LOGINThe house was quiet the next morning. Unnaturally quiet. No flowers. No deliveries. No velvet boxes waiting on tables like emotional landmines. Nothing. Astrid noticed immediately. And somehow— That unsettled her more. She walked downstairs cautiously, expecting tension. Chaos. Another argument. Instead— Damien sat at the dining table in a black shirt, sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, reading through a stack of documents. Working. Actually working. Several members of the GreyMoon council stood nearby speaking in low voices while Damien listened with calm, precise attention. No obsession. No gifts. No fixation. Just the Alpha of GreyMoon. Astrid slowed slightly. One of the men noticed her first and immediately straightened. “Luna.” Astrid almost flinched at the title. Damien looked up briefly. Their eyes met. And unlike every other morning— There was no intensity in his expression. No desperation. No hunger. Just acknowledgment. Then he returned to
The house was quiet the next morning.Unnaturally quiet.No flowers.No deliveries.No velvet boxes waiting on tables like emotional landmines.Nothing.Astrid noticed immediately.And somehow—That unsettled her more.She walked downstairs cautiously, expecting tension.Chaos.Another argument.Instead—Damien sat at the dining table in a black shirt, sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, reading through a stack of documents.Working.Actually working.Several members of the GreyMoon council stood nearby speaking in low voices while Damien listened with calm, precise attention.No obsession.No gifts.No fixation.Just the Alpha of GreyMoon.Astrid slowed slightly.One of the men noticed her first and immediately straightened.“Luna.”Astrid almost flinched at the title.Damien looked up briefly.Their eyes met.And unlike every other morning—There was no intensity in his expression.No desperation.No hunger.Just acknowledgment.Then he returned to the papers.“We’ll move the nor
The house felt suffocating.Not because Damien was loud.Because he wasn’t.That was the problem.Everything he did now was controlled.Measured.Perfect.Breakfast waiting every morning.Flowers replaced before they wilted.New gifts appearing silently like evidence of a man trying to buy back something already slipping through his hands.And Astrid hated it.Not because the gifts were ugly.Not because the effort wasn’t obvious.But because none of it felt honest anymore.It felt desperate.And desperation looked strange on Damien.Astrid walked downstairs to find another velvet box waiting at the dining table.She stopped.Stared at it.Didn’t touch it.Damien looked up from his coffee immediately.“Open it.”Her expression stayed flat. “No.”A pause.“You haven’t even looked.”“I don’t need to.”His jaw tightened slightly.“It’s not manipulation.”Astrid let out a dry laugh. “You bought me a diamond bracelet before breakfast.”“It reminded me of you.”“It reminded you that you’re
Astrid didn’t need to check the caller ID this time.She already knew.Only one person called her like they owned the right to.She answered anyway.“What do you want, Taylor?”A soft, satisfied laugh slipped through the line.“There she is,” Taylor drawled. “Still sharp. I was worried marriage had dulled you.”Astrid leaned against the dresser, already irritated. “Say what you called to say.”“Straight to business,” Taylor mused. “You’ve always hated small talk. It’s probably why people enjoy provoking you.”“I’m hanging up.”“Damien looks good on you.”Astrid went still.There it was.The real reason.Her jaw tightened. “You don’t get to say his name like that.”“I can say anything I want,” Taylor replied lightly. “I usually end up getting it anyway.”The words were casual.But they cut deep.Because they were true.Clothes.Opportunities.Attention.Everything Astrid ever had growing up—Taylor found a way to take.Astrid exhaled slowly. “You don’t want Damien.”Taylor hummed. “No?
Astrid felt it before she understood it.That quiet shift in the air.Like something had already been set in motion… and she was the last to know.The house was too still when she woke up.No movement.No sound.No Damien.That alone was unsettling.Astrid sat up slowly, her eyes scanning the room like something might be waiting for her.Nothing.Just silence.Her phone buzzed on the bedside table.Unknown number.She frowned.Hesitated.Then answered.“Hello?”A soft laugh came through the line.Smooth.Controlled.Familiar in a way that immediately made Astrid uneasy.“Good morning, Astrid.”Her grip tightened slightly on the phone.“Who is this?”A pause.Then—“Taylor.”The name landed like a warning.Astrid’s expression hardened instantly.“What do you want?”Straight to the point.No patience.Taylor seemed amused by that.“I like you,” she said lightly. “You don’t waste time pretending.”“I’m not interested in whatever this is.”“Oh, but you should be.”Astrid rolled her eyes s
Damien found Sebastian before sunset.Not by accident.Nothing about this felt accidental anymore.The message had been simple.We need to talk.No explanation.No greeting.Just an address.Sebastian almost ignored it.Almost.But something in him already knew—This wasn’t going to stop unless one of them faced the other directly.The rooftop bar was nearly empty.Quiet.Private.Wind cutting softly through the open space.Sebastian spotted Damien immediately.Standing near the railing.Hands in his pockets.Looking out over the city like he owned it.Like he owned everything.Including her.Sebastian’s jaw tightened as he approached.“You picked a dramatic location.”Damien didn’t turn right away.“You came.”“I’m here to make one thing clear.”That made Damien glance over.Cold eyes.Controlled expression.“Then we’re here for the same reason.”Sebastian stopped a few feet away.No handshake.No civility.Just tension.Heavy.Immediate.“You need to stop,” Sebastian said first.Dam
Sebastian’s pov The two idiots in front of us didn't have a clue, but I could sense it. Beneath her polite smile was a simmering rage waiting to build up, I could tell because of the time we had to spend together and also because I reflected the same rage yet I had gained better control of it.I
Chapter 22Astrid's pov I had my teeth in between a strawberry that had been served with the other snacks when Taylor asked that question, head leaned at an angle and her eyes expectantly hoping for an answer.At that moment I froze. Still up to all the tricks.Didn't change in the past and was s
Chapter 16Astrid's pov Seeing both of them side to side it looked like a bad joke that was finally coming at a full circle and still failed to hit the punchline.Prince Sebastian had given me a general rundown about their poor financial decisions, how many businesses, established and managed by G
Taylor's POV “Taylor, that will be here any minute now, what are we going to do?” I clamped my teeth down on my bottom lip, nearly drawing out blood. This man who was pacing back and forth hopelessly had once been the center of my w*t dreams. Flaunting my relationship with him in my sister's fa







