The Luna He Lost, Second Chance No More | Read Free Preview

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Chapter 1 — Finally, the bond will be sealed

Clara's POV
"Declan, I’ve just landed. I’ll be at the Pack Hall in thirty minutes. I can’t wait to see you!"
I hit send…. a nervous, happy energy was humming under my skin.
My wolf, Nala, let out a joyful howl in the back of my mind.
"Mate," she whispered. "Finally, the bond will be sealed."
A faint smile touched my lips.
Today was the day Alpha Declan Thorne and I would finally register our mating bond with the Elders.
We had been betrothed for five years, a long wait that was finally coming to an end.
Over those years, I hadn’t just accepted my duty; I had deeply fallen in love with the man who was meant to be my Alpha.
I leaned my head against the car window, watching the familiar trees of the Thorne Pack territory blur past.
The morning sun was warm, but it was nothing compared to the heat of excitement in my chest.
"Straight from the airport to the Pack Hall, Miss Sterling?" the driver asked, catching my eye in the mirror.
He was an older member of our pack, his scent smelling of aged oak and earth. "It’s a big day for the pack."
"Yes, it’s the Luna’s Blessing festival," I replied, my voice light. "We’ve had our appointment with the Elders for the past two weeks. I wouldn't miss today for anything."
"Congratulations," he said with a warm grin. "An Alpha needs his Luna. It’s about time."
But as the car pulled up to the heavy stone arches of the Pack Hall, the silence from my phone began to feel heavy.
Declan hadn't replied.
I stepped out of the car, my heels clicking on the pavement, and a sudden, cold shiver ran down my spine.
Nala paced restlessly. “Something is wrong, Clara. The air... it feels heavy.”
I dialed Declan’s number, my heart hammering against my ribs. It rang for a long time before a click signaled he had picked up.
"Yeah? What is it?" His voice was flat.
There was no warmth, no "welcome home." It felt like a bucket of ice water had been thrown over me.
"Declan? I’m here. I’m at the Pack Hall," I said, trying to keep my voice from trembling. "I have our token for the Elders. They’re ready for us."
"I can't come, Clara," he interrupted.
My breath hitched. "What? Declan… but we agreed. This is the only day the Elders perform the Luna blessing with the registration for this month. We’ve waited five years—"
"Something came up," he said, his tone dismissive, as if he were talking about a cancelled business meeting instead of our future. "We’ll do it another time. The date doesn't matter."
‘The date doesn't matter?’ I felt a sharp sting in my chest.
Before I could find my words, a soft, high-pitched giggle drifted through the phone. "Declan, are you still on the phone? The pancakes are getting cold! Come on, everyone's waiting!"
The world seemed to stop.
That voice… I would know it anywhere. It was light, sweet and manipulative.
Vivian Hale.
She was the orphan the pack had taken in years ago—the girl who had always looked at Declan with eyes that weren't sisterly at all.
"Is Vivian back?" I whispered.
But Declan didn't answer and just hung up.
A moment later, my phone buzzed.
“Clara! I’m so sorry if I’m keeping Declan! I just got back last night and he insisted on throwing a huge welcome party for me. He drank a bit too much and crashed in my guest suite. Please don't be angry. Come join us for breakfast at Moonbite!”
Her guest suite. My mate had just spent the night with her in the same room while I was flying across the country to be with him.
I felt like I was suffocating. I didn't wait nor cry. I turned away from the Pack Hall and headed straight for the restaurant.
The walk to Moonbite Restaurant was a blur of pain.
As I reached the private dining room, I didn't need to open the door to know they were there.
I could smell him—cedarwood and musk—mingled with her scent of cloying, artificial lilies.
"Alpha, shouldn't you be at the Pack Hall right now?" a voice laughed from inside. "Clara’s going to have your head."
"Come on," another voice scoffed. "We all know who the Alpha really wants. If it weren't for that old betrothal between them, Vivian would already be wearing the Luna's mark."
I stood outside the door, my face draining of all color. Through the small crack in the door, I saw them.
Declan was leaning back, his arm draped possessively over the back of Vivian's chair. From where I stood, it looked like he was pulling her into his side.
"Vivian," Declan’s voice was deep, softer than I had ever heard it. "Do you really think of me as just a brother?"
Vivian blushed, looking like a shy pup. "Declan... stop. What about Clara? She’s waiting for you."
"Forget it," he said lazily. "There’s nothing between us but a piece of paper and an old promise. No one matters more to me than you, Vivian."
The room erupted in cheers.
Inside my mind, Nala let out a scream of pure agony.
It wasn't just a heartbreak but a soul-shattering rejection.
My mate had just told a room full of pack members that I meant nothing to him.
The door swung open as one of the members tried to leave. He froze when he saw me standing there, pale and trembling. "Clara? You're... you're here?"

