Ch. I Refuse to Be Your Luna 56 I Refuse to Be Your Luna 56

I Refuse To Be Your Luna

Chapter 56 No Substitutions

Lady Flourish’s POV

Rhys, unfortunately, was warming up to his own idea.

Finished

“I’m serious,” he said as we headed for the elevators. “One of the managers in Operations met his mate right here. Worked together three years before they married.” He glanced at me. “After that, she decided to stay home and raise their pups.”

“Congratulations to them.”

“They have three children.”

“Wonderful.”

“You’re not taking this seriously.”

I almost laughed. “Since when did you become a matchmaker?”

“I’m not matchmaking.”

“You just spent ten minutes trying to introduce me to wolves I haven’t even met.”

“They aren’t imaginary.”

“That somehow makes it worse.”

He looked frustrated, genuinely concerned, his wolf stirring with more restlessness than I usually sensed from him over ordinary work matters. “Flourish. I’m just saying Harold isn’t the only wolf in the seven territories.”

Harold’s name dulled my mood instantly. My wolf retreated. Rhys noticed, and his own wolf quieted.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know.” I shook my head, offered him a small smile. “Thank you, but there’s no need. I’m not thinking about another relationship right now.”

Something in my voice convinced him, and he finally let it drop. Thankfully, because I genuinely had no idea what had gotten into him.

We walked the rest of the way to Stormbridge Group in relative silence. The glass tower rose above the ‘street, catching the afternoon light, cars moving steadily below.

The moment we stepped inside, I felt powerful wolves. The lobby looked like any modern corporate space, scanners and reception desks and digital displays, but beneath the polish the instincts of everyone around us were impossible to miss.

Scents shifted. Heads turned toward Rhys, then toward me. My wolf lifted her head, and I told her to relax. She ignored me.

“I’ll be right back,” I told Rhys, who nodded absently, already focused on the meeting ahead.

18:56 Wed, Sep

Chapter 56 No Substitutions.

In the restroom I stared at my phone for a long moment before opening our messages and pressing call.

I’d faced hostile board members, brutal negotiations, my father trying to control my life. Calling Damian felt worse than all of it.

The line connected, then disconnected immediately. Had he rejected it, or had I hung up by accident? Wonderful. Now I looked even stranger. I typed instead.

“Alpha Damian, I didn’t realize you were calling earlier and ended it by mistake. I’m sorry.”

Polite. Neutral. Professional. I sent it and slipped my phone away.

Rhys spotted me the second I returned to the lobby. “There you are. The other party’s here. Let’s go.”

e conference room sat on the twenty-sixth floor. Only the two of us had been invited. The moment we

ped out of the elevator, my wolf went restless again, not wrong exactly, just unexpected.

ys felt it too, his shoulders tining. Too many wolves for a simple signing: dominant males, powerful e-wolves, senior executives presence alone changed the air in the hallway.

Rhys adjusted his tie.

“That’s seven times,” I s

“It is not.”

“It is.”

Outside the doo

The room comparing more li

A si

Ca

Relax. Don’t let your wolf get agitated.” I nodded, straightened, and we went

ed, department heads around a long table, executives from Investments finance on the far side, planning staff talking quietly among themselves. It felt than a signing.

Peter Vaughn. Welcome.” He introduced Mr. Brennan from Investments, Ms. handful of others we’d be working with going forward.

half listening, because two seats at the center of the table were empty, and an beside a stack of documents near one of them. My pulse quickened. I looked away

please review while we wait,” Peter said, sliding copies across. Then, almost as an Damian is finishing a call, he’ll join us shortly.”

Rhys looked as surprised as I felt. “Seems this project has his full attention,” he said. Peter

zed, loud in the quiet room. Rhys glanced sideways. I looked down.

ling. Again.”

ied her face in her paws. “Sorry, I’ll step outside,” I said, and this time there was no hance I’d

19:56 Wed, Sep 30

Chapter 56 No Substitutions

reject it. In the corridor I picked up.

Hello, Alpha Damian.”

“So now you remember how to answer your phone.” His voice was deep, steady, entirely too relaxed.

“I didn’t mean to—”

“Hm.”

The single sound carried enough disbelief to make my wolf whimper. I still hadn’t decided what to call him. Alpha Damian felt formal, Damian felt too familiar, and the whole thing had gotten strangely complicated.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“At your company. I stepped out to take the call.”

“Look up.”

I lifted my head and froze. He stood near the floor to ceiling windows, phone at his ear, afternoon light along his shoulders, his wolf’s pr e steady even from a distance.

I walked toward him, not to sharp features softened fo

He lowered the phone

The second he ope

Attention snap

me once, m

Sat.

slow, while my own wolf reacted in a way I chose to ignore. His

n our eyes met, then settled again.

1. They’ve probably been waiting.”

ce room door, every conversation stopped.

and instinctive. He crossed the room toward an empty seat, glanced at

“Apolog with a

Sil

into Lady Flourish outside.” Every eye turned to me. “She seemed occupied d, I think.”

Boyfriend? Why did he open his mouth just to cause trouble?

er coughed, someone suddenly found their paperwork fascinating. My wolf wanted and stay there.

entually, contracts and numbers and deadlines, and I forced myself to focus until urned to me, composed and unreadable.

ed there were disagreements within your company regarding this engagement.” The room olf stirred beside me. Damian slid a document forward. “Because of that, we’ve included an ition.” His eyes met mine. “The core team assigned to this project will be led exclusively by

arish.”

ence.

tions.”

my composure, be

se meant, and so did everyone else.

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Chapter 56 No Substitutions

Kael could compete, interfere, undercut us again, but once this contract was signed he’d have no way to replace me, no way to insert another wolf into my position, no way to take the project away.

On sentence, and Damian had shut the competing company out completely.

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