I Refuse to Be Your Luna

Ch. I Refuse to Be Your Luna 20 I Refuse to Be Your Luna 20

I Refuse To Be Your Luna

Chapter 20 Betrayal

Lady Flourish’s POV

Finished

I regretted agreeing to lunch the moment I stepped into the elevator with Damian.

And no, it was not because I didn’t want food.

Quite the opposite actually, because my stomach was already celebrating the decision.

The problem was Damian himself, or rather, the way he seemed entirely too comfortable around me.

For someone who had disappeared from my life for almost eight years, he acted as though we’d spoken yesterday.

Meanwhile, I could barely survive a conversation without becoming painfully aware of how tall he was.

The elevator doors opened and he gestured forward.

“After you, Little Flower.”

I rolled my eyes and walked ahead. “One day I’m going to ban that nickname.”

“You can try.”

“I own half the territory.”

“And I own the other half.”

I glared at him, and he smirked. The worst part was that he wasn’t entirely wrong.

By the time we arrived at the restaurant, I had already decided that Alpha Damian Stormbridge was an insufferable man.

The hostess practically tripped over herself when she recognized him, then immediately did the same thing when she recognized me.

The restaurant itself overlooked the sea, with floor–to–ceiling windows and polished black marble floors. Every table was occupied by wealthy businessmen, pack leaders, investors, and wolves who wanted everyone around them to know they were important.

In other words, Damian fit right in.

We were shown to a private section near the back. I barely sat down before Damian pushed a

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menu toward me. “Order first.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Order.”

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “Why?”

Finished

His expression remained calm. “Because if I order first, you’ll claim you’re not hungry and ask for a salad.”

I felt personally attacked. “That’s not true.”

“It absolutely is.”

My wolf whined in betrayal.

Because unfortunately… It was true.

I looked down at the menu, and five minutes later I had ordered enough food for a small army.

Damian looked disturbingly pleased. “You were saying?”

“Shut up.”

His laugh rumbled through the table.

Goddess.

How was a laugh attractive?

That wasn’t fair.

The food arrived shortly afterward, and for the first time all day, I felt myself relax.

No discussions about the Luna Rite or Harold or family drama or expectations.

Just food.

Glorious food.

Damian mostly watched me eat with an amused expression.

Eventually I lowered my fork. “If you keep staring, I’m going to charge you. It’s creepy.”

“I’m admiring how efficient you are at eating.”

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“You’re annoying.”

Finished

“That’s not what your wolf thinks.”

I nearly choked. My wolf immediately betrayed me by wagging metaphorical tails somewhere deep inside.

I hated both of them.

Across the restaurant, another group entered through the main entrance, and somehow I didn’t notice.

Damian didn’t either.

Neither of us saw Alpha Harold escorting Phina toward a table on the opposite side of the building.

The restaurant was large enough that several walls and decorative partitions separated the sections.

Had I looked up, I might have recognized him immediately.

Had Harold looked around carefully, he might have caught my scent.

Instead, fate continued its cruel little game.

Hours passed surprisingly quickly.

Somewhere between arguing over business expansion and listening to Damian explain how he had built Stormbridge from nothing, I found myself genuinely enjoying his company.

Which was dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Because every time I started forgetting how attractive he was, he would smile.

Then I’d have to start all over again.

By the time lunch ended, the restaurant had become significantly busier.

Business leaders filled nearly every available table.

Investors wandered around exchanging greetings.

Several wolves recognized me and offered respectful nods.

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I was gathering my things when my telecom suddenly rang.

The ringtone echoed much louder than expected.

I glanced at the screen, then groaned.

Damian immediately noticed.

“What?”

I turned the screen toward him, and his brows lifted.“Your father.”

“Unfortunately.”

The call continued ringing and ringing and ringing, and eventually I answered.

“Alpha.”

Garret’s furious voice exploded through the receiver. “WHERE ARE YOU?”

Every nearby table fell silent.

Wonderful.

Just wonderful.

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“At lunch.”

“Lunch?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any idea what is happening right now?”

I already knew where this was going.

Finished

Probably Harold.

Always Harold.

“I assume this is about the failed Luna Rite.”

The entire restaurant became noticeably quieter. A few businessmen glanced in my while others openly stared.

direction,

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Finished

My father practically growled through the receiver. “You keep finding news ways embarrass this family.”

I laughed a genuine laugh. “No Alpha.”

The room was completely silent now, and every wolf within earshot was listening.

“You embarrassed yourselves.”

Damian leaned back in his chair. His green eyes practically glowed with amusement.

My father on the other hand sounded moments away from exploding.

“Flourish-”

“No.” The words came out sharper than intended.

“I spent six years preparing to become Harold’s Luna.”

Several gasps sounded throughout the restaurant. I ignored them.

“I spent six years being patient.”

More wolves turned toward me.

“I spent six years being understanding.”

My voice grew calmer and colder.

“And somehow all of you expected me to apologize because he couldn’t stop running after another woman. Did you ask the dear Alpha why the Rite couldn’t hold today?”

The silence became absolute, and even the servers had stopped moving.

Across the restaurant, Harold froze. I watched his hand tightened around his wine glass.

Then slowly, very slowly, he turned toward the sound of my voice.

For the first time all afternoon, our eyes met, and the color drained from his face.

Beside him, Phina looked equally stunned.

I froze too. What the hell?

Of all the restaurants in the territory for him to show up…

Of all the possible places…

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440

Finished

My father was still yelling through the telecom, so I ended the call without another word.

