Chapter 216 Vampire Luna

Chapter 216 Vampire Luna
I slowly walked down the dimly lit hallway, my heart hammering like a trapped bird against my ribs as I approached the massive double doors of Alpha Damon's private quarters. To my utter surprise, the armored guards standing on either side of the entrance didn't raise their spears or step forward to block my path. They simply watched me in cold, respectful silence, lowering their heads in a brief nod. I supposed they had already memorized my face by now, knowing better than to bar the door against the woman who held such a strange, complicated place in their Alpha's life.
My feet felt like lead, dragging across the polished stone floor as I reached the heavy wooden door. I raised my hand, my fingers hovering just an inch over the cold brass handle, but I froze.
Oh, Goddess, why was this simple act so terrifyingly hard?
A wave of dread washed over me, twisting my stomach into tight knots. I was completely certain that the moment he saw my face, an expression of pure irritation would cross his features. A bitter thought crept into my mind—a piece of dark wisdom I had heard people whisper about all my life. They always said that rich, powerful, and famous men got tired of women the exact second they were done using them and sleeping with them.
I had never truly understood why people viewed intimacy in such a one-sided way. After all, the passion was mutual, wasn't it? The woman actively chose to lie with the man, sharing the warmth of the moment just as much as he did. Yet society always made it seem as though the woman lost a precious piece of herself, as if the man had somehow used her up and thrown her away after he had his fun. She enjoyed the sweetness of those moments just as much as he did, didn't she? But standing outside Damon's door, feeling so utterly helpless, I realized I would probably never truly understand the harsh rules of the world.
I closed my eyes tightly, resting my forehead against the cool wood of the frame. A silent, desperate prayer rose from the depths of my heart, directed straight to the Moon Goddess above.
Please... I pleaded silently in the darkness of my mind. Even if he truly doesn't want me in his life anymore, please let him tell me in a polite, gentle, and calm way. Please don't let him shatter what little is left of my heart into pieces.
Because if I was being completely honest with myself, if he turned to me with cold disgust and told me he was entirely done with me, I would feel utterly crushed. I would feel used, worthless, and wretched. I knew I would cry myself to sleep for countless lonely nights, weeping over what we once had.
I could already feel the heavy, crushing weight of heartbreak settling onto my chest before I had even set foot inside the room. The sting of rejection was already burning behind my eyelids. Wow... I genuinely wasn't sure if I would ever recover from my very first true heartbreak. My past breakup with Logan had been painful and humiliating, but Logan and I had never been physically intimate. There had been no deep, soul-binding connection between us, which had made that wound much easier to heal from over time. But this? What I shared with Damon? Would this ever be easy to move on from?
I squeezed my eyes shut, taking a deep, shuddering breath in through my nose and letting it out slowly through my parted lips. I forced my trembling hand forward, grabbed the brass handle, and pushed the heavy door open.
The very second I stepped across the threshold into his private sanctuary, a thick, familiar wall of scent washed over me like a warm tide.
It was his distinct, intoxicating aroma—a dark blend of rich cedar, wild rain, and subtle spices. The sheer nostalgia of it hit me so hard my knees nearly buckled. My brain instantly linked that scent to a flood of buried emotions. I remembered how, whenever I was wrapped in that specific smell, I felt completely safe, warm, and genuinely happy. The sweetest, most cherished moments of my dark and dismal life had all been forged right inside this very room.
I looked around the spacious quarters. It felt like an eternity since I had last stood here. Suddenly, an unexpected, blooming sense of joy flared up in the center of my chest, making my breath catch in my throat. I knew it was just a psychological reaction—my brain flooding my body with dopamine simply because the last time it registered this wonderful scent, I had experienced pure bliss.
I took a few quiet, hesitant steps further into the warm glow of the room.
There he sat.
Damon was leaning over a massive, dark oak desk near the far corner, his broad shoulders squared as his large hand moved a fountain pen smoothly across a thick sheet of parchment. The soft light of the desk lamp glinted off his dark hair, highlighting the razor-sharp edge of his jawline.
Before I could even find my voice or clear my dry throat, he paused his writing. He didn't look up right away, but a faint, unreadable smirk touched the corner of his lips.
"Hello, love," he rumbled softly, his deep, velvet voice slicing through the quiet room as his dark eyes slowly rose to lock directly onto mine. "L
ong time no see."