All Chapters of In Search of Liberation: Luna In name Only: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Morning came heavy and grey.When Jason reported to Patrick’s house, his heart thudded with a mix of dread and longing. The moment Michelle saw him, her breath caught. Relief, joy, and pain collided inside her chest. She couldn’t show it, not in front of Patrick, but her eyes gave her away.“I missed you,” she linked to him quietly, her mental voice trembling with everything she couldn’t say aloud.Jason’s lips curved slightly, but his silence stretched long enough to break her heart. He didn’t dare respond through the link. It was dangerous, too dangerous.His distance hurt her. She felt the sting of it behind her ribs. She told herself not to care, not to let it matter, but it did. Deeply.Patrick came out of his room, his presence swallowing the space. His scent, his dominance, it filled the air like poison.“Will you try again next year?” Jason asked, trying to keep his voice steady. He was referring to the summit election, though the words felt hollow.“Maybe,” Patrick replied wi

His reaction hit her like a blade. The moment Jason stepped back, the rejection sliced through Michelle’s chest so sharply she could hardly breathe. It wasn’t just a refusal, it was abandonment dressed in silence. Her hands trembled as she looked up at him, her eyes wide, glassy, and pleading. For a heartbeat, she thought he might change his mind, that he might pull her close again. But he didn’t. He stood there, eyes shadowed, jaw clenched, as though he were fighting himself.“Jason,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I want you. I don’t want to be with Patrick, I want you.”Her voice cracked, the words rushing out in raw desperation. “Let’s run away together. We could buy land somewhere far, start over, form a new pack, just you and me. We can leave all this behind.”Her hands shook as she reached for him, her wolf, Mia, whimpering inside her. Every part of her body screamed the same thing, escape.Jason stared at her, and for a long, torturous moment, she thought he might say y

“If that was the case, why make love to me?” Michelle’s voice tore through the cave like a whip, raw, trembling, and edged with betrayal. her eyes glistened, her body shaking as tears gathered again, hot and bitter.Jason froze. The question hit him harder than any physical blow could.“You should have fucked me like a whore,” she said, her voice rising, cracking under the weight of her fury. “But you didn’t. You made love to me. I felt your wolf, Jason, and you felt mine. How dare you call something that beautiful a fleeting moment? How fucking dare you!”Her body trembled violently as she spoke. Each word came out between sharp breaths, like she was gasping for air between sobs and rage.Jason took a step towards her, then stopped. His chest heaved. He wanted to tell her he hadn’t meant it, that it wasn’t fleeting, that every second had meant more to him than he could ever admit. But he couldn’t. He had already drawn the line.Michelle’s tears rolled freely down her cheeks, wettin

One month crawled by like a lifetime. From the outside, everything looked perfect.Patrick was suddenly a changed man, at least, that’s what everyone said. He smiled more, spoke softly, opened doors, brought flowers. He took Michelle on walks through the park, held her hand in public, laughed loudly at things she said even when her smile didn’t reach her eyes. He took her to dinners, to the pack market, to the training grounds. He made sure everyone saw them together.And people did.The whispers spread fast, The Alpha and his Luna are back together. They’ve reconciled. Maybe love really can heal anything.The perfect illusion.In public, Michelle played her role flawlessly. Her lips curved when he touched her. Her eyes softened on cue. She said the right things, laughed when expected, even leaned her head on his shoulder when cameras flashed or pack members walked by.But behind closed doors, she was hollow.She didn’t feel hatred anymore. Hatred required energy. She felt nothing.

In bed, Patrick yanked Michelle against his chest. His mouth latched onto her neck, sucking hard enough to leave a mark while his fingers roughly pinched and twisted her nipples. Michelle's body remained rigid, unresponsive. His touch might as well have been happening to someone else. "Please, Michelle," he growled against her throat, his erection pressing insistently against her thigh. "Let me prove how much I fucking need you. I want you. Echo wants you." His voice grew desperate, pathetic. "Please, Michelle. I need to be inside you." Patrick wasn't lying about wanting her, his cock throbbed painfully, but he wouldn't force himself on her. He calculated quickly: rape would destroy any chance of getting the money. Better to manipulate than coerce. He sat up, his hand sliding over hers. "I want to make love to you." The words tasted false in his mouth. "I know I've fucked up, but please, Michelle, let me have you," he begged, eyes tracking her face for any sign of yielding. Sh