The Luna He Shouldn’t Want

Chapter 12. The Cold Heir’s Match

Varya

They say a Luna should be poised, quiet in strength, graceful in fury. I’ve mastered every one of those things. And today, I’m going to meet the man who’ll make all of it worth something. Dominic Veylor, alpha heir of the Moonspire Pack.

I watched the rise before us through the tinted window of our black SUV, its spires like spears of moonlight. I smiled slightly to myself, practiced but soft. My mother glanced at me, her lipstick immaculate, her presence as elegant as ever.

“You know what’s expected.” She said calmly.

“Of course,” I replied, turning to her with an expression that held the perfect mix of excitement and serenity. “It’s an honor.

She nodded once, satisfied. Behind her calm eyes I could sense the steel. This wasn’t just about love, it was never.

We stepped out my heels hitting the ground with a soft click. I straightened my navy blue dress, the silk cool against my skin. The Moonspire guards opened the grand entrance for us, and I entered like a queen that I am.

Dominic wasn’t waiting to greet us,that was my first clue. I know we agreed yesterday but… I’m short of words.

Instead it was his beta Andre, if I recall correctly, but if I’m wrong it’s still fine, who offered a polite nod and led us in. I knew how to smile, how to keep my expression warm and untouched. But in truth, it irritated me slightly. I was here for him wasn’t I?

He made me wait.

When he finally did arrive, I recognized him instantly, tall, sharp jawed, with eyes like storm clouds that refused to settle. He walked into the room like he owned the air way, and I rose to meet him. The first thing I noticed wasn’t his strength. It was the distance in his gaze.

“Dominic,” I greeted, extending a hand.

He shook it briefly “Vaya.”

Not a single smile, not even pretense. Cold. Detached. Walled off, like a fortress no one had breached. And for some reason that intrigued me.

I knew how to work with attention. Some men bent easily when I smiled when tilted my head slightly. But Dominic. He didn’t look at me in the eyes long enough for it to matter.

Still I played my part, flawlessly .

“You have a beautiful home,” I said, glancing around the hall.

He gave me a faint nod, “it does the job.”

And then nothing.

An awkward silence to most. But to me, it was a puzzle. One I would enjoy solving.

I let my eyes linger on him a moment too long. Just enough to stir curiosity, or at least awareness. I’d studied courtship like strategy. Timing. Words. Silence. Touch. I could adapt to the cold. Cold meant I’d have to earn it, and earning it meant he’d eventually believe he chose me.

We sat across from one another for the formal meeting. Our parents discussed the blood summit. The alliance. Expectations. I already know the line. I smiled at the right moments, nodded at the rest.

But my eyes stayed on him.

“You don’t talk much,” I said during a lull in the conversation, voice light.

“I talk when it’s necessary.” He replied.

I could’ve taken offense, but I didn’t. Instead, I leaned forward slightly, resting my chin on my hand. “I suppose I’ll have to make it necessary then.”

That got his attention, not with words, but with the way his gaze flicked towards me, focused for a moment. He didn’t smile, but his jaw ticked . A sign of reaction.

Victory.

Small enough.

After the meeting, we were left alone briefly. His Beta had stepped out to take a call, and our parents were discussing timelines somewhere behind the walls.

“You don’t want this, do you?” I asked gently.

He looked at me, and this time his stare didn’t pull away so quickly. “It’s not about what I want, and I guess we’ve spoken about this yesterday.”

“Well," I said, stepping closer, “then it makes it easier for you to not hate it.”

His brow lifted. “You think you can?”

I tilted my head “I don’t think. I know.”

We didn’t touch. He didn’t reach for me. And I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being too eager. But I let him see that I wasn’t like the others. I wasn’t a girl dreaming of what I can’t have. I was a woman playing a long game, and if he couldn’t love me then he’d respect me.

I would build that bridge with skill if I had to.

The ride home was quiet. My mother didn’t speak until the gates were behind us.

“Well?”

“He’s cold,” I said, “guarded.”

“Good,” she replied, “ cold men are easier to direct if you warm them correctly.”

I smiled faintly. She wasn’t wrong.

But in my chest, somewhere beneath the layer of calculation, I felt something else. A whisper. The trill of challenges. He wasn’t the man I thought he’d be, but it’ll be fun.

That meant I had to become something better, something unexpected.

I am soon to be Luna.

And I’ll make him look at me the way he should look at his Luna.