The Luna he chose

Episode5

The Alpha's Attention

My heart refused to slow down. Alpha Ronan Blackthorne moved steadily through the crowd, and with every step he took, the atmosphere around us seemed to tighten. Conversations softened, heads turned, guests stepped aside without being asked. He carried power so naturally that people seemed to bend around it. Beside me, Lyra straightened almost imperceptibly; My mother's reaction was less subtle. The moment she realized Ronan was approaching, excitement flashed across her face. Real excitement, the kind I couldn't remember ever seeing directed at me.

Honestly, I couldn't blame her. The most powerful alpha in the territory was walking toward us. Anyone would be excited, and if i was being honest with myself, I was thinking exactly what everyone else was thinking. He was certainly coming to Lyra. Why wouldn't he ? She had spent the evening talking to him, they had laughed together. And my mother had practically been glowing ever since, a memory surfaced before I could stop it. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back. My stomach tightened again surely he hadn't meant it. Men like Ronan Blackthorne didn't remember girls like me. Yet he kept walking, closer and closer until he finally reached us. Before he could say a word, my mother stepped forward. "Alpha Ronan." Her smile was warm, polished, and just a little too eager. Ronan inclined his head politely. "Lady Ashwood." "I had been hoping we would have the opportunity to properly meet." Eleanor extended her hand. "I'm Eleanor Ashwood."

Ronan shook it.

"A pleasure."

The satisfaction on my mother's face deepened immediately.

"Lyra's mother." There it was, the clarification wasn't necessary, which was exactly why she said it. I saw Maya glance at me from the corner of her eye. She had noticed it too. For a brief moment, Ronan simply looked at my mother, then his gaze shifted to me, The movement lasted less than a second, yet somehow it felt impossible to miss. "Meaning you're Serena's mother as well," the smile on my mother's face faltered. Not enough for most people to notice, but enough for me to notice. "Yes," she said after a moment. "I'm Serena's mother too," something unreadable crossed Ronan's expression before he nodded. "It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, Alpha Ronan," my mother replied immediately. For a moment, I thought that would be the end of it. A polite exchange, a few formal words, then Ronan would continue whatever conversation he and Lyra had been having before. Instead,his attention shifted. His gaze landed on Lyra and the midnight blue dress she was wearing. A small smile touched his mouth.

"Just to say it one more time, that is a really beautiful dress."

The words hit me like a slap. Beside me, Maya went rigid while Lyra's smile brightened instantly.

"Thank you."

My fingers tightened around my glass.

"It's really beautiful," Ronan added.

My mother's face lit up at once," Oh, Lyra has always had an eye for fashion."

The lie sat between us. Huge, obvious, and painful. Yet nobody seemed to notice except Maya and me. Without saying a word, Maya shifted closer until our shoulders almost touched.

"It was lovely speaking with you earlier, Alpha Ronan," Lyra said smoothly. Ronan inclined his head politely,

“It was, he replied. “

Then his gaze moved back to me,

"I was beginning to think you had left."

My head snapped up so quickly I almost spilled my drink. The words weren't directed at Lyra, they weren't directed at my mother, they were directed at me. Silence settled over our small group. My mother's smile faltered, Maya's eyes widened, Lyra's expression remained perfectly composed, but I saw the brief tightening around her mouth.

"I almost did," I admitted.

Something warm flickered in his eyes, "I'm glad you didn't." Heat rushed to my face. Beside me, Maya made a suspicious sound that was dangerously close to laughter. I ignored her with great difficulty. Ronan glanced toward the ballroom entrance where several men were waiting for him before looking back at me.

"I'm leaving shortly. “

For some reason, disappointment tugged unexpectedly at my chest.

"I wanted to say goodbye first."

The words landed heavily, and I couldn’t understand why it felt that way. He said them so simply that there was no room to pretend they meant something else. Lyra recovered first, “I am sure we'll see each other again soon, Alpha Ronan." My mother immediately brightened at the statement, clearly pleased by the idea. Ronan smiled politely, "Perhaps."

The answer was courteous enough, but it wasn't what Lyra had expected. I saw it in the way her smile held for a second too long, then Ronan looked at me again,

"I hope the rest of your evening improves, Serena." This time the silence was complete. My breath caught. Of all the things he could have said, that wasn't what I had expected. Not because it was romantic, but because it felt observant, as though he had noticed something no one else had bothered to see. I managed a small nod.

"Thank you."

A faint smile touched his mouth, then he stepped back.

"Goodnight, Lady Ashwood." My mother recovered quickly. "Goodnight, Alpha Ronan." He inclined his head toward Lyra. "Lyra." "Goodnight." She practically glowed.“ Good night.” Finally, his gaze found mine one last time.

"Serena." The way he said my name should not have affected me. But unfortunately, it did. "Goodnight."

For a brief moment, neither of us looked away. Then he turned and walked toward the exit. The crowd parted instinctively to let him pass. Within moments, he disappeared into the sea of departing guests, leaving an uncomfortable silence behind him.

Nobody spoke immediately. Maya was staring at me, Lyra was staring at me, my mother was also staring at me. I suddenly wished i were somewhere else. Anywhere else, It seems was Eleanor who finally broke the silence.

"What exactly did Alpha Ronan Blackthorne mean when he said he hoped the rest of your evening improved?"

The question landed like a stone, but I forced a small smile, "I'm sure he was just being polite."

"No." The response came instantly. I looked at my mother, her expression had changed, the excitement was gone. In its place was something sharper, something watchful. "People like Ronan Blackthorne don't say things they don't mean." The words settled heavily between us. For a second, Maya remained completely silent, even though lyra wasn't speaking. They were both waiting, watching.

My pulse quickened. "I think you're reading too much into it."

"Am I?" My mother's eyes narrowed slightly, then her gaze dropped to Lyra’s dress, and stayed there. A strange feeling crept up my spine, something shifted in the air, something dangerous. Slowly, Eleanor looked back at me, What happened before you came to this gathering, Serena?"

My heart stopped, and it wasn’t because of the question, but the look in my mother's eyes. She knew, Maybe not everything, but enough. And suddenly I understood something.

The real disaster of tonight just got started.