Luna Mira's Choice

Chapter 3

_Mira's POV_

I sat alone in my room, my heart shattered and my mind numb. It felt like the whole world had turned against me tonight. Killian’s rejection was painful enough, but the cheers from the pack, the smiles, the joy—for them, it was a celebration. For me, it was a nightmare. I had thought, somehow, that someone would understand, that someone would see my pain. But I was wrong. The only one who had come to comfort me was my mom, and even her words felt hollow.

Then, a knock at the door startled me. I ignored it. I hoped that whoever it was would go away. I couldn’t handle any more pity, any more cold reminders that I was now alone. But the knock persisted, firm and unrelenting. With a sigh, I got up and opened the door.

It was Sophia.

She stood there, her lips curled into a smirk, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. On her finger, the engagement ring Killian had given her sparkled in the dim light. She held her hand up, letting the ring catch the light as if to make sure I didn’t miss it.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” she said, tilting her hand to admire the ring. “Killian gave it to me tonight. He said it belonged on the finger of someone worthy of being his Luna.”

I felt a lump rise in my throat, but I didn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I stayed silent, staring at her with as much strength as I could muster.

Sophia’s smile grew crueler. “You know, Mira, some of us are just born to lead. It’s a shame, really… The Moon Goddess made a mistake when she bonded you to Killian. You would have only dragged him down.”

I clenched my fists, biting back the urge to tell her to leave. She was relentless, though, her words cutting deeper and deeper with each sentence.

“I mean, really, what did you expect?” she continued. “That he would choose you over me? You’re so… ordinary. Weak. How could you possibly think you were good enough for him?”

Something inside me snapped. I couldn’t take any more of her insults. I pushed past her, walking out into the hall without a word. I could still feel her gaze on me as I went, her laughter echoing behind me, but I didn’t look back.

As I walked past my parents’ room, I slowed down when I heard their voices. My heart still hurt, but a tiny part of me hoped they might say something comforting, something that showed they cared about me.

But what I heard shattered me even more.

“Mira has always been... fragile, hasn’t she?” my mother said, her voice low and cold. “Sophia was meant to lead, to bring our family honor. I don’t know why the Moon Goddess gave Mira the bond with Killian, but thank goodness he had the sense to choose Sophia. Mira would have dragged us down.”

I felt my whole body freeze. They were ashamed of me.

My father’s voice was a heavy sigh. “We’ll need to keep an eye on her. I don’t want her causing any trouble. Maybe it’s time to think about finding a way to remove her from the pack… somewhere she won’t be a distraction.”

Remove me from the pack? I felt like I couldn’t breathe. They wanted me gone, out of sight, out of their lives. They were talking about me like I was nothing more than a burden, something to be rid of. And worse, they didn’t even see me as a person anymore—as their daughter.

“Perhaps she would do better somewhere far from here,” my mother murmured, almost as if she didn’t care what happened to me. “It’s best for everyone if she is not a distraction. We need to focus on Sophia’s future with Killian. Mira… she is just not suited for this life.”

Their words wrapped around my heart like a vice, squeezing every bit of hope, love, and self-worth from me. I felt my knees weaken, but I stayed quiet, leaning against the wall as silent tears slipped down my cheeks.

I had no one. Not my mate, not my sister, and not even my own parents. They saw me as nothing, just a mistake, a shadow compared to Sophia’s light. It was too much to bear, the betrayal too deep, too raw.

I took a shaky breath, wiping my tears. I knew now what I had to do. I couldn’t stay here, not when they wanted me gone. Not when they didn’t see me as part of this family.

That night, I made a choice. I would leave. I would find a place where I could be something more than a disappointment. A place where I could find my own worth, even if no one else could see it. And maybe… maybe one day, I would finally be free of this pain.

I went back to my room and grabbed the biggest bag I could find. My hands shook as I pulled it out from under the bed, but I forced myself to stay calm. I took a deep breath and started looking for clothes, stuffing them into the bag. I didn’t care much about what I packed. Anything would do, as long as I had enough to get me through the next few days.

After I filled the bag with clothes, I slipped quietly out of my room and made my way to the kitchen. The house was dark and quiet. Everyone was either asleep or too busy celebrating Killian and Sophia to notice me.

In the kitchen, I opened the pantry and took some supplies—bread, some dried meat, a few apples. I knew it wasn’t much, but it would last me a few days if I was careful. I packed everything into the bag, making sure not to make any noise. I couldn’t let anyone hear me. No one could know what I was doing.

I took one last look around the kitchen, trying to decide if there was anything else I needed. My heart pounded as I moved, each small sound echoing in the silence. I was terrified someone would walk in and see me but no one came.

I quietly slung the bag over my shoulder, feeling the weight of it settle against me. It felt heavy but so did the pain in my heart. I took one more deep breath then turned and slipped back to my room.

I had everything I needed. Now, all that was left was to leave.