Ch. I Refuse to Be Your Luna 99 I Refuse to Be Your Luna 99

Chapter 99 Noticeable Change

Alpha Damian’s POV

The board meeting had ended twenty minutes ago.

RO

Most of the executives had already left the conference room, yet I remained seated at the head of the table, my phone resting beside the untouched cup of coffee that had long gone cold.

The photograph I had uploaded earlier that morning was still open on my screen. The living room looked different-warmer, even.

For the first time in years, Stormbridge Villa resembled somewhere people actually lived instead of merely slept.

A faint smile touched my lips because she had good taste, far better than mine. Suddenly, the notification bar lit up indicating that Flourish Garett liked your post, causing my thumb to stop moving.

She had seen it. But before I could think any further, the notification disappeared, and when I refreshed the page, the little heart was gone. She had removed her like.

I stared at the screen for several long seconds as my wolf lifted his head immediately, growling that she didn’t like it.

I frowned because that wasn’t possible; she had spent half an afternoon choosing every curtain and every rug herself. Then, was she upset?

Had the post caused her trouble? Without giving myself time to reconsider, I opened our conversation and sent a message: *Did the post cause you any trouble?*

Almost immediately, my phone rang with an incoming call from my father, and I answered,

“Father.”

Ragnar’s hearty laughter came through the receiver. “So… you finally decided to scare the entire territory?”

I leaned back in my chair, playing dumb. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You don’t?” Ragnar laughed again. “You’ve lived for thirty-eight years without posting a single personal thing, then suddenly your house changes overnight. **Home should finally look the way she likes it.’*” He deliberately repeated the sentence before adding, “You’ve got yourself a girlfriend, haven’t you?”

There was only the briefest pause before I confessed, “… Yes.”

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11:11 Thu, Oct 1

Chapter 99 Noticeable Change

Flamber

A heavy silence followed, and then he gasped, “You what?”

“I have a girlfriend.”

Ragnar sounded as though he’d stood up so quickly he nearly dropped the phone. “You finally found your mate?”

“Next month,” I answered calmly, “we’ll complete our Lunar Rites.”

Another silence followed, and this one lasted even longer. “So soon?”

I looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. “Soon? I’m thirty-eight. That’s the perfect age for an Alpha to establish his family, and I’ve already delayed long enough.”

Ragnar suddenly laughed, his voice softening. “You’re right. You are. Son… I don’t have many requirements for your Luna. As long as she’s kind, poised, and decent, that’s enough. I don’t care about her family’s status, and I don’t need some political mating. What matters is whether you love her.”

I lowered my eyes as images of Flourish quietly selecting curtains flashed through my mind. I thought of her ears turning red whenever I called her my girlfriend, and how she always pretended to be composed while clearly becoming flustered. Without realizing it, I smiled.

“Dad. I like her.” A brief pause followed before I corrected myself. “I like her very, very much.”

Ragnar burst into laughter so loudly I had to move the phone away from my ear. “Good! Good! Bring her home sometime. I want to meet the girl who finally managed to make my son smile.”

I shook my head. “She’s shy, so don’t scare her. I’ll bring her after our Lunar Rites since it’ll be more appropriate then.”

“Fine. But don’t make your old father wait too long.”

“I won’t.”

After hanging up, I remained seated for another minute. It was strange because saying those words aloud hadn’t felt difficult; if anything, they had felt far more natural than I expected.

As another thought crossed my mind, I pressed another number, and the call connected almost immediately.

“Alpha,” Zephyr greeted.

“Zephyr. Lady Flourish visited the manor today. Did everything go smoothly?”

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11:11 Thu, Oct 1

Chapter 99 Noticeable Change

“Everything was completed exactly as she instructed.”

I relaxed slightly. “Good.”

There was a slight hesitation on the line. “…Alpha.”

“What is it?”

Zephyr cleared his throat. “I’m not sure whether I should mention this.”

“Then mention it.”

“I may be mistaken… but Lady Flourish didn’t seem particularly happy today.”

The smile disappeared from my face. “What happened?”

26

Finished

“Nothing obvious,” Zephyr explained, searching for the words. “She inspected every room and she was polite, as always. But… twice I noticed her looking at her phone. Both times, it was as though something distracted her. She would stare for several seconds before putting it away, and after that, she seemed quieter.”

I frowned, immediately asking, “Did someone upset her?”

“I don’t know. I only noticed the change.”

My gaze drifted toward the unanswered message I’d sent earlier: *Did the post cause you any trouble?* Could it really have been because of that? Had I acted too hastily?

Perhaps she didn’t want people speculating, especially since she had specifically asked me to keep our relationship private until after her grandmother’s funeral. Although I hadn’t revealed her identity, maybe I’d still crossed a line.

My wolf paced restlessly, demanding that we go to her now, but I ignored him because I knew I couldn’t. She was still grieving, and showing up unannounced would only place more pressure on her.

“…Alpha?” Zephyr’s voice pulled me back. “If Lady Flourish returns, should I—”

“No,” I interrupted quietly. “Treat her exactly the same and don’t mention any of this.”

“Understood.”

68

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