**Rebecca's POV**
I watched them from a distance, hidden in the shadows like a ghost. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat filled with rage, pain, and betrayal. I saw him as he stood there, telling her he never "fucked" me last night. The words cut through me like a knife. We didn’t do anything last night because he rejected me again. Ever since she arrived, he has been pushing me away, time and time again. Every rejection stings deeper than the last.
I always believed that whenever we were together, it was more than just sex. I thought it was love. How could he stand there, so casually dismissing everything we had shared, calling it nothing but "fucking"? My heart twisted with a cruel combination of pain, betrayal, and humiliation.
*How could he do this to me?*
Pain.
Betrayal.
Rejection.
Humiliation.
And finally…
Anger.
That overwhelming anger simmered in the pit of my stomach, threatening to consume me whole. He had promised me. He said she was nothing. *Nothing!* He hadn’t been lying when he told me that, I was sure. But now, seeing the way he kissed her, the way he held her, I realized the truth: he had lied to himself. He said he would never love or care about her, but the way his lips moved against hers, the way his hands caressed her skin—he had already fallen for her. He was lost to her, and I was left standing on the outside, watching.
I clenched my fists so tightly my nails bit into my palms. Blood and rage were the only things keeping me grounded as I watched him betray me with her. I trusted him, and he threw it all away for a fragile little girl who couldn't even defend herself. How could he? After everything we had been through, he had the audacity to treat me like this?
My thoughts turned dark, my mind clouded with the memories of betrayal. My family had done the same. They had turned on me for power, for greed. They had sided with our greatest enemy, the demon king, leaving me and the pack behind. I was supposed to be their daughter, their blood, but they discarded me like I was nothing.
And now, Jake was doing the same. He was supposed to care for me, supposed to be loyal to me. After my mate died, he was the one who stood by me, who made me feel whole again. He told me I was fit to be the Luna of this pack, that I was strong enough to lead by his side. But none of that mattered anymore, did it? All because of her.
*Her.*
The rage inside me swelled as I watched her standing there, all innocent and delicate, like she had no idea of the destruction she had caused. She was the reason he rejected me. She was the reason everything had changed. I wanted to scream at her, to tear her apart, but I stayed in the shadows. Watching. Waiting.
She was a nobody. She couldn’t even fight to save her own life, let alone defend this pack. How could someone like her ever be Luna? I had worked my whole life to protect this pack, to fight for it, to earn the trust and respect of everyone. I was the one who deserved to stand by Jake’s side, not her. She had done nothing but walk in and steal everything I had fought for.
I had gained his trust, his friendship, and even more than that. And now she was taking it all away with a single glance, a single touch.
*How could he be so blind?*
“I won’t let this happen,” I whispered under my breath, my voice trembling with fury. “She can’t just walk in and take him from me.”
My mind flashed back to the times Jake and I had spent together. The nights we shared, the moments where I thought we were becoming something more. He told me I was strong. He told me I was everything a Luna should be. I loved him, and I thought he loved me. But now, he stood there kissing her like I had never even existed.
My heart throbbed with the memory of my family’s betrayal. I had sworn that I would never let anyone hurt me like that again. I had sworn that I would never lose the people I loved. But here I was, on the brink of losing him.
I couldn’t—no, I *wouldn’t*—let that happen.
“Rebecca, is that you?”
I froze, my breath catching in my throat. A voice I recognized too well. It was Lisa, one of the pack warriors, her presence the only thing pulling me out of the dark spiral of my thoughts.
“Yes, it’s me,” I muttered, barely able to suppress the bitterness in my voice. I turned slowly to face her, still standing in the shadows.
Lisa raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing out here? You should be inside with the others.”
“I don’t feel like celebrating,” I replied sharply, casting a glance back toward Jake and *her*. “Not when *she’s* here.”
Lisa followed my gaze and sighed, her expression softening. “Look, Rebecca, I know you’ve been through a lot, but this thing between you and Jake… maybe it’s time to let it go. You can’t force him to choose you. If he—”
“Let it go?” I interrupted, my voice rising with frustration. “I’ve worked for this my entire life, Lisa. I’ve given everything for this pack, for him. And you expect me to just walk away?”
“I’m not saying it’s fair,” she said gently. “But sometimes, we don’t get what we want, no matter how hard we fight.”
My body tensed, and I could feel the tears threatening to spill, but I wouldn’t let them. Not here. Not in front of her. “I won’t lose him,” I said, my voice steady and cold. “Not to her. She doesn’t deserve him.”
Lisa sighed again, clearly conflicted. “Just be careful, Rebecca. Don’t let this anger consume you.”
But it was too late. The anger had already taken root deep inside me, and I wasn’t about to let it go. Not now. Not when everything I had worked for was slipping through my fingers.
As Lisa walked away, I turned my gaze back to Jake and his precious little mate.
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” I whispered, a dark promise settling in my heart. “Because I’m not done fighting.”
I wouldn’t let her win. Not after everything I had sacrificed, not after everything I had endured. I would find a way to take back what was rightfully mine.
One way or another, I would make sure she never took Jake away from me again.
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