Rejected at the River, Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 08

Rejected at the River, Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 08

A year passed in the blink of an eye.

I’d completely settled into life here and made new friends.

I got promoted at work, and my salary was enough to cover everything for me and my grandmother.

Our little yard was full of life, flowers blooming in every season.

When I had free time, I took my grandmother shopping.

Life was warm and comfortable. Every day felt good. And a year was enough time to heal every wound.

When I heard Cillian’s name now, I felt nothing. The love, the hate, the hurt—time had washed it all away. Those messy, tangled years were just a distant memory now.

People from the hometown kept moving here and bringing updates.

I found out that Hazel, who’d left in disgrace, was struggling badly.

Her reputation was ruined. Everywhere she went, people rejected her. She moved from city to city but never found steady work.

And back in the river town, Cillian’s situation was getting even worse. The depression and sickness were eating him alive.

His cough was worse than ever. He could barely stand straight after doing any work at all.

The handsome, talented young man everyone remembered was gone. Now his face was yellow, his body hunched.

He looked old and worn-out.

Neighbors begged him to see a doctor, but he refused every single time.

He truly believed that all the suffering he was going through was punishment from the Moon Goddess for betraying his bride.

He still went to the palace every day.

And stood outside the closed gate, staring at the “me” inside.

He often whispered to the gate, confessing his endless regret.

“Elowen… I just want to see you one more time. Even from far away…”

The old man who tended the palace told all this to the people passing through.

And every time they told the story, they’d sigh and shake their heads over how far gone he was.

…

The tea garden was lush and green, the air sweet with the scent of leaves.

My grandmother picked the tender buds with ease and said, “Cillian’s still waiting outside the palace. He won’t leave.”

“Hearing what he’s going through now… does any part of you feel sorry for him?”

I plucked a fresh leaf and said calmly, “Grandma, feeling sorry for him wouldn’t fix anything.”

“Every time I felt sorry for him in the past, all I got was more hurt.”

“I have a good life now. That’s enough.”

“You’re right. In the end, you have to live for yourself.”

My grandmother smiled and nodded, her eyes full of pride.

“The Lycan King gave you back your freedom. Don’t you dare waste it.”

I looked out at the distant green mountains, my heart clear and at peace.

I was so glad I’d walked away from that dark relationship in time.

And I was grateful for the strange twist of fate that had set me free.

Cillian would never know that the woman he spent every day feeling guilty over had already left that world far behind, a thousand miles away.

Two paths, splitting apart the moment that boat stopped at the river.

One stayed trapped where he was, locked in a cage of regret and pain forever.

The other ran toward the sun and a brand new life.

I stopped asking anyone for news about Moonbrook Pack.

I buried all those memories deep.

Right now, life was warm and real. I had my grandmother by my side.

I didn’t need anything else.