Chapter-6
1551 Words
Lily
Rowan was waiting in the bedroom when I stepped out of the shower. He seemed a tad drunk as his eyes met mine. He was shirtless, dressed only in his pajama pants. There was a time when that sight would have stopped me. I used to admire the way he carried himself, the quiet confidence of an Alpha who knew his place in the world.
Now, the sight of him made my stomach turn.
I turned away from him and walked toward the closet, intent on putting physical distance between us. I had barely reached the door when his hand closed around my wrist. The touch made my stomach heave immediately.
“Don’t,” I said, pulling my hand free. “Let go.” He did, at once.
“I just want to talk,” he said, his voice lower than usual. He ran a hand through his hair, looking irritated and restless. “I…I needed to say something.” I evened him with a look.
“I’m sorry,” Rowan said after a beat when I didn't respond.
The word sounded unfamiliar in his mouth. Not because he didn’t know how to say it — but because he wasn’t used to it. I have never heard Rowan utter the word 'sorry.' He stayed quiet for a moment, as if weighing how much he could say without making things worse. When he finally spoke, his voice was lower, careful.
“I shouldn’t have let it happen like that,” he said. “You shouldn’t have heard any of it.”
I said nothing.
He shifted his weight, running a hand through his hair. “It wasn’t meant to come out the way it did. I lost control of the situation, and you were caught in the middle of it. I know what you saw upset you. Anyone would have reacted the way you did.” He glanced at me briefly, checking for a response. There was none, so he kept going, slower now.
“I’m saying this shouldn’t go further,” he said. “Not tonight. Not like that.”
I could see the calculation behind his eyes now, the quiet urgency beneath the restraint. He wasn’t trying to repair what he’d broken. He was trying to make sure it stayed contained.
“Please say something…” he grimaced, and I could see he was trying f*****g damn hard not to lash out at me.
“I need space,” I said when he finally stopped speaking. “I’ll talk when I’m ready.”
Rowan let out a breath he’d been holding, relief slipping through before he could mask it.
“Fine,” he said. “That’s fine.”
He seemed to relax after that, just a fraction. The tension in his shoulders eased, and he nodded once, as if we had reached some unspoken agreement.
“There is something else,” I said, turning towards him.
He looked up at once. “What is it?”
“At the Luna Ball,” I said, “there were discussions about a few commercial properties near the central city. Warehousing, transit-linked developments. The kind of investments that would extend the pack’s influence beyond our current borders.”
He frowned slightly. “Who mentioned this to you?”
“People I trust,” I said. “It’s worth looking at… if you trust my instincts and if you are interested.”
I didn’t push. I didn’t explain further. I let the words hang between us.
He watched me for a moment, weighing it. Under different circumstances, he would have pressed for names or asked for assurances, but tonight he didn’t. The need to settle things between us mattered more than his damned money.
He nodded. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll have the funds released.”
He lingered a moment after that, as though waiting for something more. When none came, he nodded once, muttered that we would speak again soon, and left the room.
I locked the door after he left and stayed where I was for a moment, my hand still resting against the wood. Then I turned away and began getting ready for bed, already shifting my focus to the next steps.
“What is this about, Luna?” one of the elders asked as the council gathered the next morning.
The word urgent had done its work. Rowan sat across the table, pale and rigid, his attention fixed on me with an intensity that bordered on panic. Kara lingered near the doorway, hovering, her eyes darting to him every few seconds as though waiting for instruction.
As my she-wolf, she followed me everywhere. Unfortunately.
I took my place at the head of the table and waited for the room to settle before speaking.
“There are negotiations that need my personal attention,” I said calmly. “They can’t be handled through messages or representatives.”
A few elders exchanged looks, but no one interrupted.
“I’ll be traveling to the city to oversee them myself,” I continued. “I’ll be away for a few days.” That caught their attention.
“While I’m gone,” I added, “Kara will take care of the daily Luna duties.”
The room went quiet.
Kara straightened at once, surprise flashing across her face before she could hide it. Her lips curved into a small smile, and she lifted her chin slightly, clearly pleased. This was, after all, the opportunity she had been dying to have for so long.
Rowan’s reaction was different. His shoulders tensed, and his jaw tightened as he glanced briefly in Kara’s direction before looking back at me. He looked uneasy, but he didn’t speak. Whatever doubts he had, he kept them to himself.
“So Kara will manage things in your absence?” one of the elders asked.
“Yes,” I said. “She’ll handle all Luna duties while I’m away.”
"Are you sure?" another elder asked, not at all looking convinced.
I turned to Kara then and smiled at her, slow and warm, the kind of smile I had perfected over the years. I nodded once, as though the answer was obvious.
“Of course,” I said easily. “Alpha has praised her so many times for her outstanding work. I’m sure she can handle everything.”
My gaze shifted to Rowan.
“Won’t you agree?” I asked softly.
For a moment, his jaw tightened. His eyes hardened just enough for me to notice. Then he nodded, curt and restrained, saying nothing.
“That settles it,” I said, turning back to the elders. “Kara will officially be in charge starting today.”
I let my gaze move around the table. “That’s all, gentlemen. Thank you for your time.”
There were nods of agreement, chairs shifting as the meeting ended. No one questioned it. No one lingered. With one last look at Rowan and Kara, I turned and walked out of the hall. I had taken only a few steps down the corridor when a guard hurried toward me.
“Luna,” he said, lowering his head. “Someone has arrived asking to see you.” I frowned at him.
“Who?” The guard shrugged.
“He didn’t give a name. He came alone and said only that he had business with the Luna.”
I blinked at him. No one ever came asking for me. Because I had no one…or at least that’s what I thought. Elder Elian’s words surfaced in my mind without warning.
Help is already on the way.
I nodded once at the guard. “Bring him in.”
The guard hesitated. “Here, Luna?”
“Yes,” I said. “I’ll speak with him.”
He bowed and stepped away. I turned toward the window at the end of the corridor, my thoughts already moving ahead, considering what this interruption might mean and whether it would complicate the plans I had just set in motion.
After a beat, footsteps approached behind me, measured and unhurried. I didn’t turn right away. I assumed it was the guard returning, or some messenger sent on someone else’s behalf.
And then something inside me shifted.
There was no reason for it. No warning. Just a sudden tightening in my chest, my heartbeat picking up as my wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin. Warmth spread through me, unfamiliar and unsettling. Before I could make sense of it, the voice spoke behind me.
“Luna.”
I froze. I knew that voice. Not because I heard it often. Because I had never forgotten it…no matter how hard I tried. Slowly, my heart pounding in my chest, I turned around.
He stood a few steps away, alone now, watching me with the same quiet stillness I remembered from that night. Recognition crossed his face at the same moment the world seemed to tilt beneath my feet.
It was him.
The man whose touch I had tried to forget and failed miserably. The man I never expected to see again. The man whose child I carried without ever believing fate would bring him back into my life.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The corridor suddenly felt too small.
What was he doing here?
- Writer
