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Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Lucien felt it like a silver blade straight to his chest. The air vanished from his lungs, his throat dosing so tight he couldn’t form a single word in response.
Mira regarded him with a detachment that cut deeper than any rage could have. Her amber eyes–once warm when they looked at him–had cooled to frozen lakes.
“Let me break this down for you, Lucien,” she said, her voice eerily calm. “If my love for you started at one hundred points, you’ve methodically demolished it to nothing over these six years.”
She ticked off each point on her fingers, her claws slightly extended–a subtle reminder of the wolf he’d always encouraged her to suppress.
“You secretly loved Saela while using me as your shield. Minus ten points.”
“On my birthday, you abandoned our dinner plans because Saela wanted to go shopping. Minus ten points.”
“When I collapsed with a 103–degree fever during the Blood Moon Gathering, you were selecting diamond earrings
for her birthday. Minus ten points.”
“When she smashed bottles into my skull and nearly killed me, your punishment was keeping her inside for twenty–four whole hours. Minus twenty points.”
“When she hacked off my hair and slapped me a hundred times, you stayed silent, then bought me an ‘apology gift instead of defending me. Minus thirty points.”
Each accusation landed with surgical precision, the factual delivery somehow more devastating than if she’d
screamed them.
“Now there’s nothing left. Not a single point remains.”
Her eyes met his directly, unflinching. “My heart carries no trace of you anymore, Alpha Ashmorne.”
Lucien’s breathing grew ragged, his fingertips visibly trembling with an emotion he’d never permitted himself to acknowledge before.
“I know I neglected you,” he admitted, his voice rough with unfamiliar vulnerability. “I can change.”
His golden eyes searched her face desperately. “But you can’t just throw yourself at the nearest Alpha to punish me.”
He reached for her wrist again, his movement betraying a desperation that would have shocked his pack. “Come
home.”
Mira stepped back smoothly, avoiding his touch as if he carried disease. “This isn’t about punishing you, Lucien. That would require me to still care.” Her lips curved into a small smile. “I genuinely want Riven. Every part of him.”
“Bullshit!” Lucien snarled, his composure fracturing further, eyes flashing dangerous gold.
20-50
7.0
The Unclaimed Luna’s Final Goodbye: No Longer a Stand–In for His Forbidden Love
Chapter 17
Mira’s smile widened–a predator’s smile he’d never witnessed on her before. “I’ll prove it to you.”
With that, she took Riven’s hand and led him upstairs, her stride confident and unhurried–the walk of a wolf who
knew exactly what she wanted.
Within minutes, the sounds from the media room filtered down–Mira’s playful laughter punctuated by flirtatious
requests.
“Riven, feed me another strawberry,” her voice carried the sultry undertone that once, long ago, she’d used when attempting to seduce Lucien.
“God, this actor looks decent, but nothing compared to you,” followed by the unmistakable sound of kissing.
“Stop that–you know I’m ticklish there!” Her giggle ended in something that could only be described as a purr.
Lucien stood frozen at the bottom of the stairs, a vice grip tightening around his heart.
The memory surfaced with brutal clarity–years ago, Mira had begged him to watch movies with her using that exact
same tone.
His response?
“Don’t bother me with such nonsense. I have important pack matters to attend to.”
Now all her playfulness, her warmth, her open affection–was being lavished on another Alpha.
An emotion he’d never experienced before surged through him–acidic, painful, like molten silver coursing through
his veins.
He
dn’t recognize the feeling, only knew that it was…
Unbearable.
Completely, utterly unbearable.
Elias twisted the knife with expert precision, swirling his wolfsbane–infused wine with theatrical nonchalance. “This is just the appetizer, Ashmorne.”
He took a deliberately slow sip, his smile knowing and cold. “If your Alpha pride can’t handle it, why not save what’s left of your dignity and leave?”
“You and my sister are over. She’s moved on. Maybe you should too.”
Lucien’s face hardened to granite as he jerked away from Elias’s touch. “I’m staying until she comes back with me.”
Elias shrugged, the gesture deliberately casual. “Your funeral, Alpha. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
The following days became an exquisite form of torture as Lucien was forced to witness their relentless intimacy.
