\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
The longer I stayed in Maurine\u2019s orbit, the more I felt like a ghost of myself. She had a way of turning everything into performance-every gesture, every word, calculated and coated in sugar. But the sugar always came with venom, And I\u2026 I let her do it. Because this was what I signed up for. Because this was the role I needed to play.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because if I didn\u2019t, everything I sacrificed would mean nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLucas,\u201d she called from the sunlit balcony, her voice like honey laced with command, \u201cI\u2019ve decided I want a pair of royal horses.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned from the courtyard training grounds, where I\u2019d just finished running drills with a few of the Aethon warriors. My shoulders were slick with sweat, muscles aching, my wolf still on edge. I hadn\u2019t shifted in days. Not properly. I wasn\u2019t sure if it was the chain around my neck or the chain around my soul that made me feel caged.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHorses?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She tilted her head, barefoot on the marble tiles, her golden hair pinned up like she was the goddess of the full moon herself. \u201cWhite ones. Purebred. From that southern lineage the nobles keep. I want them for the Autumn Parade. I\u2019ve already picked out matching ribbons.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know how hard it is to get them out of territory,\u201d I said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you\u2019ll manage,\u201d she smiled sweetly. \u201cYou always do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned and walked away before I could respond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Three hours later, I was halfway across Aethon territory negotiating with a grumpy old breeder who didn\u2019t care that I was Alpha Lucas, or a knight, or anything else. He only cared about bloodlines and tradition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care if the Alpha Council sent you personally,\u201d he barked. \u201cThese horses weren\u2019t bred for showgirls.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw tightened. \u201cShe\u2019s not a showgirl. She\u2019s a future Luna.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s still not relevant enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll know how important she is to this world soon,\u201d I corrected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSame damn thing they say these days,\u201d he muttered. \u201cBut fine. Take them. Just know they\u2019re better bred than the wolves guarding her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The insult didn\u2019t land.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I paid in full, personally loaded the horses into a reinforced transport, and drove them back through a downpour that soaked me to the bone. By the time I returned to the estate, the moon was high and Maurine was throwing a tantrum over a necklace that had arrived in the wrong shade of gold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got yellow gold?\u201d she shrieked at the servant. \u201cI said rose! Like the one I saw on that witch Alpha\u2019s mate at the last summit!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3 14.4%\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:35 Wed, Jan 28 DMR\u00a0<\/p>\n
The servant stammered an apology.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stepped forward, mud-stained and exhausted. \u201cI\u2019ll get it replaced.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She spun toward me, eyes softening. \u201cOh, Lucas. You\u2019re back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI got the horses.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
81\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her smile stretched wide, and she clapped her hands together in delight. \u201cYou really do adore\u00a0<\/p>\n
me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t answer. I just nodded once and excused the servant before the poor girl started crying. Maurine followed me into the inner garden, her hands trailing along the rose bushes. \u201cDo you think I\u2019m selfish?\u201d she asked suddenly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She blinked at me. \u201cYou\u2019re really growing more quiet on me. You used to adore me so much. What\u2019s happening, Lucas?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damn. I had to remind myself of who she was according to the prophecy. That she was the key, and she was my fated mate-one who couldn\u2019t even feel our connection.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing. Just tired. Do you want me to change the gold for you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She twirled on her heel, the silk of her dress flaring like smoke. \u201cGood. Because I want that necklace in rose gold. And I want it before the ball.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll make it happen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d she said, almost fondly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That night, she made me sit beside her while she tried on gowns. Dozens of them. One by one, she emerged from behind her private changing screen, spinning, waiting for my opinion. \u201cToo tight?\u201d she\u2019d ask. \u201cToo modest? Or do you think it makes me look like a Luna?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey all do,\u201d I said. \u201cYou\u2019d make anything look like power.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She laughed, then walked to me slowly in one particular black velvet gown with a plunging back. She placed her hands on my chest. \u201cSay it again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look like a real Luna.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood,\u201d she whispered. \u201cBecause that\u2019s what I am.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She kissed me then-slow, claiming, demanding. Her mouth tasted like wine and lavender. My wolf stirred uneasily under my skin, but I kissed her back. But damn it, I couldn\u2019t feel anything. I should be happy. I should be delighted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When we pulled apart, her eyes glowed faintly. \u201cYou\u2019ve changed, you know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow so?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re flinching now when I touch you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still trying to get use to this,\u201d I said dryly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She laughed and turned away, slipping back behind her screen. \u201cYou\u2019re becoming more obedient. I like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3 14.4%\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:36 Wed, Jan 28 MR\u00a0<\/p>\n
81\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat in silence, letting her words sink like thorns into my chest. Somewhere under the skin, my wolf paced, unhappy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Obedient. That\u2019s what she called it. I called it surrender.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later that night, I stood on the balcony alone. The moon was high, full, and white-hot. The estate was quiet, the air cold. I looked out across the trees, down toward where Rebecca\u2019s old cottage used to be before she left. She hadn\u2019t said goodbye. Not really.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took my phone out, thumb hovering over her number again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still no answer. Her silence was the only thing louder than Maurine\u2019s voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:36 Wed, Jan 28 DMR\u00a0<\/p>\n
81\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucas\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
When My Alpha Ex-Husband Came Looking for Me by Mark Twain 9 \u00a0 Chapter 9\u00a0 The longer I stayed in […]<\/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-23877","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\/23877","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=23877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23877\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}