Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord-Chapter 262: Hidden Feelings

CRUNCH!

The neck of an unlucky wolverine stalker snapped with a sickening crack as Jayden twisted, the beast’s final snarl dying in its throat. Its massive, muscular body went limp in his grip, the creature’s eyes glazing over as death claimed it.

Jayden released it, letting the corpse crumple to the forest floor alongside the dozens of others scattered around him. Blood soaked the earth, painting the leaves and undergrowth in crimson. The metallic scent hung heavy in the air, mixing with the earthy smell of the forest.

He stood there for a moment, chest heaving slightly, before reaching down to the wolverine’s body.

[+30 Exp Received]

[E-Rank Beast Crystal added to inventory]

Without hesitation, Jayden absorbed the crystal, adding it to his own Wolverine Stalker’s genetic rank evolution.

[1 Wolverine Stalker Crystal Absorbed]

<Crystals required for next rank: [12/15]>

Jayden exhaled and wiped the blood from his claws against his pants, not particularly caring about the mess. The fabric was already ruined anyway.

Around him, the evidence of his rampage lay scattered. At least twenty beast corpses in various states of dismemberment. Tremor gators, Howlers, razorbacks, and more. He’d been hunting for hours now, tearing through anything that crossed his path with a single-minded intensity.

It was the only thing keeping Cassandra’s voice out of his head.

He exhaled heavily, the sound more frustrated than tired, and made his way to a nearby tree. Sliding down against its trunk, he sat on the forest floor, his back against the rough bark.

The physical exertion should have helped. Should have cleared his mind. But all it did was give him more time to think when he paused between kills.

And thinking was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

He stared at the corpses around him, at the blood on his hands... both literal and metaphorical. He’d fucked up. Badly. The look on Cassandra’s face, the way she’d flinched when he tried to touch her, the absolute devastation in her voice...

"Why did she react like I’d cheated on her?" he murmured to himself.

The thought had been nagging at him since he left the mansion. The intensity of her reaction, the depth of her pain... it went beyond just friendship. Beyond just being upset that he’d slept with her mother.

It felt personal. Like he’d broken her heart.

But that didn’t make sense. They were friends. Just friends. Cassandra had never indicated she wanted more than that. Had she?

[Oh, for the love of Zeus] Luna’s exasperated voice cut through his thoughts. [Are you really this dense, Jayden?]

Jayden blinked. "What?"

[Cassandra] Luna said, her tone dripping with disbelief. [She’s obviously in love with you. How can you not see that?]

Jayden’s eyes widened. The words hit him like a slap. "What? No. She’s not... we’re just friends."

[Just friends?] Luna laughed, the sound echoing in his mind. [Jayden, she planned an entire evening to be alone with you. She had the maid convince you to stay. She was going to confess something ’important.’ Then she walked in on you having sex with her mother and completely broke down. What part of that screams ’just friends’ to you?]

Jayden opened his mouth to argue, but the words died on his lips. When Luna laid it out like that... it was a pretty plausible explanation.

"I... I didn’t think she saw me that way," he said quietly.

[Really?] Luna’s voice took on a knowing edge. [Let me refresh your memory, then. She always found excuses to be near you. She’d light up whenever you arrived at her house. She laughed at all your jokes, even the terrible ones. She touched your arm constantly when you talked. And finally... she chose YOU as her bodyguard]

"Well, that’s because she needed someone to always accompany her out," Jayden interrupted weakly.

[She had dozens of people she could have hired for that] Luna countered. [But she picked you. And she always tried to monopolize your time. Always got visibly jealous whenever her mum pulled you away for a conversation. And she never once got upset with you. The signs were all there, Jayden. You just weren’t looking]

Jayden sat in silence, processing this. Now that Luna mentioned it, he could remember those moments. The way Cassandra would lean into him when they were together. How she’d find reasons to hold his hand. The looks she’d give him when she thought he wasn’t paying attention.

"I always suspected," he admitted quietly. "I’d notice things sometimes, little behaviors that seemed... different. But I never let myself think it could be true. I never thought she actually had feelings for me."

He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the strands in frustration. "God, I’m an idiot."

[Yes, you are] Luna said dryly. [But now you understand why she reacted the way she did. You didn’t just sleep with her mother... you slept with her mother after she’d spent weeks building up the courage to confess her feelings to you. And she had to watch it happen. That’s just cruelty]

Jayden sighed. The full weight of what he’d done crashed over him. The planning, the hope, the anticipation Cassandra must have felt that night. Only to have it all shattered in the worst possible way.

