The Rejected Luna Rising

”I need to go, Victor,” Nina told him, stepping away from the balcony.

”What? Why?” Victor asked, his brow furrowing. ”You haven’t even eaten dinner yet. I had the kitchen prepare all your favorites tonight.”

”Dad issued a direct order,” Nina explained. ”My Beta called me earlier to confirm it, and I can’t go against my father. Mom was easy enough to placate, but Dad won’t budge.”

”I see. Then you should go,” Victor said, his expression darkening into a picture of helpless misery. ”Let me accompany you to the palace. I can apologize to your parents in person. They must view me as a monster by now. In the end, they’ll always side with their son.”

”That isn’t true,” Nina insisted, reaching out to squeeze his hands tightly. ”If Andrew is wrong, Caroline will be the one punished for this. Besides, Dad has restricted Andrew’s influence strictly within Redwood High. He can’t touch you. I’ll handle my father in the meantime.”

Victor wrapped his arms around her. ”I’m sorry, Nina. If only I knew that Caroline would do this, I wouldn’t have helped her father. I think my kindness cost me a lot.”

Nina caressed his back. ”Yes, you’re too kind. Omegas like her do anything to get men like you. I can’t understand Andrew. How could he come into her words?” she chuckled.

”Because Caroline is a seductress,” Victor replied. ”I don’t blame Prince Andrew. He is being fooled, just as I was. And now, he has even gone so far as to marry her.”

Nina pulled back slightly, her gaze thoughtful. ”Nothing can be done about the marriage now. But I am certain Andrew only went through with it to escape his fiancée. Once the mandatory one-month trial period ends, Caroline will end up locked in the dungeons where she belongs. In the meantime, you need to uncover the identity of the man who got her pregnant. We must gather our own evidence.”

”I understand.” Victor raised her hands to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles. ”I love you, Nina.”

She offered a soft smile. ”I have to leave now. Take care of yourself.”

After dropping Nina off, Victor returned to his estate. As he stepped into the drawing room, he found his parents waiting for him, tension heavy in the air.

”Victor, what on earth have you gotten yourself into?” Joseph demanded, stepping forward with a troubled gaze. ”Do you realize who you are up against? That is Andrew Kensington. When he targets someone, they rarely make it out alive.”

Angelina stood from her armchair, her expression fraught with anxiety. ”Victor, Caroline came to our home that day. You were never involved with her... were you?”

”How many times must I tell you, Mom?” Victor snapped, turning away from them. ”I helped her purely out of goodwill. Beyond that, I have no connection to her. Caroline twisted everything to use against me. She was threatening me that day, demanding that I marry her.”

He paced a few steps across the room, his tone hardening into cold arrogance. ”Why would I ever marry a low-born woman? That is precisely why I ordered her execution alongside her family—to teach her a lesson and to every omega out there not to take my kindness for granted.”

”That is why I always asked you to keep your distance from Caroline. Look, what she had done,” she frowned. ”My head has been aching since yesterday.”

”Victor, you better not bring any more troubles. I would suggest and go apologize to Caroline,” Joseph opined.

”What?” Victor immediately turned around. ”Why would I apologize to her when I did nothing, Dad. I didn’t impregnate her. Once I found out the man she slept with, it is a game over for her,” he affirmed and walked away.

~~~~~~

Later that evening, after dinner had concluded, Caroline retired to Andrew’s master bedroom—a space that was now technically hers as well. She paced the floorboards, her pulse hammering against her ribs at the thought of sharing a bed with him.

’Well, I am married now,’ she reasoned internally, trying to steady her erratic breathing. ’It isn’t as though we are expected to do anything tonight. I did clarify to him before marriage that I am not capable of thinking about love.’

’But he is putting in a lot of effort. I felt so broken after everything we both went through,’ her wolf, Lily, spoke in the back of her head. ’Don’t tell me you will ignore the care he is giving us.’

’I am not doing that. He has pampered me in ways I can’t even explain.’

Her connection to her wolf broke as the sound of the door clicked. She spun around to see Andrew walking in. He casually locked the door before casting a glance in her direction.

”You look nervous,” he said. ”Nothing is going to happen between us until you have fully recovered. I already told you that.”

He walked over to the mahogany wardrobe and pulled out a simple pair of nightclothes. ”I will freshen up first. Afterward, we can get some sleep, or just talk if you prefer.”

As the washroom door closed behind him, Caroline sank onto the edge of the mattress. Relief washed over her, steadying her frantic pulse until her heart finally settled.

When Andrew emerged from the washroom, Caroline found herself momentarily captivated by his stature. He wore a fitted half-sleeved shirt that clung to his frame, revealing broad, muscular arms and a wolf tattoo inked across his left bicep.

”Do you like tattoos?” Caroline asked softly.

”Not particularly,” Andrew replied, running a hand over his arm. ”I only got this one because of Miller. He is obsessed with ink and insisted it would look good on me.”

A faint smile touched Caroline’s lips. ”It actually does.”

”My father was furious with me when I got it,” Andrew said with a slight shake of his head.

”Why?”

”Royals are forbidden from marking their skin with things like this. Miller took the brunt of the scolding, too. We were just college students back then, and he didn’t realize how strict the rules were.” Andrew walked over to his side of the bed, climbing in and leaning back against the plush pillows. ”Did you take your medicines?”

”Yes,” Caroline nodded.

”We’ll go to the Crystal Moon Pack tomorrow,” he said, his tone turning serious.

Her eyes widened slightly. ”Really?”

”Yes,” Andrew affirmed, looking directly at her. ”We need to pay proper honor to your parents.”