I Fought for Our Family—He Fought for My Sister

Leah looked between us, her smirk faltering slightly, but she didn’t move. She never did. Always acting like she had more of a claim on him than I did.

“It’s fine, Luna. Whatever you need to say, you can say it in front of her,” Damon said, his tone dismissive.

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my emotions in check. “No. It’s not fine. This is between you and me.”

Leah huffed, crossing her arms. “Oh please, Luna. You’re just going to whine about how Damon hasn’t been paying attention to you, aren’t you? Let me guess—you’re upset because he’s been with me?”

“Leah,” I said, my voice icy. “Leave. Now.”

Her smirk grew. “Make me.”

Damon glanced at her, then back at me, clearly uncomfortable with the tension. “Leah, just… give us a minute.”

She rolled her eyes, standing up but making a show of it. “Fine. But Damon, don’t take too long. We’ve got plans, remember?” She looked at me with that smug look, the one that made me want to scream. “Just hurry it up. I’m getting tired of waiting for you to make a decision.”

With that, she strutted out of the room, leaving me alone with Damon. I stared at him, heart heavy, but I couldn’t back down now. I had to do this.

“I’m leaving,” I said, the words finally out in the open. I’d imagined saying them a hundred times, but now that they were out there, they felt heavy, final.

Damon frowned, sitting up slightly. “Leaving? What are you talking about?”

“I’m leaving the pack. Leaving you.” I let the words hang in the air, waiting for his reaction.

For a moment, he looked confused, like he couldn’t comprehend what I was saying. Then, he laughed—an actual laugh, as if what I had said was a joke.

“You’re upset, Luna. I get it. Noah’s death… it’s been hard on both of us. But this?” He gestured vaguely toward me. “You’re not thinking straight.”

My blood boiled. He thought this was just about Noah? About me being upset over our son’s death? How could he be so blind?

“No, Damon,” I said, my voice rising. “This isn’t just about Noah. This is about YOU. About how you left me to grieve alone. About how you’ve been spending all your time with Leah while I’ve been drowning in my pain. About how you’ve abandoned me.”

His expression darkened, his jaw tightening. “I haven’t abandoned you.”

“You did abandon me!” I shouted, unable to hold it in any longer. “You left me there with our dying son while you ran off with her! And you’ve been with her every day since! Do you even realize what that’s done to me? What it’s like to be betrayed by the person who’s supposed to be my mate?”

He stood up, towering over me, but I didn’t back down. Not this time.

“I was grieving too, Luna,” he smirk, his voice low and dangerous. “Leah was… she was just comfort. I didn’t mean for things to get so complicated.”

“Comfort?” I repeated, incredulous. “You found comfort in my sister? While I was mourning our child? Wow.a”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said, his voice softer now, but I wasn’t buying it. Not anymore.

“You didn’t mean to hurt me, but you did. Over and over again.” My voice cracked, but I forced myself to stay strong. “And I’m done. I’m done waiting for you to realize how much you’ve destroyed. I’m leaving, Damon.”

He stared at me, his eyes narrowing as if he was finally starting to understand that I was serious. “You’re leaving… for good?”

I nodded, my throat tight. “I want you to reject the mate bond.”

Damon froze, his eyes widening. “What?”

“You heard me. I want you to reject me. Officially!"

His face paled. For the first time in a long while, I saw genuine fear in his eyes. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am,” I said, my voice firm. “I can’t be bound to someone who doesn’t love me. I can’t be tied to this pack, to this life, anymore.”

He shook his head, stepping closer to me. “Luna, no. We can fix this. I’ll make it right.”

“You can’t make this right, Damon,” my voice trembling. “Not after everything. I’ve given you chance after chance, and you’ve thrown them all away.”

“Please,” he begged, reaching for my hand, but I pulled back. “I’ll end it with Leah. I swear. I’ll do whatever it takes to fix this.”

I shook my head, tears spilling down my cheeks. “It’s too late.”

“Luna, I love you,” he whispered, desperation in his voice. “I never stopped loving you.”

“Love?” I laughed bitterly. “If this is your version of love, Damon, then I want no part of it.”

He looked lost, like he didn’t know what to say, how to fix the mess he had created. But I was past the point of caring. I was done waiting for him to realize what he had lost.

“I want the rejection, Damon,” I said, my voice steady. “And I’m leaving tonight!”