Chapter 15
Lucien halted mid–stride, his voice dropping to that dangerous Alpha timbre that made lesser wolves tremble. “She’s traveling. I’m going to bring her home.”
“Make sure you bring her for dinner when you return,” Ellis said, unexpected warmth coloring his tone. “That girl has a heart of gold. When’those border disputes had me stressed last month, she tracked down an ancient moonstone chalice at the Silver Moon Auction just to lift my spirits.” His eyes crinkled with genuine affection. “And your mother’s night terrors? Mira’s been taking her to the old pack healer every week for those special silver–infused treatments. Martha actually slept through the night for the first time in years.”
Lucien stood frozen, these revelations hitting him like silver bullets. Small kindnesses his mate had extended to his family–things he’d never bothered to notice or ask about.
As he reached the door, the pack guards arrived with Saela in tow.
Her eyes were red–rimmed from crying, mascara smudged beneath them. When she spotted Lucien, she lunged forward with desperate intensity, claws digging into his arm. “Luc, please!” Her voice cracked with emotion. “Don’t leave like this.”
She pressed closer, her scent deliberately sweetening with distress pheromones–a trick that had worked on him countless times before. “We can pretend last night never happened. We don’t have to end anything. Please?”
Lucien’s golden eyes studied her with clinical detachment. “Then let’s go tell our parents about us. Right now.”
Saela’s fingers tightened around his forearm, then slowly loosened as her confidence faltered.
Her lower lip caught between her teeth–a moment of hesitation that revealed everything.
Lucien gently but firmly removed her hand. “I’ve indulged your selfishness long enough, Saela.”
“My wolf has tolerated the disrespect to my mate for the final time.”
“I’ve chosen your potential match from the Monroe Pack. From now on, we are nothing but siblings.”
His voice softened almost imperceptibly. “When I bring Mira home, your hostility toward her ends.”
“The days of me choosing you over my Luna are over.”
With that, he turned and walked away, each step deliberate and final. His Alpha presence lingered in the corridor like a physical force, the scent of his resolve unmistakable.
Saela stood motionless, tears tracking silently down her face as she watched her power over him dissolve completely.
During the twelve–hour flight to European Territory, Lucien’s legendary composure crumbled in private. His wolf paced restlessly beneath his skin, agitated in a way he’d never allowed before.
Ve Longor a Stand–In for His Forbidden Love
6.1%
Chapter 15
He’d purchased gifts with uncharacteristic uncertainty–dark chocolate truffles with blood orange centers that Mira would sneak during full moons, the jasmine perfume she’d admired but never bought herself, jewelry crafted with rare moonstones and silver from his private collection.
And a new mate ring–platinum with a diamond so clear it seemed to capture moonlight itself
The gifts accumulated in direct proportion to his growing doubt. Each item a silent plea for forgiveness, each price tag a measure of his desperation.
After landing, he rented a sleek black SUV and drove directly to the Mooncrag Pack compound, following coordinates Ryder had reluctantly provided after extracting a blood oath that Lucien wouldn’t cause a diplomate incident on foreign territory,
As the mountainous landscape of European Territory blurred past the windows, Lucien’s heartbeat quickened. His palms–always steady even in battle–dampened against the leather steering wheel.
He’d rehearsed countless reunion scenarios-
Perhaps she’d slam the door in his face. Perhaps she’d demand to know why he’d waited so long. Or maybe… the’d leap into his arms like she used to, that radiant smile breaking across her face as she whispered, “You finally came
for me.”
That last fantasy sustained him through the winding mountain roads. After all, hadn’t she always forgiven him? Hadn’t she always been waiting, no matter how coldly he’d treated her?
But when the SUV pulled up to the sprawling stone compound of the Mooncrag Pack, reality shattered his delusions with brutal efficiency.
Lucien’s claws extended involuntarily, puncturing the leather door handle as his eyes locked on the scene before
him-
/
In the sunlit garden, Mira was kissing another wolf.
She wore that crimson dress he’d always claimed was “inappropriate for a Luna,” her dark hair flowing freely around her shoulders like spilled ink. Standing on tiptoe, arms wrapped around the stranger’s neck, she looked utterly lost in the moment. The male held her waist possessively, his fingers splayed across the small of her back as he kissed her with unmistakable hunger.
Sunlight bathed them in gold, creating a tableau of intimacy that felt like a physical blow to Lucien’s chest.
Mira tilted her face upward, eyes closed, giving herself to the kiss with an abandon Lucien had never witnessed before–certainly never with him.
She looked wild. Vibrant. Alive.
Exactly like the twenty–year–old who’d crashed into his world six years ago, before he’d systematically extinguished her fire in service of his own denial.
Lucien’s control–legendary throughout three territories–fractured. His wolf surged forward, territorial rage blazing through his veins as a growl built deep in his chest.
The Unclaimed Luna’s Final Goodbye: No Longer a Stand–In for His Forbidden Love
6.2%
Chapter 15
“Mira.” The name escaped as a primal claim, cutting through the garden’s tranquility,
The couple broke apart. The stranger turned-
Sunlight illuminated features that radiated both aristocratic breeding and dangerous charm. He wore a casual black henley, several buttons undone to reveal a tanned throat marked with a pack leader’s tattoo. His amber eyes held a lazy, predatory gleam that spoke of absolute confidence,
“Ashmorne?” The man’s lips curved into a knowing smile, his accent richly European. “What an unexpected pleasure. Bit far from your territory, aren’t you?”
Lucien’s eyes flashed pure gold, his fangs lengthening involuntarily.
Riven Dragomir.
Alpha of the Lunargent Pack, ruler of the most powerful werewolf settlement in European Territory, controller of the continent’s largest silver mines hidden deep in the Alps, and notorious throughout werewolf society for his calculated pleasures and iron–clad loyalty to those he claimed as his own.
“Answer me.” Each word emerged as a barely contained snarl. “What is happening here?”
Riven laughed softly, his arm draping possessively across Mira’s shoulders. “I would have thought that was obvious, even to an American Alpha.” His thumb traced lazy circles against her bare skin. “We were kissing”
He paused deliberately, satisfaction radiating from him as he delivered the final blow. “I should probably mention–Mira has accepted my proposal as mate–to–be.”
