The Neglected Luna: Tangled In Fate Freed By Love Novel By Lollipop

I slapped Jasper as hard as I could, my hand stinging on impact. The sound echoed, but it was the disbelief on his face that felt more. satisfying. The nerve of him to stand here and accuse me of cheating when he’s been the one stringing two women all along.

“I told you not to touch me,” I hissed, fuming, my whole body vibrating with anger. “I warned you, didn’t I? I don‘ t care if you‘ re going to be the next Alpha. Keep it up, and I‘ Il maul you to death.”

He looked at me like I was the unreasonable one. “Goddess, Daphne, when are you going to stop being childish? I’ve told you a million. times–Briana is like a sister to me!”

I saw red. This was the same tired argument, the same words I’d heard too many times. Only tonight, I wasn‘ t going to let him talk his way out of it. My patience was done, frayed, burned to nothing.

“Tell me that again after you didn’t leave me at the moon temple to take that fake to the hospital!” I snarled, my voice shaking with raw emotion.

Jasper threw his hands up, exasperated. “I told you she was sorry about that! We can reschedule the ceremony anytime. Why are you so stuck on this? Don’t you understand? Her guilt was weighing her down, it was affecting her heart!”

I froze, the disbelief choking me. Was he for real? “Do you hear yourself, Jasper?” I said, barely holding it together. “I’m your mate, your fated mate, but all you care about is her. Every time, it‘ s her!

it’s For years, you’ve only had eyes for her, and I’m supposed to just compromise my whole life for your convenience?”

Before Jasper could respond, Briana came stumbling toward us, her face streaked with tears. Of course. Right on cue. She dropped to her knees in front of me, her pathetic sobs loud enough for the entire pack to hear. “Please, Daphne,” she whimpered, her voice trembling.

No network available now. Please check your network. k. If my mother hadn asked him to take care of me before she died, none of this would‘ ve happened.”

My stomach twisted as I watched her work the room, milking every ounce of pity she could from the crowd. She was so good at it. I almost had to applaud her performance. Almost.

“Briana, you don’t have to do this,” Jasper said softly, his touch. gentle as he helped her to her feet. He spoke to her like she was made of glass, his voice full of tenderness he never once showed me.

Something inside me cracked. He was never that gentle with me. Sure, there were moments he acted like a real mate, but they were fleeting–like he was playing a part. I was on the edge of breaking down, but I refused to let Briana see me fall apart. No. Not here. Not

now.

“Not her fault.” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Sure. It wasn’t her fault when she threw a fit on the first day of our bond. It wasn’t her fault when she called you in the middle of the night on our first anniversary crying about a nightmare. It wasn’t her fault that every single time I tried to fix our relationship, she found some reason to drag you away. It wasn’t her fault that it took you five years to make our bond official, and it definitely wasn’t her fault that she fainted the moment you took my hand at the altar, forcing you to abandon me at the ceremony. How convenient.”

My voice grew louder, and the pack fell silent. All eyes shifted toward Briana, who fidgeted under the weight of their stares. Jasper stood. there like a fool, his hand still resting protectively on her shoulder, utterly clueless about the damage he had caused.

It was ridiculously laughable.

I shook my head, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “You really think you can keep playing this game, Jasper? I gave you a chance to save face last night, but now? Now it’s over.” I looked straight into his eyes and recited word for word, “It’s also not her fault that I, Daphne. Stone, reject you, Jasper Frost, as my mate and Alpha.”

My words rang out loud and clear. Gasps rippled through the crowd, and whispers broke out like wildfire. I caught a glimpse of Alpha and Carmen in the corner, their faces painted with disappointment. I felt at flicker of regret for them, but not enough to stop me from walking away from this disaster.

“Good luck playing house,” I spat over my shoulder before storming out of the suffocating hall.

I didn’t stop running until I hit the training grounds. The anger, the betrayal, everything boiled inside me, and I needed to let it out before I exploded. I lashed out at the punching bag, hitting it over and over until my fists ached, screaming out my frustrations into the night. The leather tore under my assault, but I didn’t care. I kept going, pouring every ounce of my pain into the bag until it broke.

When I finally stopped, chest heaving and hands shaking, I leaned against the wall to catch my breath. I could already hear the scolding I’d get tomorrow for breaking the equipment, but it was the least of my worries.

“That was impressive,” a voice said, startling me out of my thoughts.

I spun around to see Damon standing a few feet away, his eyes twinkling with amusement. He stepped closer, his gaze sweeping over the destruction I’d caused. “I had a feeling you were strong the first moment I saw you,” he continued, his voice smooth. “But this? This is something else.”

I wiped the sweat from my brow, trying to keep my breathing steady.

“You–saw me before tonight?”

He grinned, a knowing look in his eyes. “Maybe I’ve been watching. you longer than you think.”

I raised an eyebrow, unsure how to respond to that. There was something about Damon that kept pulling me in without warning. Before I could figure out what it was, he leaned in slightly, his voice. low and confident.

“I like you, Daphne.”

I froze, completely stunned.