Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 303

Abby

“Could you two give us a kiss for the camera?”

At the interviewer’s unexpected request for a kiss, my face heats up with a mix of embarrassment and surprise. “A… A kiss?” I mutter. My gaze flits to Karl, who looks just as taken aback.

“Yes,” the interviewer replies with a chuckle. “A kiss.” The camera’s red light blinks menacingly, reminding us that our audience is waiting.

Karl hesitates, his expression a mixture of discomfort and resignation. “I don’t think that’s necessary,” he starts to say, his voice edged with reluctance.

But the interviewer insists. “Oh, it’s just a little kiss,” he says. “It’s good for the press, and besides, everyone loves you two. We all want to see the Alpha and the Luna back together after such a long time.”

Finally, with a deep breath, Karl turns to me. His eyes seek mine, asking a silent question. Do I agree to this? My heart pounds against my ribcage, a surge of nervousness mixed with an undeniable pull towards him.

“It’s alright,” my wolf says. “Besides, you know you want to.”

My wolf’s words make me go a little pale. She’s not wrong. I nod slightly, finally giving Karl the consent he needs.

He leans in, and our lips meet. It’s a brief kiss, but it’s enough to send a ripple of warmth through my body. His lips are soft and familiar, and for a moment, I forget the cameras and the prying eyes. But as quickly as it starts, it ends, and we pull away, a shared sense of awkwardness hanging between us.

“How sweet,” the interviewer says with a warm smile, completely oblivious to the tension he’s just created. “It’s so nice to see you two back together. You’ve got lots of fans, you know.”

Karl, always better than me when it comes to putting on a smile for the camera, gives the interviewer a nod and a sheepish grin.

“We’re still getting used to it,” he says, leaning over and patting my hand in a way that, to the cameras, creates the perfect image of a loving partner. “It’s been so long, we’re not quite used to the public displays of affection anymore.”

“Well, luckily for you two, you’ve got a whole lifetime to get warmed up again,” the interviewer says before his gaze shifts over to me. “And I hear that you two are planning on starting a family soon, correct? Could that perhaps explain the trips to the bathroom this morning?”

At the interviewer’s words, I feel my heart begin to pound in my chest. I tried to be discreet with my repeated trips to the bathroom to throw up this morning thanks to my hangover, but I guess it wasn’t as discreet as I thought.

“Oh, no,” I say, swallowing as the interviewer’s eyes flicker down to my belly. “Nothing like that.”

“Oh,” the interviewer says, “I could have sworn—”

“Abby and I would make an official announcement if it were anything like that,” Karl says before the interviewer can finish. “Don’t worry.”

The interviewer drops the subject, and I let out a tiny sigh of relief. I feel like I’m caught between a rock and a hard place; either I admit to drinking way too much, which could cause even more gossip to spread, or potentially risk people accusing me of more food poisoning. And of course, I can’t have people thinking I’m pregnant, either.

It’s gonna take a while for me to get used to public scrutiny again, isn’t it?

Once the cameras finally stop rolling, I need to get away. Feeling flustered, I excuse myself and head back to the cooking tent. The air inside is filled with the scents of herbs and spices, a welcome distraction from the turmoil in my mind.

But as I step in, I catch Chloe’s gaze. Her eyes are sharp, and I can tell she’s seen more than I’d like her to have. She definitely saw the kiss, as did everyone else.

I busy myself with organizing the remaining food to pack up, but I can’t shake the feeling of Chloe’s eyes on me. I know she’s judging me, scrutinizing me. She knows that there’s more to this situation with Karl than meets the eye, and I know there’s no way for her to head back to the city without some sort of confession from me.

But I can’t help but wonder…

What if there was nothing to confess? What if we put an end to this nonsense—at least, the physical aspect of it?

Throughout the remainder of the day, my thoughts keep drifting back to Karl. I keep wondering whether we should continue our casual hookups, or perhaps it would be healthier instead to maintain a strictly business-like relationship.

The physical attraction is undeniable, but the emotional risk is high. And after what happened last night, I’ve been thinking about how we’re just setting ourselves up for pain if we keep this up. Maybe, just maybe, putting an end to our hookups would protect both of us in the long run.

Right?

However, as I watch Karl helping to clean up with the other volunteers, his muscles flexing under his shirt, his laughter mingling with theirs, I feel a familiar tug in my chest. My wolf stirs, drawn to his strength and warmth.

I can’t help but stare, admiring the way he moves, the way his smile lights up his face. The thought of turning our relationship into pure business with no feelings attached seems like an impossible feat.

Caught in my moment of distraction, I’m jolted back to reality when Chloe’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “What are you staring at?” she asks, her tone laced with suspicion.

I feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment, and quickly return to what I was doing before, which is packing up to-go boxes of leftover food for the volunteers or anyone else to take home. “Oh, just zoning out,” I stammer, trying to sound nonchalant. “You know, it’s been a long day, and I drank way too much last night.”

Chloe narrows her eyes, clearly not buying my excuse, but she says nothing—not yet, at least. But I know it’ll come later. It’s bound to.

“Speaking of last night,” she says, falling into place beside me as we continue to work, “are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I say. “Why?”

Chloe pauses, leveling me with that knowing gaze again. She quirks her eyebrow as if to imply that I know that she knows, but I continue to play stupid—against my better judgment.

“I just got carried away, that’s all,” I say with a stiff chuckle. “You know how I can get sometimes. I got caught up in the atmosphere, and one drink turned into another.”

For a moment, Chloe continues to stare at me with that knowing look in her eyes. I wonder if she’s going to confront me, and when her mouth opens to respond, I can feel the sense of dread fill my chest.

But before she can utter a word, a voice breaks through the tent, causing both of us to look up. Karl is standing in the doorway, his hands on his hips, a smile on his face that makes my knees feel undeniably weak.

“Time to go home, everyone,” he says, his gaze sliding across the tent before finally landing on me. “I’ve got a surprise for all of you back at the house.”