Chapter 10 Be My Luna
1104 Words
Scarlett's POV
The lighting in the banquet hall was as brilliant as during the last gathering—champagne and fine wine, melodious strings, and an elaborately arranged gorgeous stage backdrop.
According to traditional etiquette, the opening dance should be initiated by Alexander inviting me to dance.
I accepted the invitation, following him to the center of the spacious dance floor.
His hand settled on my slender waist with considerably more force than normal.
"Do you know what you're doing right now," he leaned down, lowering his voice to ensure only I could hear. "Lucien is absolutely not someone you can casually win over and use. Don't perform this act too dramatically."
"I stopped harboring unrealistic expectations about anyone long ago," I moved my steps to the elegant rhythm, maintaining that unsettlingly calm expression, "including you, of course."
His jaw visibly tightened, but he didn't voice any rebuttal.
Just then, the music suddenly switched tempo.
Lucien strode over, placing a strong hand firmly on Alexander's shoulder—not with great force, but solid and non-negotiable:
"My turn."
"Lucien—"
"My turn." His tone brooked no argument.
Faye frantically rushed over from the side to grab Alexander's arm, but I had already turned gracefully away without looking back at this farce.
Lucien gently drew me into his embrace, one hand settling steadily at my waist, the other softly grasping my delicate hand, leading me in dance to the moving musical melody.
His height advantage of half a head over Alexander allowed his gaze to fall gently from above.
Those pale gray, profound eyes held a depth I found difficult to describe accurately under the banquet hall's brilliant lights.
"Little wolf," he murmured softly, "it's been seven whole years."
I tried to steady my dance steps, striving to maintain a calm expression:
"Yes, indeed seven years."
"You're still calculating time precisely."
"I calculate everything carefully."
He silently led me through half a turn, then suddenly said quietly:
"I'm glad you haven't changed."
My heartbeat instantly skipped a violent beat.
I forced myself to suppress that irregular heartbeat, continuing to maintain elegant dance steps and a calm expression, but in the deepest secret corner of my heart, I quietly placed those precious words in a special place known only to me.
When the song ended, Lucien didn't immediately release me, but whispered in my ear:
"We need to talk properly, privately."
I nodded, feeling countless complex gazes around us.
"Of course."
---
Lucien's POV
We quietly left through an inconspicuous side door, passing through an empty, silent corridor, going upstairs to the luxurious presidential suite reserved specifically for visiting Alphas.
The moment the door closed, I casually turned the lock, producing a crisp click.
Finally free from those annoying prying eyes.
Scarlett didn't choose to sit down.
She stood straight in the center of the room, making direct eye contact with me, her facial expression so stable it made me want to observe her for several more seconds.
Seven years ago, I had encountered her by chance in the forbidden depths of Nightshade Forest.
After that, she had strongly resisted the marriage alliance her father had arranged for us, choosing instead a fallen heir, decisively merging two packs' vast territories, and through exceptional leadership skills, climbing from eleventh place all the way to a remarkable second place.
Over these years—perhaps due to some vile masculine possessiveness—news of her always found its way to my ears, making it hard for me not to care.
Until a week ago, when Kathleen suddenly called in emergency, using a voice that was clearly trying to maintain control but still couldn't hide its trembling, telling me: her best friend was in enormous trouble.
And this morning when I arrived, her years of predicament were laid bare before my eyes.
Alexander had actually brought that woman named Faye to stand brazenly in the most conspicuous front position, using that symbolic placement to openly declare an infuriating fact to everyone present—his legitimate Luna had become irrelevant.
Alexander, this short-sighted fool, had made the most fatal error: he had brought his personal base lust directly into serious pack political struggle.
Such a person didn't need any outsider to bother toppling him—he was already frantically digging his own grave.
All that was needed was the right person to dig that grave pit a little deeper at the appropriate moment.
And Scarlett—
She stood here, her eyes holding something I was very familiar with—the stubbornness and unyielding spirit unique to Winter Wolf bloodline.
"I want a divorce," she said straight to the point. "I want to completely end this failed marriage. I want to reclaim the pack that rightfully belongs to me."
No desperate pleas for help, no lengthy explanations, no attempt to move my sympathy with a sob story.
Good, that pride still remained in her.
This was exactly what I needed.
Those old fellows in the Council reminded me every quarter: bloodline succession, legitimate heirs, political stability.
I had listened to three years of such nagging, seen countless recommended candidates, until this moment when the ideal choice finally appeared.
She was dangerous, intelligent, had her own sharp edges.
More importantly, she had once refused me, which only made her more interesting to me.
I gently placed the wine glass on the table surface, finally deciding to stop beating around the bush and speak directly:
"This is simple for me, but I have conditions."
"Please state them." She answered with exceptional decisiveness, without a second of hesitation.
This was exactly the attitude.
It was precisely this unhesitating decisive posture that finally made me determine.
Not because she was beautiful and captivating, not because her situation was pitiable and deserving of sympathy, but because when facing a completely unknown powerful stranger whose harsh conditions couldn't be predicted, her first reaction was to directly say "please state them," rather than "wait" or "I need to think about it carefully."
I solemnly promised:
"I will make your treacherous husband have nowhere to hide before the Council. I will personally tear down the false situation he painstakingly assembled, and return the pack and noble title that rightfully belong to you, completely intact."
Something bright flickered across her face for an instant, but she quickly suppressed it.
"However," I took out the prepared leather envelope from my inner suit pocket, placing it steadily on the table, "sign this."
She stared intently at that mysterious envelope, but didn't immediately reach for it.
"What is this?"
"A marriage agreement. This is my condition" I stated the core condition bluntly.
"Be my Luna."
- Writer
