Page 26 of Nyte's Rejected Luna

“They have to be somewhere in this apartment,” I thought, looking around the destroyed room. I had ripped apart every drawer and pulled the cushions off the chairs. The bed and pillows were now bundled on the floor at my feet, but my cards were nowhere to be found.

I looked again at the bathroom door, inhaling a breath before rushing to the bedroom door. I hadn’t left this room with my cards since coming here. I was always with Nyte or Madi, so leaving the room alone left me slightly vulnerable.

A few she-wolves stood at the end of the hall, tilting their heads curiously as they noticed me. I lifted my chin and smiled, doing my best to fake the confidence I didn’t feel. Turning away from the two women, I made my way to the stairs, doing my best to find the packhouse's common areas to look around.

Sometimes my cards do disappear. Usually, I can hear them calling out to me, near whoever needs their message. I didn’t hear them this time, but it was always worth looking around. If I didn’t look, I wouldn’t know.

“Hello,” a small boy greeted me, smiling brightly as I entered the common room. “You’re a pretty witch! Does that mean you’re a good witch?”

I chuckled at his question. “Yes, how did you know?”

“Because of this book!” he held up an old novel, smiling wider. “The good witch said that only bad witches are ugly.”

I bent at my waist, smiling at the boy and his book. “You are very smart! Bad witches aren’t ugly in the way we think, however. Their face can be beautiful, but their veins are black as ink.” I showed him my arms, pointing out the blue veins of my arm. “See, mine are blue, like yours. More proof that I’m a good witch.”

“Wow!” He gasped, leaning in to look at my veins.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Diego. And I know you, your name is Paige! You are Nyte’s mate.”

I smiled at the boy, ruffling his hair playfully. “It’s nice to meet you, Deigo. Can I ask you a question?” He bobbed his head in a nod. “Have you seen a deck of cards? They are old and handmade.”

“Like poker cards? My uncle Jose has poker cards in his room.”

I smiled. “No, not exactly like poker cards. These have wands and caldrons on them. They’re called tarot cards, and I lost mine somehow.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that,” he thought, pulling a paper from a bag at his feet. “Can you draw a picture? Then if I find them, I’ll bring them to you. I could bring them to Nyte’s room; I know where that is.”

I smiled, taking the paper and a pen to draw a few pictures of the cards as a reference. “Here,” I said, handing the paper back to him.

“Yeah, I’ve never seen these, but if I do, I’ll bring them to you!”

“Thank you, Deigo.” I stood back up, giving the room another look. “I guess I better get back to my room before Nyte notices I’m gone. I’ll see you later, kiddo.”

“Bye! Next time I see you, will you show me some magic?”

I chuckled, “Sure. Maybe I’ll find my cards before then and give you a reading.”

I turned to leave the room, finding the two she-wolves from upstairs standing in my way.

“Oh, sorry, excuse me.” I tried to step around them, only to have the taller of the two women move back into my path.

“You have some nerve,” she growled, her curious gaze now cold. She tossed her hair behind her shoulder like some movie mean girl, narrowing her light blue eyes at me.

“I’m sorry; what exactly is happening? Can you please explain what exactly I have done to get on your nerves?” I asked, looking back and forth between the two she-wolves as they glared at me.

“You stole her fiancé!” The other girl accused, pointing a partially shifted finger at me. “She was meant to be the pack’s Luna when Nyte became alpha before you came along and stole him! You ruined both of their futures, you witch!”

She spat the word witch at me like a curse, my lips twitching with amusement. Why did people think calling me a witch is an insult? I’m damn proud of who I am.

“Listen, I don’t know who you are. I’ve never heard Nyte mention a fiancée before. So, this is all news to me. However, he had a chance to turn me away. He didn’t. So, I’m inclined to believe you’re full of shit and that he didn’t want you as his Luna.”

“You bitch!” the friend growled, raising her arm as if she were about to strike me. I pulled magic to my fingertips, prepared to defend myself from her attack.

A hand shot up from behind them, startling both of the she-wolves. They whipped around, moving out of the way for me to see just who had come to my rescue.

“The two of you really don’t have any brain cells to rub together, do you?” Chase stepped in front of me, separating us and shoving the arm of the one who aimed to strike me back with a snarl. “What do you think in your little pea brain would have happened if Nyte found out you harmed his mate?”

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