Semua Bab The Alpha's Moon Marked Luna: Bab 21 - Bab 30

FernI notice his absence immediately. It’s foolish, really. Alpha Gaven doesn’t owe me his presence. He has an entire pack to run, borders to secure, decisions to make that have nothing to do with me.And yet, I find myself scanning the dining hall the moment I step inside, my eyes instinctively drawn to the place where he usually sits. The seat is empty. The space beside it too.Something in my chest tightens. It is familiar. At first it is small but it grows quickly. I have already been forgotten. I tell myself not to read into it as I move through the room, nodding politely when people greet me. Breakfast is busy this morning, voices overlapping, plates clinking, the smell of coffee and warm bread filling the air. It should be comforting.Instead, it feels louder than usual.I take my usual seat, setting my plate down carefully. For a moment, the chair beside me remains empty, and an unreasonable part of me hopes it will stay that way. It is the Alpha’s seat, no one would d

FernBreakfast in Alpha Gaven’s office is nothing like breakfast in the dining hall.There’s no clatter of plates, no overlapping voices, no sense of being watched from every direction at once. The space is warm and orderly, sunlight filtering in through tall windows that overlook the forest. A small table has been set near the windows instead of his desk. It feels intimate. Two plates, two mugs with steam curling gently upward.It is just us.I sit across from him, hands folded in my lap, trying not to feel like I’m intruding on something private. Gaven moves with quiet efficiency, pouring coffee, sliding a plate toward me without comment.“Eat,” he says, not unkindly.I nod and do as I’m told.For a while, we eat in silence. It’s not uncomfortable exactly, but it’s heavy, like both of us are aware this is different from everything that’s come before. He watches me carefully, eyes tracking each bite I take, each pause. I try not to notice, but it’s hard not to feel seen.Finally, h

GavenSeeing her through Riddick is… disarming.The world sharpens in the ways that I am used to, colors are deeper, and sounds are richer. But it’s Fern that anchors everything. Her laugh rings brighter than birdsong, lighter than wind through leaves. It vibrates through Riddick’s chest and into mine. It is a sound so pure it steals my breath.She’s happy. Truly happy.Riddick preens beneath her hands, chest puffed out with shameless pride as she runs her fingers through his fur. He angles himself just so, presenting his flank, his shoulder, his massive head, anything to earn another delighted sound from her.‘She likes me,’ he says smugly.‘I can see that,’ I mutter, watching from inside him, an odd twist of jealousy tightening my ribs. ‘Don’t let it go to your head.’‘Too late.’He nudges her arm insistently, then lowers himself in front of her, bending at the forelegs and flicking his tail in a way that is unmistakably inviting.Fern tilts her head. “What are you doing?”She he

FernI don’t remember deciding to run.I only know that my body moves before my mind can catch up, feet carrying me away from the conference room as fast as they can go. My chest feels tight, like there isn’t enough air in the castle to breathe.“I’m sorry,” I mutter to no one, the words spilling out of me as I pass startled faces in the hall. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean…”The doors blur past me. I take the corners too fast, dodging the pack members that I almost run into. They call out my name. Their voices are laced with something that sounds like concern, but now I know better. No one cares for me. It was all false. Now I understand. Mara wasn’t keeping me upstairs to protect me. She was keeping me out of the way. So Alpha Gaven could make the trade. So my sister could take my place, like she was always meant to.I was curious. Stupidly curious, and I slipped out of my room when Mara was in the bathroom. I placed a chair in front of the door so she couldn’t open it and ru

FernI wake to shouting.Not the sharp, distant kind that fades into background noise, but real anger, raw and uncontrolled, bleeding straight through the walls of the hospital room.“You had one job, Mara!”Alpha Gaven’s voice crashes through the door like thunder, shaking something loose in my chest.“I didn’t let her out,” Mara snaps back. “She locked me in the bathroom. What was I supposed to do, break the door down? The girl is resourceful. She knew you were trying to hide something from her. She might be frail, but she is not stupid, Gaven. ”“That doesn’t matter,” Gaven roars. “She was hurt. She was…”I don’t hear the rest.My heart is already racing as I push myself upright, pain flaring immediately. My shoulder screams in protest, locked in its sling, and my ribs ache sharply where my father’s boot connected. I hiss through my teeth, blinking back tears.They’re fighting because of me.I swing my legs over the side of the bed, IV lines tugging as I stand. The bags sway dang