Rebirth Of The Rejected Luna Chapter 43: You Don't Have To Explain Anything, Theo

**Theo's POV**

I stood in the garden, feeling completely confused and shocked. Fiona had just told me something that had left me feeling stunned, and the kiss we shared made things even more complicated. We had been best of friends— completely platonic so why?

The worst part of everything was that Tiana had walked in on us. I had dropped subtle hints to her that I was romantically interested even though we weren't mates but now she had had to see Fiona kissing me and I was quite sure that from what it looked like, I didn't want to hurt Tiana's feelings, but I couldn't ignore my long friendship with Fiona. I felt stuck between being loyal and my growing feelings. I decided I needed to talk to Tiana.

I went to Tiana's room, with many thoughts swirling in my head. I knocked on the door softly and she called out in response.

"Who is it? Please come in?"

"It's Theo," I said with a nervous smile, opening the door. I saw her sitting by the window, quietly knitting. The room felt heavy with things we weren't saying, and for a moment, we just looked at each other awkwardly, not knowing how to start talking.

Taking a deep breath and sighing, I said, "I'm really sorry Tiana."

**Tiana’s POV**

I was just taking a walk in the garden, trying to clear my mind when I stumbled upon Theo and Fiona. The sight of them kissing shocked me to my core. I left as quickly as I could, my heart pounding in my chest. I didn’t understand why I felt so hurt. After all, Theo and I weren’t even mates, and I was just a stranger in this pack. A damsel in distress that he has rescued out of pity. His attention towards me was probably just out of kindness or perhaps even boredom. I remember Fiona saying during dinner that day that he usually broke the hearts of women with attention when he did not even mean anything romantic. Could that have been the case?

Was I just someone for him to pass time with?

A thought suddenly crossed my mind.

What if in that garden they had just discovered that they were mates? Could that have been the case?

Did it mean that Theo was going to stop hanging out with me?

Why was I even thinking about it?

As I walked back to my chambers, I couldn’t help but scold myself for feeling jealous. It wasn’t my place to feel this way. I wasn’t a member of this pack; I was an outsider. Theo’s life was none of my business. Still, the image of them together lingered in my mind, and I felt a pang of sadness.

I literally wanted to scream my lungs out because of the pent-up frustration. It was probably because I had never been shown attention that way so I had become obsessed with Theo treating me so nicely when it probably did not mean anything.

I let out a sigh and pushed the door of my room open angrily.

Once inside my room, I sat by the window, picking up my knitting to distract myself. The repetitive motions usually calmed me, but today, they did little to ease the turmoil inside. I kept replaying the scene in my head, trying to rationalize my feelings. I was just a guest here, someone Theo had taken in out of kindness. There was no reason for me to feel this way.

A knock on the door broke through my thoughts. "Who's there? Come in," I called out, my voice barely steady.

Theo entered, his expression troubled. We stared at each other for a long moment, the silence between us heavy with unspoken words. Finally, he spoke. "I'm sorry."

I blinked, not expecting that. "Why are you sorry?"

"For shutting you out the other day," he said, his voice sincere. "And for what you saw in the garden with Fiona."

I remembered the whole conversation he had with her about the rogues and the wall and my heart broke thinking about how much stress he must have been in. I decided not to tell Layla and Amara because it was not in my place to and I wasn't even meant to overhear the conversation.

I shook my head, trying to dismiss his apology. "You don’t owe me an explanation, Theo. I'm not even a member of this pack. I'm just a stranger."

"Don’t say that," Theo replied quickly, stepping closer. "You’re not just a stranger. You’re part of this pack now, whether you realize it or not."

I looked down at my hands, my knitting forgotten. "Still, you don’t owe me anything. Your life, your decisions—they’re yours to make."

"I need you to understand," Theo insisted, his tone urgent. "Fiona and I are best friends. We went to the garden to discuss what you overheard the other day about the rogues and the wall."

"It’s really not necessary," I said firmly, trying to maintain my composure. "You don’t need to explain anything to me."

"But I do," Theo replied, his eyes locking onto mine. "Because I care about you, Tiana. I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings between us."

His words took me by surprise, and I struggled to process them. "Theo, I appreciate your concern, but—"

"Please, just listen," he interrupted gently. "Fiona kissed me out of the blue. I was as surprised as you were. She confessed she had feelings for me, feelings I never realized she had. But that kiss—it didn’t mean what you think it did. I don’t have those feelings for Fiona."

I searched his eyes, looking for any hint of deceit but found none. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because," Theo said, taking a deep breath, "I want you to know where I stand. I don’t want you to think that I’ve been ignoring you because of Fiona or anyone else. I’ve been busy with the wall and the defenses, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you."

His sincerity was disarming, and I felt my resolve waver. "Theo, it’s just—"

"I know it’s complicated," he said softly. "And I know you have every reason to doubt me. But please, believe me when I say that you’re important to me."

"You really don't have to explain anything, Theo," I sighed, fighting my tears. "We are friends. That's what we are... I'm not..."

I didn't know whether to say the word "mate".