Rebirth Of The Rejected Luna Chapter 199: Guilty Conscience

Derek’s POV

Tiana was mine.

She should have been mine.

I thought I had lost her forever when she first went missing, but a part of me still believed she belonged to me and I would find her. I should have fought for her when I discovered she was my mate though, I should have held on to her when I had the chance. Instead, my pride got in the way and I pushed her away.

I gritted my teeth, trying to push the thought away, but it only made my chest ache more. Wishing things were different couldn't change the past.

For a long time, the mate bond between us had been barely noticeable, I could only feel it subtly in my mind. But six months ago, it had come roaring back, burning with a fierce intensity that I couldn't ignore when I visited Shadowclaw. I had followed it, desperate to understand what was happening, and that's when I found her again. Tiana, sitting by the corridor.

I never thought I'd get a second chance with her. I thought the Moon Goddess only gave you one chance at love, and if you blew it, you were out of luck. But when I saw Tiana again and felt the bond snap back into place, I thought fate was giving me another shot.

That was until I realized she had already moved on. She had found someone else - Theo.

I let out a bitter laugh and rubbed my hands over my face. The memories still felt like an open wound, refusing to heal. I remembered the look on Tiana's face when she saw me again. There was shock and heartbreak but I could still see the attraction towards me in her eyes despite how cold they were. She hadn't expected to ever see me again, and it was clear that a part of her hated me for it.

Then I found out the truth: she was meant to be with Theo. It felt like a punch to the gut. A part of me still wanted to believe it was all a mistake, that the Goddess was playing a cruel joke on me. But deep down, I knew better. I could feel it, even though I hated it.

What gave me hope was that she hadn't been officially coronated with Theo yet. That gave me an opening, a chance to make things right. But no matter how hard I tried, she wouldn't listen to my apologies. And I deserved that. I deserved every harsh word she threw at me, every time she turned away from me.

I had hurt her before and made her feel worthless. I had broken her. So why would she ever let me fix her? I leaned back in my chair, gripping my glass of whiskey so tightly I thought it might shatter.

The other warriors around me were having a good time, drinking and laughing, but I felt nothing. Every woman who approached me just annoyed me. They were all too eager, too desperate, and none of them were Tiana.

I could have any woman I wanted, but none of them appealed to me. Because none of them were Tiana. I took a swig of whiskey, the burn in my throat nothing compared to the ache in my chest.

The memory of Tiana's death still haunted me. I squeezed my eyes shut, but it didn't stop the images from playing over and over in my mind. Layla's accusations, the poison, Tiana standing there, betrayed and confused, but still proud. She had refused to beg for mercy, even when faced with humiliation.

I had defended her, and Theo. Theo... he just stood there. He didn't fight for her. He didn't do anything. When Viktor forced her to eat the poisoned food, Tiana's eyes locked onto Theo, searching for a sign that he would save her. But he didn't.

I gritted my teeth, staring at the whiskey in my glass. It had all happened so fast. One moment Tiana was standing, defiant, and the next, she was lifeless on the floor. I had never screamed like that before, never felt my soul ripped apart like that moment.

Tiana was gone, and nothing I did could bring her back. The thought was a constant, gnawing pain in my chest.

I took a deep breath, shaking my head.

I should have been enough for her. If I had just fought for her the first time, she never would have ended up in that situation. She never would have been with Theo, never would have been forced into a position where she had to prove her innocence.

I was so stupid, and now I was paying the price. Tiana's father hated me but my father hated me too, and I couldn't blame them. They thought I was responsible for her death, and maybe they were right. If I hadn't rejected her, she might not have run away, and none of this would have happened.

I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. Even my own father, the Alpha, looked at me with pity now. He didn't seem angry or disappointed, just sorry for me. Like he knew I had blown the one chance the Moon Goddess had given me.

I laughed to myself, a bitter sound. "You reap what you sow," I muttered. No one heard me, no one ever did. Because no one understood what it was like to have everything, only to throw it away and realize too late that it was the only thing that mattered.

I pushed my glass away and stood up abruptly. I needed to get out of there, away from all those empty faces and meaningless conversations. I needed some air. I needed... I needed Tiana. But she was gone.

And I hated that every now and then, I would find myself thinking about her when I least expected it. Especially when I was supposed to be focused on work of urgent matters.

The worst part was that work also had to do with me producing an heir...

How do I manage to do that without her?