All Chapters of Where Moonlight Leads: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Rowan's POVThe air went still.Damian instinctively moved Serena behind him and hurriedly straightened the collar their kiss had left twisted.My nails dug into my palms."Rowan, listen to me..."He stepped forward, shielding Serena with his body. "This was my fault. I lost control. Blame me, not Rena."I gave a quiet laugh. "Rena?"His throat worked as his gaze slipped away, guilt flashing in his eyes. "Don't do this. Serena is... she's genuinely a good person. She's smart, hardworking, and has earned everything herself. Whatever happened between our parents wasn't her fault. Don't judge her for it.""Judge her?"I bit my lower lip until I tasted blood. "Damian, have you forgotten what you said?"One month earlier, on the day Serena transferred to Ashmere University, Damian had draped an arm around my shoulders and scoffed. "Your father's illegitimate daughter? Incredible. Don't worry. I avoid people like that on sight. I won't even look at her."He had lowered his head an

Chapter 2

Late that night, I called my grandfather, Charles Watney — my mother's father.My voice was still hoarse when he answered."Grandpa, I'm coming to see you in a few days."He paused, then broke into a delighted laugh. "Good. Good! I'll have your room prepared again."His voice softened. "Did someone hurt you? Come home, sweetheart. Whitmore Holdings will be yours one day. Your grandfather will stand behind you."I tightened my grip on the phone as tears returned, but warmth slowly spread through my chest.Someone was still waiting for me. Someone still treated me like a treasure."Okay. I'm coming home."I sniffed. "And this time, I'm staying."The next day, I returned to Hawke Estate to pack.When I opened my bedroom door, Serena was wearing my silk pajamas.She stepped aside. My closet stood open, with her dresses filling half the space.My clothes and textbooks had been dumped onto the floor and kicked against the wall like trash.I rushed in and tore through the pile wi

Chapter 3

"She felt so guilty she cried until morning. She even made you soup to apologize. Can't you at least—"I turned, picked up the bowl, and poured it onto the floor in front of him.The dark liquid flowed over the toes of his shoes.Damian looked up sharply, his eyes bloodshot. "When did you become like this, Rowan? Cold, cruel, and completely without compassion.""This is my home."I gave him a faint smile. "Damian, get out."He stared at me, lips moving soundlessly, as if I had struck him.A cane cut through the air behind me.A heavy blow landed across my back, and pain burst through my bones.My father's voice came from above me. "Who gave you permission to speak to Damian that way? Get on your knees."I gritted my teeth and tried to rise, but a large hand pressed down on the back of my neck.My rain-soaked body shook with cold. I barely had enough strength left to form a fist.My father looked down at me. "Look at yourself. Covered in mud and behaving like a lunatic. Is t

Chapter 4

I crawled an inch toward her.Behind me, Vivian said calmly, "That's enough for today."She rose and smoothed her skirt. "There will be more rules tomorrow."My thoughts dissolved, and I lost consciousness.When I opened my eyes, Damian was sitting beside the bed with a bowl in his hands.He scooped up a spoonful of medicine, blew on it, and held it to my lips.I stared at him, then swallowed without thinking. Bitterness spread across my tongue, followed by enough heat to tighten my throat.He sighed. "If you had listened from the start, none of this would have happened. You brought all this pain on yourself. Don't worry about the marriage arrangement. I'll step in and settle it.""I don't need you to."I turned my face away."Why do you have to be so stubborn?"He set the bowl on the nightstand. "Without me, who do you have left?"I said nothing and stared at the ceiling.I was leaving tomorrow anyway. Grandpa would arrange everything."Rowan."Damian frowned. "Are you

Chapter 5

When Kieran Ashford lifted me, I caught the faint scent of cedar on his coat.The next time I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital bed.The doctor frowned. "Twenty lash wounds across her back and a fever above one hundred four. Another half hour without treatment could have killed her."I turned my head and saw Kieran standing by the window.The line of his jaw was rigid. His fingertips pressed into his palms, and his throat moved hard.Light fell around him, revealing a darkness in his eyes that I could not understand."I understand."His voice was quiet. "Use whatever treatment gives her the best chance to heal."...Third-Person POVSerena curled into the corner of a sofa, pale and damp with sweat."Damian... my chest still feels tight."Her voice was soft enough to melt.Damian touched her forehead. She had no fever, but he still brought her warm water and laid a heated cloth over her wrist."The guesthouse has fortified broth ready. I'll have it delivered tomorrow. Yo

