The Alpha's Runaway Luna novel Red Lines

Tears rolled down my face.

My life was over.

I smoothened the crumpled bedsheet beside me, sniffing the last of his scent that was left on the pillow he used. I closed my eyes tight as I tried hard not to sob. I could feel my throat swelling. My heart was racing. How could such a wonderful thing end so easily and then plummet down to the precipice of sadness and despair? What would I do after all that happened?

My inner wolf was feeling terrible as well but she made sure she was hidden deep within me, not wanting to burden more with negative feelings

Sobs emerged from my throat. I embraced the soft cashmere blanket against my bruised skin. Every inch of me was aching. My eyes caught the blood stain on the bedsheet, making me shudder in pain. Not just physically. I thought my heart was already numb from all the heartbreaks I suffered from loving him. But what happened between me and him was a huge blow of realization caused by my stupid brain.

He will never be yours, Giselle. I whispered inside my head. I had already given everything, and now nothing was left in me but the bitter truth that I could still taste at the back of my tongue.

I was never enough. I will never always be enough…

I bit my lower lip hard. So hard that I almost tasted blood, and then anger suddenly rose inside my chest. It burned the miserable feeling in my chest and acted like gasoline that pumped throughout my veins, urging me to go out of bed and snatch all my clothes from the floor. I was totally alone in his room. He left me without a word, and I thought it was okay. I thought it would be better if I didn’t have to see his face once I left his condo unit and disappeared from his life forever.

I took my clothes on with anger and shivering fingers and checked my face in the mirror first. My eyes were puffy red, and there were bruises visible on my arms and the right side of my neck. Last night was wild and intoxicating. Blissful and thrilling. But morning came, and everything turned bleak and awful, and I just wanted to forget every bit of memories of it.

But it did happen. Every second of it was tattooed on my head, making the tears run freely down my pale cheeks. The delicious sound of his voice when he whimpered my name. His touch made me feel so delicate and weak. Like I was melting butter under his flawlessly sculpted body. He was so handsome. It was as if the gods molded him into perfection, and no woman could ever resist the animal magnetism of that man!

I shut my eyes tight.

Well, perhaps not my sister who had a stone for a heart. But it was aggravating that I was not exempted from being a crazy girl who fell in love with a man like him.

“Screw you, Caden!” I snarled under my shivering breath and then punched the mirror with all my strength just to channel the pain away from my heart down to the bleeding knuckles of my small hands.

I could feel the weight of the world falling on my shoulders.

***

[One month after.]

“No, Madelyn. I can’t go out for tonight! I have to finish this project before the deadline, okay?” I tried to keep my voice calm as I talked to my best friend Madelyn over the phone. I met her two years ago at an art viewing in one of the museums of this city. She had been insisting on taking me out of the house since last week because apparently, I now grew a habit of imprisoning myself inside my small, old apartment full of canvasses, dirty paintbrushes, and tin cans of paint.

Yes. I sell paintings for a living.