The Rejected Luna Rising

At the hospital where her parents’ bodies had been cremated, the staff handed Caroline two ceramic urns containing their remaining ashes.

The moment her fingers brushed the cool porcelain, tears spilled over her lashes. She squeezed her eyes shut, her frame trembling as heavy sobs broke from her chest. ”Forgive me... forgive me for bringing such an end to you both,” she whispered.

Standing nearby, Miller and Jeremy exchanged a quiet look. They finally understood why Andrew had insisted on bringing Caroline here, despite the threats to her life.

Andrew watched her in silent intensity, etching every drop of her grief into his memory. He was a man who believed in exact retribution, but for the pain inflicted on his wife, Victor and Nina would pay tenfold.

’Who wrote these vile laws that allow omegas to be slaughtered without consequence?’ Andrew thought, his jaw tightening. ’I will challenge my father in the Council Court. Caroline, I swear your tears will not be shed in vain.’

He stepped forward and gently rested a palm on her shoulder.

”Caroline,” Andrew said softly. ”Hold yourself together. We are going to make this right.”

Andrew kept stroking her back until her breathless sobs slowly subsided. Caroline wiped the tears from her cheeks, taking a steadying breath before reaching down to pick up both urns.

”I can—” Andrew started, extending a hand to carry them.

”No,” Caroline interjected softly, pulling them closer to her chest. ”They belonged to my parents. I want to carry them myself. And I refuse to bury them in this soil... they will never rest in peace in a place where their lives were taken so unjustly.”

”Where, then?” he asked.

”Redwood High,” Caroline replied, her misty eyes searching his. ”Do you mind if I place them there?”

”You never need to ask,” Andrew assured her. ”Redwood High belongs to you now, too. It is a fitting place for them; you will be able to visit whenever you wish.”

”Thank you,” she whispered, lowering her gaze. ”That means everything to me.”

Before she could step away, Andrew gently took one of the urns from her arms. ”If your grip slips, they could break. Let me share the weight.”

Caroline nodded, allowing him to carry one.

As they turned toward the exit, an elderly woman who had served in the mortuary for decades stepped into their path.

”I knew your mother, dear,” the woman said softly. ”When the two of them were brought in, orders were given to complete the cremation as quickly as possible. But I managed to salvage these personal items from their bodies before the flames took them.”

She extended a small plastic bag toward Caroline, filled with her parents’ remaining possessions.

Caroline’s hand trembled as she accepted it. ”Thank you... Please, tell me your name.”

”My name is Eleanor, dear. I’m glad you made it out alive. I hope you find justice for both of them,” she whispered, then gazed at Andrew. She bowed respectfully to him before adding, ”I should leave. If anyone sees me talking with you, they may get suspicious.” She glanced at Caroline one last time and walked away.

”Turns out Victor is scared to death of being caught with such evidence. That’s why he removed every obstacle in his way,” Miller remarked.

”Let’s go,” Andrew pronounced, his expressions darkening. ”The longer I stay here, the stronger the urge grows to end Victor with my own hands.”

They settled into the car shortly and left for Redwood High. Caroline stared out the window at the passing trees, seeing nothing but the fear that had glinted in Victor’s eyes.

The most sickening part was realizing the love he had always claimed to feel for her was a complete lie. He had stabbed her in the back so deeply it left her entirely shattered. Yet the audacity he had to frame her as the guilty party made her stomach churn with disgust.

’Why did I ever love that man?’ she thought, her brow furrowing as she pressed her forehead against the window glass. ’For four months he was seeing Nina behind my back, and I never saw through it. If he was already betraying me, why did he impregnate me? How could he kill his own pup without a second thought? But then he was an evil man, who has his twisted ambitions. I won’t let him reach there.’

Suddenly, she remembered Emmett. She hadn’t seen his Beta standing beside him; instead, a new face had taken his place.

”Andrew, Victor’s Beta is Emmett. But I didn’t see him with Victor,” Caroline said, turning to look at him. ”Emmett used to follow Victor everywhere.”

”Did you check on Emmett?” Andrew asked, looking toward his Beta and Gamma in the rear seats.

”Alpha, I noticed a Beta following Victor—a man named Levi. I didn’t see Emmett anywhere,” Jeremy answered promptly.

”Something isn’t right. We need to find Emmett,” Caroline urged, turning back to face Andrew. ”He could be my witness.”

”Find him,” Andrew told Jeremy. ”Miller, you’ll accompany him as well.”

”But, Alpha, what about you and Luna?” Miller questioned promptly.

”We can travel back safely. Right now, the priority is finding Emmett. Victor might get him killed too,” Andrew said.

Caroline had quickly searched on her phone the address of Emmett’s house. ”I’m sending the address to you, Miller. Earlier in the morning, Andrew gave me your and Jeremy’s contacts,” she asserted.

Miller got the notification and opened the address on the map.

”Stop the car,” Andrew ordered the driver, who acted right away on the Alpha Prince’s command. He then handed his token to Miller Android continued, ”Use it if anyone tries to stop you or Jeremy.”

”Yes, Alpha.” Jeremy stepped out first while Miller had placed his one foot on the ground.

”Be careful,” Caroline told them, turning her head to look at him and Jeremy who had his head ducked low. ”Don’t let yourselves get harmed. If you won’t find him, just return.”

”Sure,” Miller answered and got down from the car before shutting its door from outside.