Chapter 11
Lucien pushed open the door to his den, expecting the usual rush of venille and jeune that market Max’s presence, Instead, he was met with stagnant air that carried no trace of her sont
The living room felt unnaturally pristine. No slippers carelessly kicked off by the sofa, to bumpy say on the coffee table. The thick silver–threaded blanket she always wrapped around herself the one be prended to find annoying but secretly straightened whenever she left it in disarray–was folded with clinical precision in a pa
square.
Something heavy and unfamiliar settled in his chest.
“Mira?” he called out, his voice echoing through the silent den.
Nothing,
No delighted squeal. No running footsteps.
Not even the crash of something being knocked over in her typical enthusiastic rush to greet him.
His frown deepened as he moved through the space, each room more eerily untouched than the last
He took the stairs two at a time, the emptiness following him like a shadow.
When he pushed open the bedroom door, the weight in his chest turned to ice.
Her side of the closet gaped open–empty hangers where her clothes should have been. The vanity was spotless–no scattered lipsticks or perfume bottles. Even her nightstand had been cleared–the dog–eared romance novel she’d been reading for weeks was gone.
It was as if she had never existed.
“Alpha, Luna Mira… isn’t home?” Ryder asked cautiously from the doorway, though the answer was painfully
obvious.
Lucien’s face remained impassive, a mask he’d perfected over years of pack politics. “She’s just trying to make a scene,” he said, his voice deliberately neutral despite the sudden racing of his pulse. “She’s done this before.”
He pulled out his phone and dialed her number, telling himself the slight tremor in his fingers was from irritation
“The number you have dialed is currently unavailable…”
He ended the call and immediately tried again, as if the automated voice might change its message.
“The number you have dialed is currently unavailable…”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. He opened their messaging app and typed rapidly: Where are you? Come home.
The response was immediate but not from Mira: Message sent but rejected by recipient.
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She had blocked him.
Something dark flashed in his eyes–a mixture of disbelief and anger that even Ryder had rarely witnessed. The Beta took an instinctive step back.
“Call Summer Lynsander,” Lucien ordered, his voice cutting through the silence. “Tell her to inform her packmate
that these childish theatrics need to end. Now.”
Ryder shifted uncomfortably. “With all respect, Alpha, what if Luna Mira doesn’t want to?”
The suggestion made Lucien’s fangs itch beneath his gums. His wolf, usually so controlled, bristled at the mere idea.
“She’ll be back,” he said with forced certainty. “She always comes back. Three days of sulking, maximum. That’s her
pattern.”
He heard how hollow his words sounded even as he spoke them.
The truth was, Mira had never gone this far before.
She’d never emptied her closet, never blocked his number.
But his mind refused to acknowledge the difference. In his experience, she would get upset, perhaps slam a door or two, maybe even spend a night at Summer’s place. But inevitably, she would return with reddened eyes, tugging at his sleeve with that small, hurt voice: “Lucien, I’m really upset this time. Won’t you make it up to me?”
And he would give her some token gesture–perhaps a brief touch or a vague promise to do better–and her entire face would light up as if he’d offered her the moon. She’d curl against him, all forgiveness and warmth, as if his negligible effort had been more than enough.
Ryder watched his Alpha’s face, reading more in the slight tightness around his eyes than in his carefully measured words. A saying his grandmother had often repeated came to mind:
Those who are loved without condition forget the value of what they hold.
He wondered if Lucien was finally about to learn that lesson the hard way.
As Ryder reached for his phone, the front door swung open with dramatic force. The click of stiletto heels against hardwood announced Saela’s arrival before she appeared in the doorway, a triumphant smile playing at her lips.
“Save your breath,” she said, her voice carrying a note of barely contained glee. “Your precious Luna isn’t coming
back.”
Lucien’s head snapped toward her. “Explain.”
“She’s servered the bond with you, brother.” Saela’s smile widened as she held up a familiar silver ring between her manicured fingers. “She gave me your mating ring. Told me she’s going to ‘live her own life.‘ Said she’s never coming back.”
The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Lucien’s wolf surged forward so violently that his eyes flashed gold before he could suppress it.
