict with Elara is not something you want, trust me."

"And a conflict with Derek isn't what you want either Theo," I replied. "You are not comfortable with me confronting Elara to either avoid a conflict with her or with parents, you should understand the reason I don't want a confrontation with Derek."

"That is very different," Theo sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "You are a woman, Tiana. Derek is a man... He can easily sway you and I'm scared of that. Men have tactics..."

"Is that how little you think of my love for you?" I scoffed. "That I would be swayed by Derek? The same man who treated me like I was nothing even though I was the daughter of the Beta."

"Tiana I am only saying—"

"If that is the case, how am I not so sure that you could not be swayed by Elara's feminine tactics?"

"It is very different Tiana for the sake of the moon goddess!"

"How so?" I asked with a raise of my brows. "Because you're untouchable and no one can charm you?" I asked sarcastically.

"It's different because Elara cannot be like you in any way no matter how hard she tries!" He replied harshly, pinning me to the wall, his hands were above my head as he stared at me with hard eyes. "I would never look at Elara the same way I look at you, I would never think of her the way I think of you, Tiana."

"And I won't ever think of Derek the same way I think of you. You are the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me Theo and him waltzing in here isn't going to change anything."

"I just don't like anyone near my woman," he said. His lips met mine in a way that left no room for doubt—rough and demanding, yet somehow soft and full of care. A shiver coursed down my spine as his tongue explored my mouth, every movement staking his claim on me. His hands didn’t stay still for a second, sliding over the curve of my waist, grazing the swell of my hips, and pausing to caress the softness of my chest.

I couldn’t help but give in even though I was angry at him, my body responding to him like it was made for this. The kiss deepened, growing more urgent with every passing second. It was overwhelming, intoxicating and I felt like I was drowning in him, but I didn’t want to come up for air.

"You're mine," he murmured, his voice rough and low, pulling back just enough for the words to hit me before diving back in. His lips returned with even more hunger like he was trying to prove his point with every kiss. "No one else's. Just mine."

I didn’t fight it. Instead, I let my hands slide around his neck, pulling him closer until there wasn’t an inch of space between us. Everything around us faded into nothingness. It didn’t matter where we were or what was happening. It was just him and me.

His hands slid under my dress, fingers tracing a slow path up my back. Every touch sent a shiver racing down my body, leaving goosebumps in its wake. I arched into him instinctively, silently begging for more, and he didn’t hesitate, he began to undo the crisscross rope on my dress.