Then I stared directly at Harold.

The entire restaurant watched us. The atmosphere became so tense it felt tangible.

Harold’s gaze shifted slowly from me to Damian, who was still seated beside me.

Looking relaxed, calm, and entirely unbothered.

The realization hit Harold like a physical blow.

And judging by the expression on Phina’s face, it hit her too.

I swallowed.

Damian casually stood beside me.

Then, without breaking eye contact with Harold, he took my handbag from the table and handed it to me.

Such a simple, harmless gesture, yet somehow it felt devastating, because it was the sort of thing Harold had never once thought to do.

Damian’s voice was calm. “Ready to go, Little Flower?”

匪

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。39

Finished

For years, there had always been a sadness lingering behind her eyes, a weight she carried even when she smiled. Looking at her now, that burden seemed lighter.

The realization irritated me far more than it should have.

Then Damian stood, and the atmosphere shifted immediately.

It wasn’t even intentional. The man simply had that effect on people. Wolves noticed him wherever he went. Dominance radiated from him so naturally that it felt less like a display of power and more like breathing.

I hated it.

I hated the way other Alphas respected him.

I hated the way lesser wolves, any wolves, lowered their heads whenever he entered a room.

Most of all, I hated how comfortable Flourish appeared around him.

Damian picked up her handbag and handed it to her. The gesture itself was harmless, but something about it made my jaw tighten. It looked natural. Familiar. As though he had done it countless times before.

His gaze lifted and met mine, then he smirked.

My wolf surged forward immediately.

Several wolves nearby visibly stiffened as my Alpha waves spread through the restaurant, but Damian didn’t appear affected in the slightest.

If anything, his amusement only deepened.”

“Alpha Harold,” he called calmly. His voice carried across the room with ease.

I rose from my seat. “What?”

Damian slipped one hand into his pocket and tilted his head slightly. “I’d advise you to stop bullying her.”

The statement hit me so unexpectedly that I thought I had misheard him.

“What did you say?”

“I said I’d advise you to stop bullying her.”

The room fell even quieter.

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Finished

My wolf pushed harder against the surface. “As far as I know,” I said carefully, “my relationship with Flourish is none of your concern.”

Damian’s brows lifted slightly. “That’s interesting,” he replied. “Because from where I’m standing, your relationship seems to have become everybody’s concern.”

Murmurs spread through the restaurant.

I could feel people listening, watching judging. My patience was rapidly disappearing. “You know nothing about my relationship with Flourish.”

“I know enough.” His expression lost some of its amusement. “I know she spent six years waiting for you.”

My jaw tightened. “I was handling my responsibilities.”

Damian gave a small nod. “Congratulations. You still managed to miss your Luna Rite.”

Several nearby wolves visibly winced. The reminder felt like a slap. I felt my wolf growl inside me. “I respect you a lot because you’re my older brother, Damian. But you’ll need to be careful.”

His green eyes sharpened. “No. If anything, you’re the one who should be careful.”

The words settled heavily between us. Before I could respond, he continued.

“Because if you think grabbing a woman and forcing her into your vehicle is acceptable behavior, perhaps Stonehedge’s standards have declined considerably since I left.”

Gasps erupted around the restaurant. My blood ran cold. I glanced toward Flourish instinctively, and she immediately looked away.

Of course. She had told him. Frustration clawed at my chest. “It wasn’t like that.”

“No?”

“It was a private disagreement.”

“Then perhaps you should have kept it private.”

For the first time since this confrontation began, I found myself without an immediate response.

The truth was that I hadn’t intended to humiliate Flourish. I hadn’t intended for anyone to see us. I certainly hadn’t intended for Damian to hear about it.

I had only wanted her to listen.

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Finished

I had wanted her to stop pushing me away long enough for us to fix things.

Yet somehow every attempt I made only seemed to drive her further from me.

Before I could gather my thoughts, Phina suddenly rose from her chair.

“Please stop.”

Her voice was soft enough to draw immediate attention. Tears shimmered in her eyes. Several wolves nearby softened instantly.

“It isn’t Harold’s fault,” she said quietly. “If Lady Flourish is angry with anyone, it should be me.”

Across the room, Flourish laughed. The sound wasn’t loud. It wasn’t cruel. If anything, it sounded exhausted.

Phina visibly flinched. “Lady Flourish—”

“Please don’t.” Flourish’s voice was far too calm. “I’ve heard enough speeches this week.”

Phina’s lower lip trembled. “You’re misunderstanding everything.”

A faint smile touched Flourish’s lips, and there was no warmth in it.

“No,” she replied softly. “I understand perfectly.”

Then she looked at me, and everything else seemed to disappear. All of it faded beneath the weight of her gaze.

“I spent years believing that every time you chose her over me, there had to be a good reason.”

My chest tightened painfully. “Flourish-”

“I don’t anymore.”

The words hit me a lot harder than I expected, because she had sounded as though she had finally exhausted every excuse she had ever made for me.

Around us, the restaurant remained silent.

Phina looked devastated.

Damian looked dangerously pleased.

I stood there wondering how everything had gone wrong.

Because I had tried. Hadn’t I?

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Finished

I had arranged the Rite. I had spoken to Alpha Garret. I had bought her gifts. I had made plans for our future. I had intended to make things right.

Yet somehow none of it seemed to matter.

Flourish held my gaze for a long moment before shaking her head softly. The movement was small, almost sad. As though she no longer recognized the man standing before her.

“Goodbye, Harold.”