The Alpha Wants His Curvy Luna Back

Chapter4

EVELYN

"...Who is the woman crying outside my ceremony?"

Even through my blurred vision, I felt the atmosphere change. The guards who had thrown me out only seconds ago immediately stepped back.

I slowly lifted my head. Black leather boots stopped a few feet away from me. I couldn't bring myself to look any higher, everything hurt. My body, my heart, even breathing felt impossible.

"Your Majesty." Elder Gwen hurried forward, bowing deeply. "We didn't know you would arrive so early."

The man didn't answer him. Instead, he repeated his question.

"I asked..." His voice remained calm, yet every word carried undeniable authority. "...who is she?"

Silence took over. No one said a word, no one even looked in my direction. It was as though everyone hoped someone else would answer first.

Finally, Elder Gwen forced a smile. "She's... merely someone who attended today's ceremony."

The man's gaze settled on me again. "Merely someone?"

I lowered my eyes, silently wishing the ground would split open and swallow me whole. I could hear his footsteps as he walked closer. Then... he stopped.

I felt his gaze lingering on my hospital wristband, and on the bruises forming on my arms where the guards had grabbed me. Then lower, to the blood stain slowly spreading across the side of my pale blue dress.

As if seeing that had done a thing to him, his expression darkened.

"Interesting."

The single word sent a terrifying chill through the courtyard. Then he looked toward the crowd.

"Who injured her?" He asked, but no one answered.

The silence lasted for only a few seconds before Damien stepped forward.

"Your Majesty." He bowed respectfully. "It's a private matter within my pack."

The man's head turned slowly toward him. He wasn't looking angry, yet Damien visibly stiffened beneath his gaze.

"Did I ask..." The King's voice was dangerously quiet. "...whether it was private?"

Damien immediately lowered his head. "No, Your Majesty."

My heart pounded so heavily it hurt. Who was this man? Even Damien, the future Alpha who feared no one, looked small before him.

Before another word could be spoken, Mrs. Blackwood hurried forward. She clasped her hands together nervously.

"Your Majesty." The King looked at her. "She became emotional after learning that my son had chosen another woman. She lost her step while leaving and fell."

I stared at t her. The woman whose life I had saved yesterday... was lying, for her son. Not once did she look at me, not even for a second.

The King remained silent for several moments. Then, he looked directly at me, as if he were trying to observe me.

"Is that true?"

My lips parted. I should tell him, I should tell him everything. That I'd been humiliated. That I'd been thrown onto the stones after major surgery. That the blood staining my dress wasn't from a fall. That I'd given away one of my kidneys yesterday to save the very woman who had just lied to protect her son.

Instead, I nodded. "Yes."

Mrs. Blackwood quietly let out the breath she'd been holding. Damien didn't even look surprised, maybe he knew me too well. He knew that no matter how badly he broke my heart, I still couldn't bring myself to hurt the people I loved.

The King's gaze never left my face. It was unsettling, as though he could see straight through every lie I told.

A man dressed in black tuxedo stepped beside him. He shared almost the same height with him. The way he looked at me, like he'd quietly been observing me through the entire conversation.

He leaned closer and spoke quietly. "Your Majesty, she's bleeding."

The King's eyes dropped to my dress again. Fresh blood had begun soaking through the fabric, dropping onto the floor. I hadn't even noticed. Maybe the pain inside my chest had become greater than the pain in my body.

The King's jaw tightened. "Bring her."

Two of his men stepped forward immediately, about to take me when Elder Gwen hurriedly raised a hand.

"Your Majesty, she isn't a member of the Royal Pack."

Without taking his eyes off me, the King answered, "She is now under my protection... until I learn why an injured woman is bleeding in the middle of a celebration."

The silence that followed felt like eternity. No one dared challenge him. No one, except Damien.

"Your Majesty." He stepped forward again. "If I may..."

The King finally looked at him. He didn't say a word, but the way Damien comported himself was as though he had spat a threatening word.

Damien swallowed before continuing. "She's my ex." The way his voice lowered, I have never heard it before. "Our relationship ended today. I assure you she'll only become a burden."

The King's face revealed nothing.

He simply stared at Damien, long enough for sweat to bead at DamTheien's temple. Then, in a calm voice that somehow echoed through the entire courtyard, he asked,

"If she is truly your past..." His eyes shifted briefly toward me before returning to Damien. "...why are you so afraid of where her future leads?"