Chapter 20 Chapter 20
I’d barely slept last night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the movie. Kaius’s face. The bulge in his pants. My own hand creeping higher on my thigh. Zane’s suspicious gaze cutting through my lies like they were made of paper.
I dragged myself out of bed feeling worse than when I’d collapsed into it.
Leila was leaving that morning, so I could not miss the family breakfast.
When I entered the dining room, Leila was already there. Bright and cheerful and warm in ways that made my guilt sharpen. She fussed over Kaius’s collar.
“You’re going to wrinkle it if you keep fidgeting,” she scolded gently.
“I’m not fidgeting.”
“You absolutely are.”
I slid into my seat as quietly as possible, keeping my eyes on my plate. Zane sat at the head of the table, his expression unreadable as he methodically cut into his food.
I could feel him watching me.
Every time I reached for my water glass. Every time I shifted in my chair. His attention was a physical weight I couldn’t escape.
Leila filled the silence with talk of her journey back to the Northern Territories. The preparations she still needed to make. How much she’d miss being here, but duty called and her mate was getting impatient.
“It’s always hard to leave,” she said with a soft smile. “But home is where your mate is, isn’t it?”
The words landed like stones in my stomach.
Kaius made a noncommittal sound, pushing food around his plate.
Zane said nothing.
The silence between the three of us—Zane, Kaius, and me—was deafening despite Leila’s cheerful chatter.
After breakfast, Leila pulled me aside. Her hand was warm on my arm, her expression genuinely kind in a way that made me want to confess everything.
“I’m so happy Zane found his mate,” she said softly. “He’s been alone for too long. Closed off. I worried he’d never let anyone in. I’m glad you are with him now.”
I managed a small smile that felt like a lie. “Thank you.”
“And I worry about Kaius sometimes.” She glanced at her son, who was saying something to Zane in low tones across the room. “I wish he’d settle. Find his mate. He needs someone to hold him steady. Someone who sees past the charm to what’s underneath.”
My stomach twisted into knots.
“I hope he finds her soon,” Leila continued, oblivious to my internal collapse. “Someone good. Someone worthy of him.”
Guilt crawled up my throat like bile. Not because I wanted to be that someone.
I forced myself to nod. “I’m sure he will.”
Across the room, Zane was watching us.
Observing every flicker of my expression. Every forced smile and moment of discomfort I tried to hide.
Leila pulled me into a hug.
“Take care of yourself, Luna,” she murmured against my hair.
When she pulled back, her expression turned more serious.
“And please—take care of my brother and my son. Would you promise me that?”
I froze.
The question hung in the air between us, heavier than it should have been. Simple words. A simple request from a sister and mother who loved her family.
But I was the wrong person to make this promise.
I knew attraction was clouding my judgment. I knew that last night in that private lounge had crossed invisible lines I didn’t fully understand yet. And that promising to care for both Zane and Kaius felt like standing at the edge of a cliff.
But Leila deserved a yes. She’d been nothing but kind to me. And I’d never been able to refuse kindness, not when it was offered so rarely.
“Yes,” I whispered. “I’ll take care of them.”
From that simple statement, the room shifted.
At the table, Zane stopped speaking mid-sentence. His head turned slightly, just enough that I knew he’d heard.
Kaius’s jaw tightened. His eyes flicked to me sharply before he looked away.
And Leila—sweet, oblivious Leila—beamed like the promise was lighthearted instead of loaded with tension that she couldn’t see.
She squeezed my hands warmly. “Thank you. That means more than you know.”
She pulled me into one final hug, then turned to gather her things. The car was already waiting outside.
Kaius followed his mother to say goodbye, leaving me standing awkwardly in the dining room while Zane remained seated. Silent. Still watching.
I tried not to look flustered, but my throat felt tight.
When Kaius returned a few minutes later, he caught my eye across the room. Gave me a small wave like last night hadn’t happened.
Then he disappeared down the hallway to his wing.
The room emptied slowly until only Zane and I remained.
The silence settled again, thick and suffocating.
He stood and began to leave. But paused beside me, close enough that his presence disrupted my breathing.