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Chapter 2 — The Bond Is Severed

Clara's POV
The silence that followed was deafening. Every eye in the room landed on me.
Declan’s arm dropped from Vivian's chair, his brows knitting in annoyance rather than guilt.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
I pushed the door open the rest of the way, my spine straightening as Nala’s pride began to override her pain. "Am I not allowed to be here, Alpha?"
Vivian jumped up, acting frantic. "Clara! Welcome! Please, take my seat. I was just leaving—"
"Vivian, sit down," Declan ordered, his hand snapping out to grab her wrist, pulling her back into the seat next to him.
It was a clear statement. He was protecting her from me…. the gesture was a final blade to my heart.
"Stay seated, Vivian," I said, my voice surprisingly calm. "I didn't come for breakfast."
Declan stood up, his Alpha aura flaring in an attempt to intimidate me. "Clara, we agreed to postpone the mate bond registration. Don't make a scene. We’ll talk about this at the mansion."
"There is nothing to talk about," I said.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small wooden token the Elders had given me. I looked at it for a second—a symbol of a future that was now dead—and let it drop. It hit the floor with a hollow thud.
"Since she matters so much to you," I said, looking him dead in the eye, "consider my spot at the Pack Hall as my mating gift to the two of you. Go and register your bond with her."
"Clara!" Declan growled, his eyes flashing amber. "Stop being dramatic. Vivian just returned. You’re being jealous and petty."
"As if she'd actually leave him," someone whispered from the table. "She's obsessed with the Luna title."
I looked at Declan—really looked at him—and realized the man I loved didn't exist anymore. This man in front of me is a stranger who didn't deserve my wolf or my heart.
"I, Clara Sterling, reject you, Alpha Declan Thorne," I said.
The words felt like lightning in the room while the air crackled with the weight of the rejection.
Declan’s face turned pale.
A rejection from a fated mate was a physical blow to an Alpha’s power.
"I swear to the Moon Goddess," I continued, my voice echoing with a power that made the other wolves in the room flinch, "that I will never be your Luna. And if I break this vow... may the Goddess strip your bloodline of every heir."
After delivering my vow, I turned on my heel and walked out. I didn't look back, but I could feel the air behind me crackling with the weight of their shock.
My wolf, Nala, walked with me.... her pride was the only thing holding my spine straight.
Inside the room, someone finally broke the silence with a nervous, uneasy laugh. "Well, Clara's got a sense of humor, I guess."
"Don't take it to heart, Alpha Declan," another voice chimed in. "Sweet-talk her later; she's always been soft for you. She'll soften up by morning."
"Sweet-talk her?" a man snorted. "Why bother? You pamper a she-wolf too much, and she forgets her place."
"Enough."
Declan's voice wasn't just a word; it was a low, primal growl. A wave of pure Alpha command that slammed through the room, heavy and suffocating.
Even from the hallway, I felt the phantom pressure on my shoulders, urging me to bow. I gritted my teeth fighting the instinct to submit and kept walking.
Behind me, Vivian’s voice rose—a soft, purring sound designed to soothe a frustrated predator. "Declan, if Clara's upset, I can apologize to her for you, okay?"
I could almost picture her reaching out to poke his side, smiling that playful, innocent smile that had always worked on him.
"I'm not upset," I heard Declan mutter, his tone softening for her in a way it never did for me. "Vivian, I wouldn't ever take my temper out on you because of someone else."
I walked faster, my heels clicking sharply against the marble floor until I reached the street.
I didn't go to my family house.
I went straight to the mansion on the edge of the forest—the residence that was supposed to be our home.
It was a gift from the former Alpha, Declan’s grandfather. It was supposed to be a sanctuary, but as I stepped inside, the air felt cold and hollow.
"Mrs. Thorne, you're back?" Anastasia, the pack’s Omega servant, looked up to me in surprise.
Her scent, usually like sweet vanilla, was spiked with confusion. "Weren't you and the Alpha supposed to be at the Pack Hall?"
"Plans changed, Ana," I said, my voice tight.
I walked past her and went straight upstairs.
All my belongings were still in one suitcase; I had never truly moved in, always waiting for the bond to be sealed.
Nala lay silent and wounded in the back of my mind, curled into a ball of grief.
As I passed Declan’s study.... the door was ajar.
My gaze landed on the tablet on Declan’s desk, and my mind immediately flashed back to a month ago.
I had reached for it then, curious about something insignificant. Declan had nearly bitten my head off. A warning growl had rumbled from his chest, his eyes dark with irritation.
At the time, I told myself he was just a private Alpha.
But earlier today, I had watched Vivian scroll through his phone as if it belonged to her.
Nala stirred uneasily inside me.
"Let's see what secrets he's hiding from us."
I stepped into the study.
The familiar scent of cedarwood and rain—Declan’s scent—wrapped around me. Once, it had felt like home. Now it felt like a lie.
I picked up the tablet.
[Password Required]
I tried his birthday.
[Incorrect]
I tried mine.
[Incorrect]
Then I thought of Vivian.
She had been born in autumn. Even her name came from the falling leaves.
September 23rd.
0-9-2-3.
The screen unlocked instantly.
Something hollow cracked open inside my chest.
With trembling fingers, I opened the gallery.
My breath caught.
More than four thousand photos filled the screen.
Every single one was of Vivian.
Vivian laughing.
Vivian sleeping.
Vivian smiling up at Declan.
Vivian standing beside him at parties.
Vivian looking at him with a tenderness that made me sick.
Each image felt like a slap across my face.
Declan had always told me he hated having his picture taken.
The only photograph we had together was our formal bonding portrait hanging in the master bedroom—stiff, posed, and emotionless.
Yet here, hidden away from the world, were thousands of stolen moments.
And in every single one, Declan was smiling.
Not the polite smile he gave pack members.
Not the distant smile he gave me.
This was different.
His eyes were warm.
His expression was soft.
He looked like a man completely in love.
Just not with me.
I locked the screen and set the tablet down.
The metal felt ice-cold beneath my fingers.
Then I walked out of the study.
I didn't cry.
The pain had gone beyond tears.
All that remained was a cold, unwavering certainty.
As I dragged my suitcase down the stairs, Anastasia looked up in surprise.
"Mrs. Thorne, where are you going?" she asked. "Another trip? You just got home."
I paused at the bottom step.
For the first time in years, I felt strangely calm.
"I'm going where I should have gone a long time ago, Ana."
My voice was steady.
"I'm resigning from this life."