They made no attempt at discretion, seemingly choreographing their displays specifically for his benefit:
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Chapter 17
At breakfast, Riven would feed Mira choice morsels from his fingers, his thumb lingering at the corner of her mouth
to catch stray drops of honey.
In the garden, Mira would leap onto Riven’s back with wild abandon, her laughter–that rare sound Lucien had heard so little of during their time together–ringing freely across the grounds.
Each night, Riven would press Mira against her bedroom door, minutes of heated kissing culminating in her pulling him inside, the door closing with deliberate finality…
And Elias, appearing at perfectly calculated moments, never missed an opportunity: “You look like shit, Ashmorne. Having trouble sleeping while another Alpha claims what was once yours?”
Lucien knew he couldn’t remain passive in this psychological warfare.
So when he learned Riven was taking Mira to the territory’s elite Silver Moon Auction, he followed without hesitation, determination hardening his features.
At the event, Mira expressed interest in a rare sapphire pendant that shifted colors under the moonlight.
Lucien immediately raised his bidding paddle. “One million in silver.”
Riven’s eyebrow arched with amusement as he countered casually. “Two million.”
“Three million.” Lucien’s voice carried an edge of desperation.
“Four million.” Riven barely glanced in his direction.
The price skyrocketed as they engaged in silent combat, other bidders dropping out in shock.
Finally, Riven made the ultimate gesture–an unlimited bid.
Mira rewarded him with a kiss that lingered deliberately. “You’re spending too much on me.”
Riven pulled her close, his expression radiating a possessiveness that made Lucien’s wolf howl internally. “Worth every ounce of silver, little wolf. Your mate can afford to spoil you.”
Rage nearly blinded Lucien. For the remainder of the auction, he placed unlimited bids on every single item, regardless of Mira’s interest, spending millions in a desperate attempt to prove… something.
During a brief reprieve, he stepped into the hallway, only to overhear two high–society she wolves gossiping without restraint.
“Isn’t Ashmorne supposed to be practically celibate? The pack gossip said he barely touched his Luna in six years. Now look at him throwing around millions like a wolf possessed.”
“Haven’t you heard? His mate finally grew a spine and left him for Dragomir. You should have seen Ashmorne’s face when she kissed Riven–looked ready to tear this whole place apart with his bare hands.”
“Classic Alpha male bullshit. Doesn’t appreciate what he has until another wolf claims it. Six years of treating her like furniture, and now he’s desperate? Too little, too late, buddy.”
7.2%
11 Forbidden Love
Chapter 17
Lucien froze, their words penetrating his carefully constructed armor.
Love?
Were his feelings for Mira… actually love?
He’d never experienced such turbulent emotions before–not even for Saela.
Jealousy, Rage. Possessiveness. Desperation.
But when he returned to the auction hall, Mira and Riven had already departed, not bothering to acknowledge the fortune he’d spent in his misguided attempt to impress her.
Fury propelled Lucien back to the Mooncrag compound, his wolf dangerously close to the surface.
As he entered the living room, unmistakable sounds drifted from upstairs-
“Mmm… Riven… not so rough…”
Lucien’s pupils contracted to pinpoints, his blood freezing in his veins as his wolf surged forward with primal possessiveness.
He took the stairs three at a time, kicking the bedroom door nearly off its hinges-
“WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?”
In the bedroom, Mira was half–undressed beneath Riven on the bed, her shirt discarded, hair wild, lips swollen from kissing. Riven had her pinned, one hand tangled in her hair, the other tracing patterns along exposed skin.
Hearing the intrusion, Riven shifted to shield Mira with his body–a protective gesture that only enraged Lucien further. The rival Alpha raised his head with deliberate slowness, his amber eyes gleaming with undisguised triumph.
“Ashmorne,” he drawled, not bothering to move from his position over Mira. “Don’t they have basic concepts like privacy in your backward American territory? Or do Alphas there typically barge into mating chambers
uninvited?”
Something primal and ancient overtook Lucien. His vision washed red with rage, his claws and fangs extending fully. With a snarl that rattled the windows, he seized Riven by the throat and drove his fist forward with lethal
intent.
CRACK!
