The Rejected Luna's Secret Heirs

Chapter 3: The Reunion

The grand courtyard of the Crescent Park estate looked exactly as I had left it five years ago—grand, imposing, and drenched in arrogant luxury. But as I stepped out of the black armored SUV, I was no longer the defenseless girl they had thrown away.

I wore a tailored obsidian-black suit, my long dark hair falling in disciplined waves over my shoulders. Beside me walked Chelan, his Alpha aura radiating power, while four of our top Nightshade warriors fell into formation behind us.

The heavy wooden doors of the main hall swung open. Standing at the top of the marble steps was Alpha Lucian.

He had grown broader, his sharp jawline covered in light stubble, but his eyes carried a heavy shadow of exhaustion. Beside him stood VIPs and senior pack elders, looking visibly tense given the rogue threats at their borders.

"Alpha Caelan," Lucian said, stepping down to greet us, his deep voice resounding throughout the courtyard. "Thank you for answering the call. And this must be your elite commander..."

Lucian turned his gaze toward me, and the words died in his throat.

His eyes widened in sheer disbelief. The color drained from his face, and his breath hitched violently as the residual embers of our broken mate bond flared to life between us.

"Ayla...?" he choked out, taking an involuntary step forward. "It... it can't be."

"That's Commander Vance to you, Alpha Lucian," I replied, my voice smooth as ice. I didn't flinch, nor did I give him the satisfaction of seeing any pain in my eyes.

"You're alive..." Lucian whispered, reaching out a hand, but Chelan immediately stepped in, placing a firm arm between us.

"Keep your distance, Lucian," Caelan warned, his voice low and dangerous. "We are here for a business alliance, not a personal reunion."

Lucian stared at me, his chest heaving, torn between shock, confusion, and a sudden, desperate flicker of regret. "Ayla, five years ago... I thought you were dead. I—"

"Five years ago, you made your choice," I interrupted calmly, looking him dead in the eye. "Now, shall we discuss the terms of your survival, or are we wasting our time here?"