HIS FATHER'S LUNA

CHAPTER 9: The First c***k

Aria's POV

The training grounds were unusually crowded that morning.

Whispers followed me everywhere.

Conversations stopped when I passed.

Eyes lingered a little too long.

Normally, I would have ignored it.

Today, I couldn't.

Because I knew exactly what they were talking about.

Me.

Damien.

The fact that the Alpha King had been seen leaving my apartment.

Twice.

I tightened my grip on the training dagger in my hand.

People loved gossip.

Especially when it involved forbidden things.

And there was nothing more forbidden than the future Luna spending time with the Alpha.

The Alpha who happened to be her ex-mate's father.

"Try not to stab anyone."

I looked up.

Lucas was approaching with an amused smile.

I rolled my eyes.

"No promises."

His grin widened.

"That's the spirit."

For the first time in days, I laughed.

A real laugh.

Not forced.

Not bitter.

Real.

The realization startled me.

Because it had been a long time since anything felt normal.

Lucas noticed.

His expression softened.

"You're doing better."

The words were simple.

Yet they made me pause.

Was I?

The pain was still there.

The betrayal still hurt.

The bond with Ethan was still breaking.

But somehow...

I wasn't drowning anymore.

Maybe because I was angry.

Maybe because I was healing.

Or maybe because every time I felt myself falling apart, Damien somehow appeared.

The thought sent warmth through my chest.

Dangerous warmth.

Nyra immediately noticed.

You're thinking about him again.

I ignored her.

She laughed.

Liar.

Before I could respond, a familiar scent reached me.

My entire body tensed.

Ethan.

Of course.

Why couldn't he leave me alone?

I turned.

He was standing at the edge of the training grounds.

Watching me.

The sight immediately soured my mood.

His eyes met mine.

For a brief moment, neither of us moved.

Then he started walking toward me.

Determined.

Focused.

As though he had already decided this conversation was happening.

Unfortunately for him, I had other plans.

I turned away.

"Aria."

I kept walking.

"Aria."

Still walking.

Seconds later, he caught my wrist.

The moment his fingers touched my skin, pain shot through my chest.

Not longing.

Not love.

Pain.

The dying mate bond reacted violently.

I jerked away.

Immediately.

The movement hurt him.

I saw it.

Good.

His face paled.

"Please."

I laughed bitterly.

"There it is again."

"What?"

"That word."

Silence.

"Please."

I shook my head.

"You lost the right to ask me for anything."

The words landed hard.

His jaw tightened.

"I know I messed up."

"Messed up?"

My anger exploded.

Several nearby wolves immediately stopped pretending not to listen.

Perfect.

Let them hear.

"You slept with my sister."

The entire training field went silent.

Good.

Let everyone remember exactly what happened.

Ethan looked uncomfortable.

Embarrassed.

Ashamed.

Excellent.

"I love you."

The declaration almost made me laugh.

Almost.

Because once upon a time, those words would have meant everything.

Now they meant nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

"You had a funny way of showing it."

Pain flashed across his face.

For one brief second, I almost felt sorry for him.

Then I remembered Sophia.

The bed.

The lies.

The betrayal.

The sympathy vanished instantly.

"I made the biggest mistake of my life."

His voice cracked.

And for the first time, I realized something.

He meant it.

Not because he was caught.

Because he regretted it.

The realization should have satisfied me.

Instead, it only made me tired.

Because regret changed nothing.

Some damage couldn't be undone.

Some wounds didn't heal cleanly.

"You should have thought about that before."

His shoulders dropped.

Defeated.

Broken.

A month ago, seeing Ethan like this would have shattered my heart.

Today, it didn't.

And that frightened me.

Because it meant I was truly moving on.

The bond between us weakened again.

Another c***k.

Another fracture.

Another step toward freedom.

Ethan felt it too.

I saw it in his eyes.

The fear.

The panic.

The realization.

He was losing me.

For real this time.

"Aria..."

His voice was barely a whisper.

Then suddenly the atmosphere changed.

A powerful Alpha aura swept across the training grounds.

Every wolf immediately stiffened.

Including Ethan.

Including me.

Damien.

I didn't need to turn around to know he was there.

My body already knew.

My wolf already knew.

The air itself seemed to recognize him.

Moments later, his deep voice echoed behind us.

"Is there a problem?"

Silence.

Dangerous silence.

I turned.

And immediately forgot how to breathe.

Damien was dressed entirely in black.

His expression unreadable.

His silver eyes locked onto Ethan.

Cold.

Sharp.

Predatory.

For a second, neither man spoke.

The resemblance between them was obvious.

Yet Damien carried something Ethan never would.

Authority.

Power.

Control.

The kind that couldn't be inherited.

Only earned.

"No problem," Ethan said tightly.

Damien raised an eyebrow.

"Good."

One word.

Yet somehow it sounded like a threat.

The tension between them was impossible to miss.

Wolves around us were pretending to train.

Nobody was actually training.

Everyone was watching.

Waiting.

Sensing something was changing inside the Thorn family.

Something dangerous.

Ethan looked at me one final time.

Pain filled his eyes.

Then he walked away.

The moment he disappeared, I exhaled.

I hadn't realized I was holding my breath.

Damien noticed.

Of course he did.

He noticed everything.

"You okay?"

The concern in his voice surprised me.

Again.

I nodded.

"I'm fine."

A lie.

He knew it.

I knew it.

Neither of us mentioned it.

For several seconds, we simply stood there.

Then Damien glanced toward the forest beyond the training grounds.

"Walk with me."

My pulse quickened.

A simple request.

Yet it felt strangely intimate.

Dangerously intimate.

Nyra practically purred.

Say yes.

Traitor.

I looked back toward the pack houses.

Toward the wolves still pretending not to stare.

Then back at Damien.

His expression remained calm.

Patient.

Waiting.

For some reason, that made the decision easy.

"Okay."

Something softened in his eyes.

Only for a moment.

Then it vanished.

Together, we walked toward the forest.

Away from the whispers.

Away from the gossip.

Away from everyone.

Neither of us noticed Ethan standing in the distance.

Watching.

His fists clenched.

His expression dark.

As he stared at the woman he loved walking beside the one man he could never compete with.

His father.

And for the first time, Ethan Thorn truly understood.

He wasn't losing Aria.

He had already lost her.