VENGEANCE OF THE REJECTED LUNA

Serena's POV

I run up the stairs to Jaxon's house, feeling as if my heart is thudding in my chest. He hasn't replied to my messages all day, and I have been on edge, as if something is off. My wolf, Selene, has been pacing in my mind since morning. She usually adores being around our mate, however, right now, she is quiet, almost on edge.

I ignore the feeling. It is possible that Jaxon's just busy with training. He is the Future Alpha of the Blackwood pack and his father, Alpha Damon, sure knows how to wear him out. Even so, it is a bit strange for him to completely ignore me.

It is quiet inside the house when I step in. That is abnormal. The Blackwood mansion is not quiet, warriors are always coming and going, and pack business is always being done. But now, it feels still, as if the air is holding its breath.

I step inside more. "Jaxon?"

There is no answer.

I start walking upstairs. I wonder if he is in his room sleeping off some exhaustion. A small smile appears on my lips. If that's the case, I can jump into bed with him and tease him about how he ignored me all day. He would groan, pull me into his arms, and then everything will be fine again.

I reach his bedroom door, which is slightly ajar.

Laughter.

A woman's voice.

There goes my world. My head began to spin the moment I spotted Jaxon in bed with someone else, but it sure didn't help when the person I found him with was none other than my sister, Lily.

With her?

I said nothing as I walked in completely unbothered.

Their bodies are intertwined in the sheets, skin to skin. His head is thrown back, mouth on hers whilst his hands are gripping her waist. The smell of them - their combined scent - hits like a truck to the chest.

I seem to have lost my breath and for a moment, I am unable to move. The mate bond between Jaxon and I is on fire, waves of pain assaulting my body. My legs seem to buckle and my vision blurs.

Jaxon's head jerks up. His eyes are now wide open, darkening with something I can't quite puzzle out. Was it annoyance? Guilt? No, satisfaction seemed more likely.

Lily, who is lying on him, smirks instead of covering herself. She's smiling.

"What the hell is this?" My voice shakes, but rage immediately replaces my initial shock. My hands turn into fists as Selene growls, wanting to rip them apart.

Jaxon sighs, and runs a hand through his hair that is in a messy state. "It's quite literally what it looks like."

I blink. He doesn't even attempt to deny it at all. My mate. The man who was supposed to cherish and protect me, loves me. Simply tossed me aside.

"With my sister?" My voice rises, trembling with disbelief. My pulse pounds so loudly I can barely hear anything else. A deep sense of anger resides within my chest, seeking reprieve.

Lily unfazed stretches her arms to the side and shrugs. "Oh come on, Serena. Don't put on an act. You had to see this coming."

My head whips to the side, looking at her. "Excuse me?"

Bringing a finger to her lips, she turns her head slightly to the side. "Jaxon needs a strong Luna. Someone who can match his power, his ambition. You? You're just... you."

I feel like I've been deliberately punched in the gut.

Jaxon exhales heavily, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "She's right." His voice is casual, like this is just another conversation. Like he hasn't just broken me. "You were never strong enough to be my Luna."

Selene roars inside me demanding vengeance, demanding blood. My hands shake with the need to shift, admiring the thought of them torn apart, but the mate bond still firmly clings to me, wrapping around my heart like chains. The pain is still here. The rejection hasn't been spoken yet.

"I wish I'm dead," I whisper. Then clenching of fists, letting the anger erupt forth. "You're supposed to-"

He cuts me off with a laugh. A laugh. What an asshole.

"Mate bonds are overrated," he remarks, completely unconcerned about his nudity in front of me whilst swinging his legs over the bed. "I need someone who can push me to become stronger, not someone who is a burden. I need more than just fate."

A burden. That's what I am to him.

Lily chuckles pressing against him. "And someone who knows how to please him."

I lose control.

I rush at her aiming my hands for her neck, but Jaxon acts quicker. He seizes my wrist in mid-air gripping just hard enough to make my bones ache. His hold is too powerful.

"You can't attack her," he snarls, his voice quiet, menacing. "This happened because of you, Serena. You didn't measure up. You were feeble. You never sparked my desire."

I yank my arm free, stumbling backward gasping for air. "I despise you."

Something gleams in Jaxon's eyes, but he masks it , his expression turning cold. "No, you don't. Not at this moment."

Lily exhales with exaggeration. "Will you just turn her down already? This whole situation bores me."

Jaxon rises moving toward me. His look is impossible to read as he speaks the words that shatter me .

"I, Jaxon Blackwood, reject you as my mate."

The connection breaks.

Excruciating pain hits me. It's worse than anything I've experienced. My legs give out, and I grab my chest as my wolf cries inside. It feels like someone's tearing me apart. As if they reached into my soul and ripped out its best part. I struggle to breathe or see.

Jaxon and Lily look at me without emotion. As if I mean nothing. As if we meant nothing.

I push myself up. My legs tremble, my heart races, but I look Jaxon in the eye. He thinks he's broken me. He expects me to plead.

No way.

I push down the hurt and stand tall. "I, Serena Nightshade, accept your rejection."

Jaxon grins like he's victorious. Like he's gotten all he wanted. Like I'll vanish and forget.

He has no clue what's coming.

As I spin around and leave, Selene's voice rumbles in my mind, quiet and dangerous.

We'll make them suffer.