0005.

Nathan’s POV.

I stood frozen, my mouth agape, as Lunaria stood on the stage– a warm smile lit up her face. Her eyes surveyed the crowd, locking onto mine for a brief moment causing my heart to race.

When she looked away, it left me breathless and my mouth became dry with longing.

"It's an honor to be crowned my father's heir today," she began, her voice secure and soft. "I'm grateful for his unwavering support. Despite the challenges, I've made it here, and I promise to never let you down." She bowed, and the hall erupted in applause.

As Lunaria posed for photos with her father, her astonishing smile captivated the audience, and I was mesmerized. Unaware of my actions, I stood up, drawn to go to her but Sarah's grip on my hand halted me.

My gaze remained fixed on Lunaria as she made her way to the VIP section, stopping at a distant table. She hugged a man I recognized to be the same one from the supermarket and I felt my heart ache at the sight of it.

When he kissed her cheek, causing her to chuckle, I felt a pang of jealousy and suddenly, I was compelled to confront Lunaria to know why she was pretending not to know me.

How had she risen to become the Lycan King's heir? I needed to uncover the truth - had she been deceiving us all along, even when she was still part of our pack?

After six years of vanishing without a trace, I have finally found her, only to discover she was the Lycan King's heir.

But that wasn't what was more concerning–the fact she had been acting like I was a stranger despite our unbroken mate bond. How could she feigned ignorance like she wasn't feeling our mate bond?

I stepped forward, ready to head in her direction but Sarah's hand tightened around mine, her nails digging gently into my skin. 'Wait, Nathan,' she whispered, which stopped me in my tracks.

“You're not actually thinking of going to talk to her, are you?" She asked with uneasiness, her eyes filled with disbelief.

“That can’t be the Lunaria we know. The Lunaria we know can’t be alive. She can't be the Lycan King’s heir,” She chuckled nervously, her eyes full of doubts, and I gently freed my hand from her grasp.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

Sarah shifted away, her eyes avoiding mine as she swallowed anxiously. "Nothing, It's just... she's been missing for six years. We've searched everywhere, and there's been no sign of her."

“She is Lunaria, I met her on my way here. I need to go,” I said, turning to leave.

"You met her?” She inquired worriedly.

“Did you talk to her? Did she recognize you?" She asked further in a rush but I didn’t give her an immediate reply and I turned to leave, but replied over my shoulder, "No, she didn't. That's why I need to confront her now."

“You don’t have to go Nathan, is there a need for you to meet her. Let’s leave this place, I’m feeling sick,” Sarah said but I didn’t give her a listening ear.

“Why should we leave when you are supposed to go with me to offer your apology. Have you forgotten what you did to her?” I asked her, feeling slightly annoyed.

I saw worry flash across Sarah's as she fidgeted with her bag.

“I haven’t but all I’m asking is that we should leave for today. Please,” Sarah begged but I refused to listen to her and dragged her forward to go with me.

As we approached Lunaria, I spotted her sitting alone with a wine glass resting in front of her. The man I'd seen with her earlier was nowhere to be seen.

“Lunaria!” I called out, catching her attention. As she turned to look at me, I was certain—it was her. I had so many questions, and there was one I desperately needed an answer to. I opened my mouth to say something, but then closed it again, staring at her with a kind of excitement I could barely contain.

“Where have you been all these years? I have searched everywhere for you,” I said to her.

I didn’t expect her to throw her arms around me and pull me close, especially since things hadn’t ended well between us. But I was completely unprepared for the look of utter confusion on her face. "I’m sorry, who are you?" she asked, rising to her feet.

“Who am I?...” I repeated, confused, my voice lower than intended. I searched her face, but no spark of recognition appeared. “Lunaria, it’s me…”

Her eyes clouded with confusion, studying mine as if searching for something familiar.

“Wait…” she murmured, as if a memory was dawning on her, raising my hopes. “I think I recognize you now. You’re the man from the supermarket… the one who helped my son, Liam," she said, her voice filled with hesitant recognition. Every hope I had just seconds before suddenly crashed.

