HIS FATHER'S LUNA

CHAPTER 6: Dangerous Feelings

Aria's POV

I couldn't stop thinking about him.

Which was a problem.

A very big problem.

Because Damien Thorn was the last man I should be thinking about.

Yet three days after he visited my apartment, his face still haunted me.

The way he looked at me.

The way he listened.

The way he seemed genuinely angry on my behalf.

No one had ever looked at my pain as though it was their own.

Not even Ethan.

Especially not Ethan.

I sighed and dropped my head onto my desk.

This was ridiculous.

I had bigger problems than an attractive Alpha invading my thoughts.

My mate bond was still dying.

My family was falling apart.

Half the pack was gossiping about me.

And somehow my brain had decided to obsess over Damien's silver eyes.

Wonderful.

You like him.

Nyra sounded entirely too pleased.

I groaned.

"Be quiet."

You do.

"I don't."

Liar.

I buried my face in my arms.

Traitorous wolf.

The worst part?

She wasn't entirely wrong.

I didn't know when it started.

Maybe the night he found me crying in the courtyard.

Maybe when he brought food to my apartment.

Maybe when he stood between me and Ethan.

Whatever the reason, Damien had become impossible to ignore.

A knock sounded at my office door.

"Come in."

My friend Maya entered.

One look at my face and she smirked.

I immediately became suspicious.

"What?"

"You tell me."

I narrowed my eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure."

The grin widened.

"Oh, definitely."

I already hated where this conversation was going.

Maya dropped into the chair opposite me.

"So."

"No."

"I haven't even asked yet."

"I already know."

She laughed.

"Then answer the question."

I pointed toward the door.

"Leave."

Unfortunately, Maya ignored me.

"Is it true?"

I closed my eyes.

Of course.

The rumors.

"Which rumor?"

"The one about you and Alpha Damien."

I nearly choked.

Maya's laughter echoed through the room.

"Your reaction is answer enough."

"There is nothing happening."

"Uh-huh."

"Seriously."

"Right."

I glared.

She continued smiling.

The traitor.

"People are talking."

I sighed.

"I'm aware."

That was putting it mildly.

Everywhere I went lately, conversations seemed to stop.

People stared.

Whispered.

Speculated.

Apparently, watching the future Luna leave her mate and spend time with the Alpha King was the most exciting thing Mooncrest had experienced in years.

Maya leaned forward.

"Are they true?"

I hesitated.

And that hesitation told her everything.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh my Goddess."

"Nothing happened."

"You hesitated."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"It means everything."

I groaned.

Again.

This day was becoming exhausting.

Fortunately, another knock interrupted us.

A warrior stepped inside.

"Aria?"

"Yes?"

"The Alpha requests your presence."

The room instantly fell silent.

Maya looked ready to explode.

I looked ready to disappear.

The warrior remained expressionless.

"The Alpha is waiting."

Of course he was.

My pulse immediately accelerated.

Which was annoying.

And embarrassing.

And completely unnecessary.

I stood.

Trying very hard to ignore Maya's smug expression.

"Don't."

She grinned.

"I'm not saying anything."

The smile suggested otherwise.

Ten minutes later I found myself standing outside Damien's office.

I took a deep breath.

Then knocked.

"Enter."

His voice sent an unexpected shiver through me.

Wonderful.

Absolutely wonderful.

I stepped inside.

Damien sat behind his desk reviewing documents.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the large windows behind him.

For a brief moment, he didn't look like the terrifying Alpha King.

He simply looked tired.

Lonely.

The thought surprised me.

Then he looked up.

And the illusion vanished.

Those silver eyes immediately focused on me.

Sharp.

Intense.

Observant.

Every single thought disappeared from my mind.

"Aria."

My name sounded different when he said it.

Lower.

Softer.

More personal.

"Alpha."

His gaze lingered.

Longer than necessary.

The tension between us appeared instantly.

Neither of us acknowledged it.

Because acknowledging it would be dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Finally, Damien gestured toward a chair.

"Sit."

I obeyed.

Mostly because standing felt impossible under that gaze.

For several moments he remained silent.

Then he pushed a file across the desk.

I frowned.

"What is this?"

"A project proposal."

I blinked.

Confused.

That wasn't what I expected.

Not even close.

Damien leaned back slightly.

"The pack is opening a new community center."

I opened the folder.

Plans.

Budgets.

Construction reports.

My confusion deepened.

"Why are you showing me this?"

A strange expression crossed his face.

As though the answer should have been obvious.

"Because I want you to lead it."

I froze.

"What?"

The Alpha's expression remained calm.

"You care about pack welfare."

I stared.

Speechless.

"You understand what people need."

Still speechless.

"You would do an excellent job."

My throat tightened unexpectedly.

Nobody had ever looked at me like that.

Not as someone's future mate.

Not as someone's daughter.

Not as someone's sister.

As me.

As a capable person.

As someone worthy of responsibility.

The realization affected me far more than it should have.

Damien seemed to notice.

Because his expression softened.

Only slightly.

But enough.

"You don't have to answer immediately."

I looked down at the proposal.

Then back at him.

"Why me?"

The question escaped before I could stop it.

Silence followed.

For one second.

Two.

Three.

Then Damien quietly answered.

"Because I trust you."

The words struck harder than any compliment.

Trust.

After everything that happened.

After betrayal.

After heartbreak.

Trust was the last thing I expected.

And somehow it meant more than anything else.

My eyes met his.

The room suddenly felt much too small.

Neither of us looked away.

Neither of us moved.

The air itself seemed to change.

Something unspoken.

Something growing.

Something dangerous.

My heartbeat quickened.

Damien's jaw tightened.

As though he felt it too.

Then suddenly—

Pain exploded through my chest.

I gasped.

The mate bond.

The dying bond between Ethan and me.

The agony hit without warning.

Sharp.

Brutal.

Merciless.

The file slipped from my hands.

"Aria."

Damien was moving before I even realized what happened.

One second he was behind the desk.

The next he was beside me.

Strong hands caught my shoulders.

Steadying me.

Protecting me.

The pain continued.

Wave after wave.

My breathing became uneven.

Nyra howled inside my head.

The bond was breaking again.

Another piece gone.

Another wound opening.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Trying to endure it.

Trying not to collapse.

Then something incredible happened.

The moment Damien touched me...

The pain lessened.

Not completely.

But enough.

Enough to breathe.

Enough to think.

Enough to survive.

My eyes flew open.

His silver gaze was already on mine.

Shock mirrored my own.

Because he felt it too.

The relief.

The connection.

The impossible reaction.

Neither of us spoke.

Neither of us dared.

But in that moment, one terrifying question formed in both our minds.

Why did his touch make the pain disappear?

And why did it feel so much like coming home?