Luna Who Stopped Giving In Chapter 01

Luna Who Stopped Giving In Chapter 01

The mall was packed with back-to-school shoppers. Mom picked out a brand-new, two-thousand-dollar laptop for my sister Lily Caldwell.

Dad found her a suitcase. My brother Marcus Caldwell grabbed her a pair of noise-canceling headphones.

Caleb Sterling, my childhood arranged mate and the future Alpha of the Blackthorn Pack, crouched in front of a display shelf, turning desk lamps over one by one.

“Amelia’s got bad eyesight. This brightness would be perfect for her.”

Something in my chest softened. Just a little.

Then he dropped the lamp into Lily’s cart instead, his voice dipping low. “Use this, Lily. Don’t stay up too late reading.”

I stood off to the side with an empty cart, like I was only there to hold everyone’s bags.

Nobody noticed me until the cashier scanned the last item and glanced up.

“Are these separate, miss?”

Mom frowned, glancing over as if she’d just remembered I was there.

“Amelia, your old laptop still works, right?”

“The Pack school is right down the road. As long as it still works, you’re fine. No need to be picky.”

I looked down at the Notes app on my phone.

The freshman supply list I’d made was still open.

Laptop, bedding set, desk lamp, suitcase, sneakers, training gear, safety goggles for lab…

I’d priced out every item myself. Then crossed them off, one by one.

Because they said Lily was fragile. Her wolf was unstable. She needed the whole family’s attention.

I was the smart and steady one. I could handle going without.

Lily was sensitive. I always had to let her have what she needed first.

But they didn’t know.

I’d already used my scholarship money to buy a one-way ticket out of Blackthorn Pack territory.

Royal Warrior University had offered me a full ride.

By tomorrow morning, I’d be gone from this Pack that never had a place for me.

Let them pack Lily’s suitcase to the brim.

I was finally cutting myself loose.

…

“Your total comes to two thousand, eight hundred and sixty dollars.”

Caleb already had his card out.

“I got this. Call it a back-to-school gift for Lily.”

He flashed an easy and warm smile, then glanced back at me like an afterthought.

“Amelia, I’m gonna help Lily carry all this to the car first. It’s heavy.”

“I’ll take you out for steaks this weekend, okay?”

I stared at my Notes app, crossing out desk lamp.

“Don’t bother.”

Caleb froze.

He probably hadn’t expected me to say no to his consolation prize.

That had always been enough before. A few soft words from him after I got the short end of the stick, and I’d fall right back in line.

“What’s your problem?”

Caleb frowned, reaching over to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

“Lily’s eyes are sensitive. You don’t always have to make everything a competition.”

I pulled away before his hand could graze my skin.

“Amelia!”

Dad marched over gripping the new pink suitcase in one hand, his expression hard.

“Caleb’s offering to treat you. What’s with the attitude?”

Marcus scoffed.

“You always have to one-up her. Your eyes are already shot anyway. What difference does a lamp make?”

I looked at them.

At my own family. At the boy who’d once promised he’d protect me forever.

That dull ache in my chest went quiet.

Even my wolf went still.

No low growls. No whimpering.

She just opened her eyes—cold and clear, like she was finally seeing them for what they truly were.

“Let’s just go.”

I turned around and shoved my empty cart back into the rack.

The mall’s AC blasted against my bare arms. For the first time in years, I felt completely weightless.

Dad drove home.

Mom and Lily were in the back seat, heads together over the laptop’s setup guide.

Marcus rode shotgun, streaming music through the speakers.

I reached for the back door, but Caleb had already slid in ahead of me. He cradled the boxed lamp in his lap like it was made of glass.

“Amelia, take the other side.”

“Don’t squish Lily’s laptop.”

The back seat was already cramped.

I pulled my hand back, walked around the SUV, and folded myself into the sliver of space by the door.

Streetlights blurred past the window, one after another.

Every item on my list was crossed out.

I didn’t need to buy a damn thing.