“Don’t let my sister’s sweetness mislead you.”
His voice was low. Conversational in tone but edged.
“You barely know me. You barely know my nephew.” He didn’t look at me when he said it. Just stared straight ahead. “Be careful what promises you make.”
It was a warning delivered in a perfectly Zane way.
It made me feel small. Unsure. Guilty without knowing exactly why.
Before I could respond, he turned and left the room, not waiting for my reaction.
Later that morning, Geraldine appeared at my door. Stiff as ever. Her expression was neutral but her eyes were sharp with judgment.
“Your Lunar Convergence fitting has been scheduled,” she announced. “Outside the packhouse, at Moonweave atelier. Alpha Zane has personally instructed that everything regarding the Luna’s attire must be perfect. You’re to prepare immediately.”
The formality of the message made me feel even more unsteady.
I followed Geraldine out to the waiting car without argument.
The Moonweave atelier was luxurious in a way that felt intimidating. All polished marble, soft lanterns casting golden light, and pale fabrics draped across mannequins.
The seamstress greeted me with a respectful bow, her hands pressed together. She treated me with the respect reserved for nobility, guiding me toward a raised platform surrounded by mirrors.
I tried on ceremonial gowns one after another. Listening to hems rustle and pins click. The seamstress adjusted the fabric around my waist and shoulders like a professional.
Unarguably, everything about the fitting was going great.
Until the bell over the shop door rang.
And through that door, a noblewoman walked in.
She was beautiful. Elegant. The kind of woman who moved through the world knowing she was admired. Her dress was perfectly tailored. Her hair immaculate.
And I recognized her instantly.
She was the woman Zane had been with that night weeks ago, the night I’d carried a tray into his chambers and had been forced to watch their bodies moving together while she smirked at me over his shoulder.
She stopped when she saw me.
Her smile widened, recognition sparkling in her eyes.
“Oh,” she said softly, stepping closer. “You.”
My stomach dropped.
The seamstress paused her work, pretending not to listen but clearly hanging on every word.
“I remember you,” the noblewoman continued, drifting closer with that predatory grace certain women perfected. “You used to bring the Alpha’s things to his room, didn’t you? Awwn, you are so quiet… no wonder he never noticed you.”
Each word landed like a carefully aimed dart.
“You must feel overwhelmed,” she said, her tone dripping with false sympathy. “With the whole attention of suddenly being his Luna. He can be… intense.” She leaned in slightly, her voice lowering to a conspiratorial tone. “Don’t worry. He wasn’t gentle with any of us. Though I heard out of the blue that he finally took a Luna. Which turned out to be you. Surprising, really.”
She tilted her head, examining me.
“Does he treat you better than he treated the rest of us? Or does he still prefer to take what he wants when he’s bored?”
The lines cut quietly, strategic little daggers meant to injure without leaving visible wounds.
I remained still. Refusing to react.
As if the goddess knew I did not have the capacity to hear anymore of it, the door opened.
And to my surprise, Zane walked in.
His strides were steady as he walked towards me, and the face of the lady from whom I would graciously withdraw my ‘noble’ tag, lit up.
“Alpha Zane.” She straightened, expecting acknowledgment. Some flicker of recognition. A smile, perhaps. Or that heated look he used to give her.
But Zane’s eyes bypassed her completely, landing on me.
I stood on the platform in a fitted moon-silk gown. My cheeks pale. Shoulders slightly tense.
He stepped closer. Close enough to examine the gown. His gaze swept down slowly, assessing every line and curve of the fabric.
“This one,” he said quietly. “She wears this tomorrow.”
The noblewoman blinked. Waiting for him to look at her.
He turned to me instead, looking at me with that unreadable, heavy gaze that made my pulse stutter.
“Are you finished here?” he asked. “We’re leaving together.”
“Huh?” I stuttered, catching myself immediately. “I mean, I came in a different vehicle. You don’t have to wait.”
“I will,” Zane muttered. Placing himself in an empty seat, he pulled out his phone. “I will be here, let me know when you are done.”