His Abandoned Luna Chapter 60

|| Lilac’s POV ||

The car door clicked shut behind me, sealing us in a cocoon of silence. Alaric’s presence filled the space, his scent of pine and earth overwhelming my senses. The engine purred to life, and we pulled away from the grand hall, leaving the red moon and the chaos of the gala behind. My phone buzzed in my clutch, the vibration sharp against my thigh. I pulled it out, the screen illuminating the dim interior of the car.

'Where are you?' 

Elara’s text read.

I hesitated for a moment, my fingers trembling as I typed out a reply. '

With Alaric

.'

The response was immediate. 'Lil!'

I could almost hear her voice, the mix of concern and exasperation in that single word. Before I could respond, another message popped up.

'I’ll let your parents know that you’re crashing at mine.'

A small, grateful smile tugged at my lips. 'Thanks, Elara.'

I put my phone aside, the screen dimming as the car sped down the winding road. The silence between Alaric and me was heavy, charged with unspoken words and unresolved tension. His hands gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white, and his jaw was set in a hard line. The coldness in his grey eyes was mirrored in the way he held himself, rigid and distant.

“Where do you wanna go?” His voice broke the silence, sharp and clipped, like the crack of ice.

“Home,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Your house?” he confirmed, his tone devoid of warmth.

“No,” I replied, my gaze fixed on the passing trees outside the window. “Take me to your home.”

He didn’t respond, but I felt the car shift slightly as he adjusted his grip on the wheel. The road stretched out before us, familiar yet foreign. The last time we had driven this route, the mountains now, under the cold glow of the red moon, they loomed like silent sentinels, their shadows stretching long and dark across the winding road.

The drive was eerily silent, the only sound the hum of the engine and the occasional rustle of leaves as the wind swept through the trees. My mind raced, a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions that I couldn’t quite untangle. The Moon Goddess’s warning echoed in my mind, a constant reminder of the stakes. Find your mate, or face the same fate. But here I was, running away with Alaric, the one person who had always made me feel alive, even as he tore me apart.

After what felt like an eternity, the car slowed, and we pulled into the clearing. The wooden house stood before us, its familiar silhouette a stark contrast to the turmoil inside me. Alaric killed the engine, and for a moment, we sat in silence, the weight of everything unsaid hanging between us.

He was the first to move, stepping out of the car and slamming the door shut behind him. I followed, my heels sinking into the soft earth as I walked toward the house. Alaric didn’t wait for me, his long strides carrying him inside before I could catch up. By the time I stepped through the door, he was already shrugging off his coat and throwing it onto the sofa.

He ran a hand through his hair, the gesture frustrated and restless.

“Do you want something to drink or eat?” he asked, his voice curt.

I nodded, though I wasn’t sure if I could stomach anything. My heart was pounding, my thoughts a chaotic mess. Before I could second-guess myself, I crossed the room to where he stood. My hands reached for him, curling around the lapels of his suit as I pulled him closer. My lips found his in a desperate, hungry kiss, my body pressing against his as if I could erase the distance between us with sheer will.

For a moment, he froze, his body rigid under my touch. But then, as if something inside him snapped, he responded with equal fervor. His hands gripped my waist, pulling me closer as his lips moved against mine, demanding and possessive. I kissed him as if my life depended on it, pouring every ounce of fear, longing, and desperation into the embrace.

When I finally pulled away, breathless and trembling, his grey eyes bore into mine, dark and intense.

“Do you know what you do to me?” he murmured, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down my spine. He reached out, tracing a finger along my collarbone, the touch feather-light yet electrifying. “You drive me mad. Every thought, every breath, it’s all consumed by you.”

His words were a confession, raw and unfiltered, and they shattered whatever fragile control I had left. I kissed him again, my hands tangling in his hair as I pulled him closer. His arms wrapped around me, one hand gripping the back of my head as he deepened the kiss, his tongue devouring every inch of my lips and mouth. The world around us faded away, the red moon, the gala, the Moon Goddess’s warning— all of it disappeared, leaving only the two of us, lost in each other.

But even as I lost myself in him, a small voice in the back of my mind whispered doubts. I was supposed to find my mate, to fulfill the Moon Goddess’s vision. Time was slipping away, and yet here I was, tangled in Alaric’s arms, feeling more alive than I had in months. This felt real, more real than anything else, but was it enough? Could I defy fate for this, for him?

Alaric broke the kiss, his breath ragged as he rested his forehead against mine.

“Lilac,” he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. “What are we doing?”

I didn’t have an answer, not one that made sense. All I knew was that in this moment, with him, I felt whole. And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.

The night stretched on, the red moon casting its crimson glow through the windows of the wooden house. We sat on the sofa, a blanket draped over us as we talked, our voices soft and hesitant. The walls between us began to crumble, brick by brick, as we shared our fears, our regrets, our hopes. Alaric’s coldness melted away, replaced by the warmth I had missed so much.

“I thought you didn’t care,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “When you stopped responding, when you pulled away… I thought I had lost you.”

“You didn’t,” I said, my hand reaching for his. “I was just… scared. Scared of what I felt for you, scared of what it meant.”

He looked at me, his grey eyes searching mine. “And now?”

I took a deep breath, my heart pounding in my chest. “Now… I still don’t know. But I know I can’t keep running from this. From you.”

He didn’t say anything, but the way he looked at me, the way his hand tightened around mine, told me everything I needed to know. The road ahead was uncertain, fraught with challenges and choices, but for the first time in a long while, I felt a glimmer of hope.

The red moon hung high in the sky, its light a silent witness to our fragile reconciliation. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, I didn’t know. But as I sat there, wrapped in Alaric’s warmth, I realized that sometimes, the most dangerous risks were the ones worth taking.