He Broke Our Bond, I Claimed His Love

Chapter 4

Panic flashed through me, but I kept a sweet smile on my face.

“Why else?”

I walked to his side, sat naturally in the chair beside the bed, and gently took his hand.

“Because you cared about me, of course. You said the pendant was beautiful and that you wanted to keep it safe for me yourself. You said that on the day we completed our permanent mark, you’d put it on me with your own hands.”

As I spoke, I secretly watched his expression.

Austinn’s fingers were cold.

When I held his hand, they moved slightly, but he didn’t pull away.

He stared into my eyes for a long time, as if trying to read something there.

I met his gaze calmly, filling my eyes with “love” and “worry.”

After three years of playing the role of Luna, I could manage that much acting.

Sure enough, Austinn didn’t ask any more questions.

He handed me the pendant.

“If it’s yours, take it back.”

I accepted it, carefully put it around my neck, and tucked it close to my heart.

“Thank you, Alpha Austinn.”

“When we’re alone, don’t call me Alpha Austinn,” he said flatly. “Didn’t you say I’m your mate? Call me honey.”

A little burst of happiness rose inside me.

But wasn’t that a bit disrespectful to an Alpha’s authority?

I did my best to stay calm.

“Okay, honey.”

Just then, my stomach growled.

Embarrassment instantly flooded my entire face.

I had packed until dawn last night, then spent half the morning crying. I was starving.

The corner of Austinn’s mouth seemed to lift slightly, but he quickly returned to his usual cold expression.

“You haven’t eaten?”

“I... I was worried about you and forgot.”

I gave him an awkward smile.

Austinn pressed the call bell beside the bed.

Soon, Gamma Liam walked in.

“Alpha Austinn, what are your orders?”

“Bring some food,” Austinn said, glancing at me. “Enough for two.”

“Yes, Alpha Austinn.”

Liam respectfully withdrew.

Inside, I was secretly overjoyed.

Apparently, an amnesiac Alpha Austinn was much easier to deal with than the icy version I was used to.

Not long after, Gamma Liam returned with two warriors carrying trays of food.

Golden roasted venison steaks, steaming mushroom soup, fresh wild berries, and honey bread.

All of them were my favorites.

I stared at Austinn in surprise.

How did he know what I liked?

Austinn seemed to notice my confusion.

“I don’t know why,” he said lightly. “I just told them to prepare these without thinking.”

My heart clenched.

Could it be that some part of him still remembered me?

Lila squealed excitedly in my head.

“See? See? I told you he has feelings for you! He must have been secretly paying attention to you all these years!”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I argued silently. “It’s probably just a coincidence.”

That was what I told her.

But deep down, I couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit happy.

The two of us sat in the healing lodge and ate together.

The atmosphere felt strangely delicate.

Austinn was quiet while eating.

His movements were elegant, clearly shaped by strict noble training.

Every now and then, I secretly glanced at him.

And every time, I found him looking at me too.

His gaze made me a little flustered, so I lowered my head and focused on gnawing at my venison steak.

“Demi,” Austinn suddenly said, “tell me about us. About the things we used to do.”

I looked up, quickly swallowed the meat in my mouth, wiped my lips, and started making things up.

“Oh, we were very much in love. Every morning, you’d go with me to the hill behind the pack to watch the sunrise. At night, you’d tell me stories until I fell asleep. You’d hunt for me too. Whenever you caught something good, I was always the first person you thought of.”

As I spoke, I watched his expression.

Austinn listened carefully. Every so often, his brows would draw together, as if he were trying hard to remember.

“Anything else?”

“Of course.”

I thought for a moment and continued inventing.

“On my last birthday, you reserved the entire Moonlight Lake and set off fireworks all night. Everyone in the pack was jealous of me. You even said that from then on, every year on my birthday, you’d give me fireworks.”

I had heard about something like that happening in another pack and had always been jealous.

Now it fit perfectly into my story.

Austinn nodded, as if he believed me.

“Then did we... ever hold a bonding ceremony?”