Time seemed to stand still as I processed her words. She only remembered me from the supermarket? Nothing else? I tried to make sense of her reaction, but it was a complete mystery.

"Is she just trying to avoid me or what?" I wondered, meeting her gaze.

“You mean you only remember me from the supermarket?” I asked, and she just stood there, looking confused, without giving any response.

“Yeah…” she finally replied, raising an eyebrow and letting out a nervous chuckle. “i mean that was our first and only time meeting, so…”

"Lunaria, I don't understand why you are acting like this, but it’s not funny," I said firmly.

"Let me remind you: I am Nathan, Alpha of the Moon Pack. You were my destined Luna, my mate. You vanished without warning,” I explained, but her expression made it clear she didn’t believe me. She looked at me like I was out of my mind.

“Oh, so you’re Alpha Nathan,” she said, then added, “My father has told me so much about you, though I didn’t know you were the Alpha. But wait—are you playing games with me?” she asked, suddenly looking annoyed.

.

“Oh, I get it now—you’re trying to manipulate me into believing we had something in the past, hoping to score my father’s throne by making me like you and eventually marry you? Such a worn-out trick,” she accused, her words making my eyes widen in shock.

“Hold on, Lunaria, that’s not my intention—” I tried to explain, but she cut me off.

"Nathan, I... I think I need some fresh air. I’ll be back shortly," Sarah whispered suddenly, her voice trembling. Without waiting for a response, she turned and disappeared into the crowd, leaving me alone with Lunaria.

"You think my amnesia makes me vulnerable to your manipulation, don't you?” Lunaria continued.

"I've been warned about people like you, and I won’t fall for your tricks. My past might be a blank slate, but my instincts aren’t. And trust me, I’m not as weak as you might think,” she said with a fierce stare.

“Wait! What are you talking about? What happened to you? Do you have amnesia? Were you in an accident? You mean you don’t remember anything from your past?” I felt like I’d been punched in the guts and my mind went blank and I held her.

"Excuse me, are you interrogating me?” She yelled in irritation and shoved my hands off. This attracted the attention of the nearby guests and some guards stepped forward, their eyes flashing warnings.

"I don't know you, and this act of yours is embarrassing - for both of us and in front of everyone,” she declared.

"I'm telling the truth," I insisted.

"Ask my partner Sarah, she used to be your best friend," I said, turning to call Sarah but she was nowhere to be seen which meant she never came back, causing me to feel frantic and foolish.

"Gosh! You must be such a joke,” Lunaria spat.

“Who's Sarah? Stop this! Do you want me to ask the guards to throw you out? I won't hesitate. Alpha or not, this is not your territory, remember?” She said with impatience. She stood behind them, her piercing gaze latched on me.

"Are you some kind of pervert?" she asked. "I'm disappointed, Alpha Nathan. My father spoke highly of you."

I felt stupid, aware of the surrounding eyes that were already mocking me.

"Okay, I understand,” I agreed but being so desperate to make her remember me I knew I didn't want to give up yet.

"Can you give me a chance? I will help you remember. You loved the garden, and freshly baked chocolate cookies were your weakness,” I added hastily, not wanting to lose this chance.

"You—"

But before I could continue, a little boy rushed into view, shouting "Mummy!" as he tossed himself into Lunaria's arms, taking her off guard.

"Wait! How did you know..." Lunaria's eyes narrowed and my heart was filled with warmth when I saw the look of surprise on her face.

"Do you believe me now? Can we talk about it?" I asked, taking a cautious step forward, hoping against hope she'd grant me an audience.

But the guards blocked my path, stopping me.

I sealed eyes with Lunaria, waiting with a hitched breath for what her answer would be.

Suddenly the air around us stiffened and the guards gave way to reveal the Lycan King heading in our direction.

"What's going on, Alpha Nathan?" he demanded, his voice low and menacing. "Why are you causing a scene?"

I felt my throat constrict, panic setting in. I strongly felt I was on the brink of being thrown out, which would cause my chance to reconnect with Lunaria to slip away—FOREVER.