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Forhiddon Love
Chapter 11
“What exactly happened?” he demanded, his voice deadly quiet. “Every detail. Now.”
Saela’s expression faltered slightly at his intensity, but she recovered quickly. With obvious relish, she recounted her meeting with Mira–the revelation about the Shadow Doll, the night he’d kissed Saela while she slept, and Mira’s parting gift of the divorce scroll, sealed with her blood.
“She said to tell you she wishes us ‘a lifetime of happiness,“” Sacla finished, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
Before Lucien could process this information, Saela closed the distance between them, pressing herself against his chest and looking up with an expression of calculated vulnerability.
“Brother,” she whispered, stretching the word into something intimate. “I had no idea you felt this way about me all this time. Why didn’t you just tell me?”
She rose on her tiptoes, her lips close to his ear. “I’ve always had feelings for you too. We’re not blood relatives… there’s nothing stopping us now. I could be your true Luna.”
Lucien stood rigid, the pieces falling into place with devastating clarity.
Mira knew everything.
All the secrets he’d hidden–his desire for Saela, the Shadow Doll, the truth that he’d only mated Mira as a shield against his inappropriate feelings–she’d discovered it all.
And she hadn’t screamed or cried or demanded explanations.
She’d simply… left.
Completely.
Totally.
Finally.
It hit him like a physical blow, this understanding that she was truly gone.
“Did she say where she was going?” The question escaped before he could stop himself, his voice rough with an emotion he refused to name.
The transformation in Saela was instantaneous. Her seductive smile vanished, replaced by naked fury.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” She shoved against his chest, eyes wild. “You mated her while pining for mand now that she’s gone, you’re still asking about her?”
Her voice rose to a shriek. “You’re supposed to be relieved she’s gone! You’re supposed to want me!”
When Lucien didn’t immediately respond, Saela’s face contorted with rage. She spun around and dashed toward the staircase, climbing halfway before hoisting herself onto the railing.
“Saela!” Lucien barked, true alarm shooting through him. “Get down!”
Chapter 11
“Answer me right now!” she screamed, tears streaming down her face as the balanced precariously. “Do you have feelings for her? After everything? After what we could have? Tell me the truth or I swear I’ll pur
She leaned forward dangerously, her body teetering on the edge. Lucien felt his control dipping, panic rising in dis
throat
“Stop this!” he commanded, his Alpha voice resonating through the house.
“Promise me you’ll be with me!” Saela demanded, completely unmoved by the command that would have brought any other wolf to their knees. “Promise me now or watch me fall!”
Lucien’s temple throbbed, a headache building behind his eyes as he recognized the impossible corner he’d been
backed into.
Finally, he surrendered: “Fine. Get down, and we’ll talk about us.”
Saela’s tears vanished as if they’d never existed.
She hopped down from the railing with graceful ease and practically skipped down the stairs, throwing herself into
his arms.
“I knew you’d choose me,” she purred, all traces of her previous hysteria gone. “You’re finally mine. As you should
be.”
Lucien’s arms closed around her automatically, but he felt nothing–no relief, no joy, no desire. Just a hollow emptiness that seemed to echo the state of his den.
Ryder stood awkwardly to the side, watching the scene unfold with poorly disguised disapproval
After a moment of tense silence, he cleared his throat.
“Alpha, regarding Luna Mira… should we still attempt to locate her? For the pack records, at least?”
Saela’s head whipped around, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “What part of ‘serve the bond‘ don’t you understand?” she spat. “She was never a real Luna anyway. Just a placeholder until brother and I could be together. Mention her name again, and I’ll make sure you never set foot in this territory again.”
Ryder’s jaw tightened, but his eyes sought Lucien’s–questioning, almost pleading.
Lucien met his Beta’s gaze for a brief moment before looking away, a subtle gesture signaling Ryder to leave it
alone. For now.
With a barely perceptible nod, Ryder turned to leave.
At the doorway, he paused, his shoulders tense with words unsaid.
But what would be the point?
His Alpha had made his choice–or had it made for him.
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As he closed the door behind him, Ryder couldn’t help but think:
I hope you don’t realize what you’ve lost when it’s too late to get it back.
Chapter 12