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Chapter 3 — The Price Of My Presence

Author's POV
Declan didn’t return to the mansion until the following evening.
He stood in the quiet hallway, frowning at his phone.
A whole day and night had passed, and Clara hadn’t sent a single text. No apology. No "Are you still mad?"
"Did Clara come back yesterday?" he asked Anastasia as she passed him in the hallway.
"She did, Alpha. But she left again with her suitcase. Maybe going on a trip. But she said she was 'resigning,'" the Omega whispered, bowing her head.
'A trip? Or is she actually trying to avoid me?' he thought, his jaw tightening.
He didn’t dwell on it though, because Clara always sulked for a few days before her love for him would make her crawl back. The rejection was just a formality anyway.
As for her "rejection" at the restaurant? He didn’t take it seriously. A mate rejection required mutual acceptance, and he hadn’t accepted a thing.
He went upstairs to the master bedroom, not noticing that the wall where their mate bonding portrait once hung was now stark, empty white.
His phone rang. It was his grandfather, Elder Gideon.
"Declan, did you and Clara finalize the bond? The pack is waiting for the announcement."
"Grandfather, something came up," he said, rubbing his temples. "We’ll do it after your birthday celebration."
"The sooner, the better," the old Alpha grumbled. "And I heard Vivian is back. Regardless of who returns, Declan, Clara is your future Luna. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir, I understand," he said, his voice turning cold.
After hanging up, he stared at his chat history with Clara. The silence was starting to get on his nerves.
He typed out a message: "Are you back from your trip? My grandfather's birthday celebration is tomorrow night. Be ready."
An hour passed before she replied with a single question mark.
His eyes darkened with irritation and his wolf snarled at the blatant disrespect.
"Clara, stop what you are doing. You know how important my grandfather's birthday is to the pack."
Her response came fast this time: "Mr. Thorne, we already broke up. I rejected you. Take whoever you like to the birthday party."
His patience snapped. He wasn’t used to being told "no," especially not by her.
"I didn't accept the rejection. I’m picking you up at seven tomorrow. Grandfather has been good to you. If you have any conscience at all, don’t ruin his day."
It was a threat, plain and simple. He was using her respect for his grandfather to force her into compliance.
"Fine," she replied. "I’ll go. But I don’t work for free anymore. If you want me to play the role of your loving Luna-to-be, you have to pay the price for my presence."
A payment link appeared on his screen.
"What is this?" he typed, his fingers nearly cracking the screen.
"A one million dollar payment request. Label it as labor compensation for my acting services. Pay up, or find another date.”
He stared at the phone, his face flushing with fury.
'What had happened to the woman who used to worship the ground I walked on?' he thought to himself.
The banquet was starting tomorrow and his grandfather was expecting her. He had no choice.
He hit the transfer icon and the money was accepted instantly.
Then, a meme of a wolf waving money appeared. "Thank you for your cooperation, sir. A pleasure performing for you."
He gripped the phone so hard the glass spider-webbed. "What the hell is she playing at?"

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