Rebirth Of The Rejected Luna Chapter 124: The Untamed Beast Within Me

**Erika's POV**

I was faster than I should have been. Faster than any Lycan.

I launched myself across the battlefield, the world nothing but a blur as my body reacted before my mind could catch up.

Carlo turned, his eyes widening.

I slammed into him, knocking him to the ground just as the rogue’s claws swiped through the air where his head had been.

I hit the rogue first.

We crashed into the dirt, rolling, snarling, biting. He was strong, but I was stronger.

My claws sank into his chest, my jaws clamping around his throat.

And with one brutal twist—

It was over.

The rogue went limp beneath me, his body collapsing into the dust.

Silence.

And then I felt him.

Carlo’s eyes were on me, wide, unreadable.

I was still in my Lyncan form, my breath ragged, my muscles trembling with raw power. His gaze flickered to the body beside me—the rogue I had just torn apart.

And then back to me.

He looked shocked and maybe even a little afraid.

The stench of blood and damp earth clung to me, refusing to let go. The cold night air reeked of death, its metallic tang searing my nostrils and making my stomach roil. My heart still thundered in my chest, but somehow, my breathing had steadied, I felt numb, shell-shocked, as if my senses were struggling to process the carnage around me. The rogues lay scattered across the ground, their bodies lifeless, their wild eyes frozen in death. Some of our own had fallen, too, but the victory was ours.

For a long moment, the world was silent.

Then, a howl broke through the air, raw and triumphant, and soon, the entire pack followed, their voices rising in unison, echoing through the darkened sky. The sound should have felt victorious, should have made my chest swell with pride. But I didn’t join them. I stood there, my claws still coated in blood, my fur bristling with an unfamiliar energy. My limbs still thrummed with an almost unbearable restlessness, a force inside me that had yet to settle.

Something had taken over me in that fight. It guided my movements and heightened my senses beyond reason. It was what made me move faster, strike harder, and kill more than anyone else. It was what had made me sense the rogue before it could strike Carlo—even though I hadn’t seen it, even though I was nowhere near him.

The battle was over. But whatever had awakened inside me wasn’t ready to go dormant again.

With a slow shake of my fur, I turned away from the carnage and followed the others as we began our trek back to the packhouse.

The journey through the dense forest was eerily quiet.

The only sounds were the steady rhythm of paws against damp earth, the occasional rustle of the wind through the trees, and the faint scent of blood lingering in the crisp air. The moonlight filtered through the canopy, casting shifting shadows across the ground.

I kept my pace steady, focusing on the way the cool night breeze ruffled my fur. My body still felt too warm, like something beneath my skin was still burning.

Then, from the corner of my eye, I noticed a presence drawing closer.

Carlo.

His large gray wolf moved in sync with mine, his gaze fixed on me with an intensity that made my muscles tense.

“Erika.” His voice slid through my mind via the mind-link. "You saved my life."

I didn’t look at him, didn’t break my stride. My tone was neutral. "It was my duty."

"Yes, but it was more than that." There was a pause. "No one else noticed the rogue. Not even the warriors closest to me. Not even I did. But you sensed it before it even struck."

I felt my muscles coil with unease, but I kept my expression blank. "It was instinct."

"Instinct?" Carlo asked, a hint of suspicion coating his voice. "No one else has instincts like that, Erika."

I didn’t respond. I didn’t want to dwell on it. Whatever had happened in that battle, whatever had made my body move before my mind could even catch up—it didn’t matter. The rogues were dead. That was all that counted.

But Carlo didn’t let it go. His voice softened, dipping into something quieter, something more deliberate. "I’m surprised you haven’t felt it yet."

A flicker of irritation stirred in me. "Felt what?"

"The mate bond."

I stiffened.

A strange, twisting sensation settled in my stomach, cold and sharp, but I forced my body to keep moving. "What are you talking about?"

His wolf’s amber eyes seemed to glow under the moonlight. "We have a bond, Erika. And it’s not just any bond. It’s the bond that only exists between mates."

Something inside me stilled.

No. That couldn’t be right. I would have known. I would have felt it.

I clenched my jaw, keeping my voice steady despite the slight tremor beneath it. "Did your wolf tell you that?"

"Yes."

"And you believe it?"

"Yes."

I felt my chest tighten.

My wolf had been restless since we kissed. The pull I felt toward Carlo, the way my body reacted when he was near—it wasn’t normal. But I had ignored it. I had to ignore it.

"Then why hasn’t my wolf told me?" I asked.

There was a brief silence. Then Carlo answered, voice laced with quiet confusion. "That’s what I find strange."

I hesitated.

I felt something. A pull, a strange connection. But I had assumed it was the effects of the pack bond or simply the heightened senses that came with being around so many Lycans. I refused to believe it was this.

"I’ve felt something," I admitted. "But I don’t know what it is. And until my wolf tells me, I can’t accept or reject this bond."

Carlo exhaled through the link, his pace never faltering. "Fair enough."

The conversation settled into silence after that, though I could feel his presence lingering beside me. The packhouse came into view ahead.

As we neared the entrance, a voice rang out, cutting through the quiet.

“Erika.”

I turned my head sharply.

Alpha Corvin stared at me with a sharp gaze.

“I’d like to see you privately.”