"She must hate me," he whispered.

[Yeah. She said as much] Luna replied, her voice softer now. [But the question is: do you even feel the same way about her?]

Jayden paused, the question hanging in the air.

Did he have feelings for Cassandra?

His mind drifted back to their time together. The way she made him laugh with her teasing. How her smile could brighten even his darkest moods. The times he’d catch himself staring at her, admiring the way the light caught in her hair or how her eyes sparkled when she was excited about something.

The comfort he felt in her presence. The way his heart would beat just a little faster when she’d lean close. How he’d always look forward to seeing her, more than he looked forward to seeing most people.

And most importantly... how she reminded him of Jasmine.

"I don’t know," he finally said, but even as the words left his mouth, he knew they were a lie.

He did know. He just didn’t want to admit it.

[Well, you’d better figure it out soon] Luna said, her tone turning serious. [And find a way to win back her heart. Because if you don’t...]

She trailed off, letting the implication hang.

[She might just end up becoming your enemy]

The words sent a chill down Jayden’s spine. He’d already seen how low her admiration had dropped. If it continued to fall, if the relationship between them degraded further... she might truly hate him forever.

And Jayden wouldn’t be able to live with that.

He stood abruptly, brushing dirt and leaves from his pants. "I need to hunt some more."

[Running from your feelings won’t solve this, Beastlord] Luna teased.

"I’m not running," Jayden replied. "I just... I just need to clear my head."

He transformed partially, letting his enhanced senses spread out through the forest. There were more beasts nearby. More things he could kill to keep his mind occupied.

Because thinking about Cassandra, about the feelings he might have for her, about the irreparable damage he might have done... it was too much right now.

So he hunted.

.......

Hours later,

By the time Jayden emerged from the forest, the sun had long since set. The city lights glowed in the distance, a sea of artificial stars that never slept. He didn’t ride home on his hoverbike, choosing to walk through the streets tonight.

The trek would take longer, but he needed the time. Needed to process everything that had happened today.

The streets were quieter at this hour, most people already home with their families. Jayden walked with his hands in his pockets, his hood pulled up to hide his blood-stained clothes from casual observation.

His mind kept circling back to Cassandra. To Luna’s words. To the possibility that he’d destroyed something before he even realized what it was.

He was so lost in thought that he almost didn’t hear the scream:

"Please! Someone help me! Please!"

The voice was feminine, desperate, filled with terror. It came from an alley to his left, but Jayden barely registered it. His mind was too consumed with his own problems.

The woman screamed again, louder this time. "No! Stop! Help! Someone!"

Jayden kept walking, his footsteps steady and unhurried. It wasn’t his problem. Someone else would come to her aid eventually. He wasn’t some hero that’ll jump in to save every woman getting assaulted in an alley.

But then... a familiar translucent screen materialized directly in front of his face, forcing him to stop.

*Random Quest Available:

[Save the Woman and prevent her from being kidnapped.

*Reward: Instant Level Up]

Jayden blinked, his head snapping toward the alley where the screams were coming from. His eyes narrowed as he processed what he was seeing.

A man had a woman pinned against the wall, one hand covering her mouth while the other tore at her dress. The fabric ripped with a sickening sound, exposing her bra. She was sobbing, struggling weakly against his grip, but he was clearly stronger... probably an evolved human above average.

"Hmm... It’s been a while since I got a random quest," Jayden muttered, looking back at the notification. He read it again.

"Prevent the woman from being kidnapped."

His gaze returned to the scene in the alley. The man was clearly trying to rape her, not kidnap her.

"Is the system broken?" he wondered aloud.

But then again, maybe the man planned to kidnap her after the assault. That would technically fulfill the quest parameters.

The reward caught his attention: an instant level up. That was worth intervening for, even if his mind was elsewhere.

Besides, there was no other woman in the vicinity that the quest could be referring to. This had to be it.

Without hesitation...

"Hey." Jayden’s voice cut through the alley calmly. The man froze, his head turning to see who’d interrupted him.

"Leave her alone," Jayden continued, stepping into the alley entrance.

The man’s eyes narrowed as he took in Jayden’s appearance... just a stupid kid looking to play hero. He scoffed, releasing the woman slightly but keeping her pinned.

"Get lost, kid," the man growled. "Or you’ll get hurt."

Jayden sighed, the sound heavy with exhaustion. "I won’t repeat myself, old man," he said sharply. "Let her go. Now."