Chapter 6

Through the night, Damian reviewed every camera inside and outside Hawke Estate, frame by frame.The footage showed Rowan stumbling into the darkness with flames rising behind her.He stared at the screen until his knuckles turned white.At the same time, Kieran's car cut through the night.The estate's internal footage had already reached him, and every image drove into his eyes like a blade."Do it."Kieran made a call. "Drag Vincent Hawke out and teach him what pain feels like. Send the Barrett Group documentation of every compliance violation inside Hawke Group."The person on the other end acknowledged the order.Kieran ended the call and looked down at Rowan curled in the corner of the back seat.He touched her forehead, then flinched at the heat beneath his fingers."Faster," he told the driver.Just before dawn, Vincent was pulled from the entrance of the Juniper Club with a hood over his head and dragged into an alley.The beating lasted more than ten minutes. By t

Chapter 7

"I won't interfere with what happens to your mother or with the videos online."He opened the front door. "Leave."Serena threw herself at his arm. "Damian, I was wrong! I swear I understand now."He peeled her fingers away one by one, his voice low. "I hate being used as someone else's weapon. Leave before I decide to make you pay myself."...Rowan's POVWhen I woke, I found a pair of bloodshot eyes fixed on me.Kieran's gaze had been dark and exhausted, but the moment our eyes met, something in it brightened."You're awake?"He leaned closer, paused with his palm above my forehead, then withdrew it as if the remaining warmth had burned him. "The fever broke."My throat was dry. "Does Grandpa know?""Not yet."Kieran settled back into the chair and lowered his eyes. "Seeing you like this would be too much for him. We'll tell him after you're stronger."Relief left me in a breath. My back brushed the sheets, and pain made me gasp.Kieran immediately steadied my shoulder.

Chapter 8

Third-Person POVDamian had barely slept in three days.Supply lines for several core Crosswell Industries projects were cut at once, partners defected together, and the company's cash position nearly collapsed.He mobilized every resource he had to keep his own company standing while also trying to stabilize the wreckage at Hawke Group.After the beating, Vincent went straight to the hospital. Hawke Group's stock had fallen so low that without help, the company wouldn't survive.Damian hadn't wanted to interfere, but then he thought of Rowan and remembered that the business had belonged to her mother too. He gritted his teeth and poured money into it.On the fourth day, Pierce brought news. "Ms. Hawke is at St. Calder Medical Center in Seabriar, New Albion. She's in a private recovery suite, and someone has posted security outside."Damian grabbed his keys and ran.He found the room and looked through the glass. Rowan sat propped against the bed, pale and thinner, lowering her

Chapter 9

Once my injuries began to heal, I went to Whitmore Holdings.My office occupied the top floor, with the skyline of Ashmere, Bellweather, spread beyond the windows.A stack of documents waited on the desk, each one an authorization my grandfather had signed in advance.Every company resource was available to me whenever I chose to use it."Rowan."Grandpa sat across from me and covered my hand with his. "I've cleared the road ahead. You only need to keep moving. If anyone dares hurt you again, I'll make certain they never recover."I looked down at the papers as my nose burned, then forced the tears back.I had cried enough. It was time to work.During the first week, I took two major proposals away from Damian.Crosswell's bids were three percent higher, so I dropped mine to the break-even point.During the second week, I obtained his sealed bid three days before the procurement meeting. I knew his materials, schedule, and pricing in exact detail.During the third week, I al

Chapter 10

Damian began sending things to my office.Flowers, desserts, architectural sketches, and all the little gifts he had once called childish.On the first day, a receptionist carried in white roses with a smile. "Ms. Hawke, someone sent you flowers."I didn't look up. "Throw them away."The second day brought a box of the shortbread cookies I once loved.Kieran happened to be in my office. He examined the box, then dropped it into the trash.On the third day, Damian had a partnership proposal rewritten and delivered with a note. "I changed the project according to your plan. You can keep every dollar of profit. Consider it my apology."I glanced at the note and threw it away too."You handle anything else he sends."I told Kieran, "Don't let me see it."Kieran nodded.None of Damian's gifts reached me again.During that period, Kieran came almost every day.He brought simple oatmeal in the morning, reminded me to eat lunch, and remained in the neighboring office for however l

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP