His Abandoned Luna Chapter 184

|| Lilac’s POV ||

The council hall’s heavy oak doors swung shut behind me with a finality that echoed in my bones. I pressed my palms against my thighs, willing them to stop trembling. The scent of melted flesh and wolfsbane still clung to my clothes, no matter how many times I scrubbed at my arms.

Witches. In the council. Among us.

A familiar laugh cut through the murmurs of departing Alphas. Elara waved. She was with Astrid and Madeline near the gardens, her auburn curls catching the afternoon sun. Madeline and Astrid flanked her, their smiles sharpening when they saw me.

No. Not now. A lot had happened recently and I wasn’t ready to tell them everything.

I forced my feet to move toward them, each step heavier than the last.

“There you are!” Elara hooked her arm through mine. “We were starting to think you’d forgotten about us.”

Madeline’s gaze raked over me. “You look radiant! What is Alaric feeding you these days?”

Astrid elbowed her. “What she means is, we miss you. You’ve been... absent. You barely pick up calls. No texts. Is everything ok?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Just busy with pack duties.”

Elara’s grip tightened. “Bullshit. You’re avoiding us as you are too busy to play his little Luna.”

The accusation hung between us. I focused on the rose bushes behind her, their petals unnaturally red against the green. Like blood on snow.

“Elara,” Astrid warned. “I heard about the attack. Are you ok?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” I forced a smile. “Just that... Alaric’s been... intense lately.”

Madeline snorted. “Is he now? In the pack or on the bed?”

Elara leaned in, her voice dropping. “Speaking of intense— I found something about the Nightshades.”

My pulse spiked. “Oh?”

What else could she find? Only if she knew the truth.

Elara started, “Old records in the archives. There’s mention of a—”

“Ladies.” Alexander’s voice rolled over us like thunder, cutting her off, as he and Alaric approached, their boots crunching on the gravel path. Alaric’s gaze locked onto mine, the usual storm in his eyes darker, more turbulent. What happened?

Elara straightened, her fingers slipping from my arm. “Hey.”

Alaric said nothing. Just stared. As if he could see straight through my soul. Maybe he could. He was my mate after all.

“We have some news,” Alexander declared.

“We will be gone for a few days,” Alaric added, his eyes were still trained on me. “To the south border.”

The words hit me like a physical blow.

No. Not there. Never there.

In my past life, my parents had fought at the south border. They’d come back broken, their wolves barely clinging to life.

My nails bit into my palms. “Why?”

Alexander answered instead. “Rogue activities have increased tenfold. We need to clean the house.”

Alaric’s jaw tightened. “It’s just reconnaissance.”

Liar. I could see it in the way his fingers twitched— the way Hunter paced beneath his skin. This wasn’t a scouting mission. It was a hunt.

Elara’s earlier discovery forgotten, the girls launched into questions— about the witches, the election, everything but the one thing screaming in my skull:

Don’t go, mate. Please! I cried out, but couldn’t form words.

Alaric’s hand brushed mine. A silent promise.

I pulled away. And walked to the car in silence.

The drive back was a cage.

Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. Rain began to patter against the windshield, each drop a ticking clock.

“You’re quiet,” Alaric murmured.

I kept my eyes on the passing trees. “Just tired.”

A lie. We both knew it.

He sighed, the sound weary. “It’ll be okay, Dove.”

Will it?

Memories flashed— my mother’s vacant stare, my father’s howls of pain in the night. The way their wolves never fully recovered. What if he came back the same?

The words bubbled up, bitter on my tongue. I’m pregnant. You’re my mate. Don’t leave me.

I choked them down.

Alaric reached for me again. “Talk to me.”

The dam broke.

“Stop!” I wrenched the door handle before the car fully stopped, stumbling onto the muddy road. Rain soaked through my blouse in seconds.

“Lilac!” Alaric was there in an instant, his hands gripping my shoulders. “What the hell—”

“Just stop!” I shoved at his chest. “Stop pretending everything is fine! Stop—” My voice cracked. “Stop leaving.”

His expression shattered. “I have to.”

“Why? Because some border is more important than—” Than us? Than our child? I couldn’t word them. My breathing became heavy. Dizziness took over suddenly for a moment before I could steady myself.

A muscle jumped in his jaw. “You know why.”

And I did. That was the worst part.

“To protect you. To keep you untouched,” his voice mirrored my thoughts.

But how would I live on if something happened to him? Tears mixed with rain on my cheeks. Alaric reached for me, but I twisted away, sprinting toward the house.

“Dove, wait!” He called after me.

But Marcus’s voice cut through the storm. “Alpha! Vance is here— he needs to go over the plans now.”

I didn’t look back.

The front door slammed behind me. I slid to the floor, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

I was a Coward. I lost again!

I couldn’t say it. Couldn’t tell him the truth. Not when duty always came first. Not when—

Then I heard a knock.

“Go away!”

The door creaked open anyway. My heart shattered again. It wasn’t Alaric. A tiny part of my heart wished he would come.

Instead, Mira stood there, a steaming cup in her hands. Her eyes dropped to where my fingers pressed against my still-flat stomach.

“He is gone, isn’t he?” I cried out. “I couldn’t tell him…. Why won’t he listen?”

“Oh, Luna,” she sighed. “How long did you think you could hide it?”