\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next morning, I was already on my feet by the time the sun crept over the Aethon mountains. I didn\u2019t sleep-again. The events of the last few days lingered like ash in my lungs. But I showed up like I always did. Because that\u2019s what knights do.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maurine didn\u2019t even greet me when I arrived at her door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She tossed a bag at me instead-a glittering thing full of perfume bottles, lipsticks, half-open chocolate wrappers, and what smelled suspiciously like vampire-scented incense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCarry this. We\u2019re going shopping. And then we\u2019re hitting the clubs tonight. It\u2019s girls\u2019 night,\u201d she said, flicking her hair over one shoulder and flashing her fangs in the mirror.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019m coming because\u2026?\u201d I asked, already slinging the bag over my shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you\u2019re my knight,\u201d she purred. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t like being around drunk strangers without my personal wolf wall. What if some loser tries to hit on me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could handle him yourself,\u201d I muttered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI could. But why should I? That\u2019s what you\u2019re for.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said it like she was joking, but I wasn\u2019t laughing. Still, I didn\u2019t protest. I followed her like a good hound, tail between my legs and pride buried somewhere deep beneath my ribs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shopping district was already packed with mid-morning hustle-humans mingling unknowingly beside wolves and other half-bloods. The Aethon territory was more blended than others, but even here, Maurine stood out like a goddess striding through mortals. Everyone noticed her. She loved it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHold these,\u201d she said for the fifth time, shoving more bags into my arms. Moonstone-studded heels. A velvet clutch in blood red. A new phone case shaped like a fox\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We moved from store to store, and she never looked at me once unless she needed something. She laughed, flirted with the cashier, complained about the lighting, and bragged loudly about the jewels Beta Reid delivered last week-as if I hadn\u2019t been the one who ordered him to give those to her. Of course, she didn\u2019t know that fact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw clenched more than once, but I said nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re being quiet today,\u201d she finally said when we stopped for lunch at an open-air caf\u00e9. \u201cMissing your old post?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said flatly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes twinkled. \u201cGood. She was always too boring for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t respond. Instead, I scanned the crowd, letting my senses expand. I could smell a few lesser wolves in the area-young, restless, their scents heavy with drink and lust. No threats. But I stayed alert anyway. It was easier than talking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight,\u201d Maurine said, chewing delicately on a sugar-dusted croissant, \u201cwe\u2019re going to Club\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:35 Wed, Jan 28 MR\u00a0<\/p>\n
Argent. You know it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d I said. \u201cIt\u2019s loud.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
81\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPerfect,\u201d she smirked. \u201cI want to dance. And you can watch. Or brood. Whatever it is these days.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
you do\u00a0<\/p>\n
That night, Club Argent was all strobe lights, pounding bass, and pheromones. The kind of place where drunk wolves picked fights in the back alley and unmated werewolves hooked up by the bar. I hated it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maurine, on the other hand, was in her element. She was in a silver dress that shimmered with every movement, her hair twisted into a loose braid that showed off the claim mark she left on my neck.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStay close,\u201d she said, brushing her fingers against my arm. \u201cBut not too close. You\u2019re not supposed to cramp my style.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood by the velvet rope like a statue while she disappeared into the crowd, already surrounded by a swarm of admirers-pack members, rouges, and probably a vampire or two. She flirted, laughed, flipped her hair. I watched it all from a corner table, arms crossed, eyes never leaving her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t even flinch when a drunk hybrid stumbled into me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look miserable,\u201d said someone beside me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned, surprised. It was a she-wolf I didn\u2019t recognize. Her scent was soft but sharp, like pine and pepper. She tilted her head at me, amused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she worth it?\u201d the stranger asked, nodding toward Maurine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s got you leashed tight. I can smell it from here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m her knight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t smell like a knight,\u201d she said, sipping something dark. \u201cYou smell like a trapped dog pretending not to howl.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Maurine came back around midnight, she was glowing from attention. \u201cReady to leave?\u201d she asked, like I\u2019d been waiting on her whims all night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the car ride back, she scrolled through her phone, giggling at photos. \u201cYou should\u2019ve danced with me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t ask.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She shrugged. \u201cI didn\u2019t think you\u2019d say yes. You\u2019re so stiff nowadays.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m your wolf knight\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh please, Lucas,\u201d she snapped. \u201cYou used to do everything I asked with a smile.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t respond. The silence stretched between us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
12.8%\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:35 Wed, Jan 28 MR\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I should get a new knight,\u201d she said coolly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could try,\u201d I said. \u201cBut none of them will bleed for you like I will.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That shut her up. We arrived at the estate and she got out without another word, leaving me alone in the car. The driver gave me a glance through the mirror, but I ignored it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leaned back against the headrest, closing my eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:35 Wed, Jan 28 MB\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucas\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
When My Alpha Ex-Husband Came Looking for Me by Mark Twain 8 \u00a0 Chapter 8\u00a0 The next morning, I was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-unclaimed-luna-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23876\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}