I Am His Wolfless Luna Chapter 32

Aria's POV

The morning sun filtered through the training facility's high windows as I demonstrated a complex takedown sequence to my students. The familiar rhythm of combat helped quiet the chaos in my mind, pushing away memories of the hospital, of Ethan's touch, of everything I was trying so desperately to forget.

"Excellent form, Sarah," I called out, watching a young she-wolf execute the move perfectly. "Remember to keep your center of gravity low—"

"Aria, darling!"

I barely contained an eye roll at Emma's voice cutting through the morning training session. Without turning around, I continued demonstrating the takedown sequence to my students. Her designer perfume filled the air, but I'd learned long ago not to let her presence disturb my focus.

She launched into her usual performance - sugary voice dripping with false concern, carefully crafted barbs about Ethan and their supposed perfect relationship. My students watched with poorly concealed interest as Emma paraded around in her cream-colored designer suit, dropping references to gifts from Ethan and their "destined mate" status. The desperation in her eyes almost made me feel sorry for her. Almost.

"Are you done?" I asked finally, my voice carrying the boredom I genuinely felt.

The dismissal in my tone hit harder than any verbal jab could have. Emma's perfectly maintained smile slipped for just a moment, revealing the insecurity beneath. I turned back to my students, effectively ending her little show.

"Now, back to that defensive stance we were working on..."

"Fine." Something ugly flickered across her perfect features. "I just thought you should know – Ethan and I are destined mates. You really should stop trying to seduce other packs' alphas."

The accusation hung in the air like smoke. My students had abandoned any pretense of training, watching the drama unfold with undisguised interest. I could almost see the gossip spreading through pack channels, exactly as Emma intended.

A harsh laugh escaped me before I could stop it. "Destined mates? If you're so secure in your relationship, why do you feel the need to announce it to me?" I let my gaze sweep over her dismissively. "And trust me, I have zero interest in your... used alpha."

The words struck deeper than I'd intended. Emma physically recoiled, her perfectly maintained facade cracking. "How dare you! I'll tell Ethan exactly what you said about him!"

"Go ahead." I shrugged, channeling years of ring experience into appearing utterly unbothered. "Make sure you get my tone right when you repeat it. Really sell the contempt."

Ethan's POV

The afternoon sun slanted through my office windows as I reviewed training reports, though the words kept blurring together. My wolf, Felix, paced restlessly beneath my skin, agitated by the lingering scent of Aria from our encounter in the hospital. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her – silver dress torn, amber eyes dark with need, body fitting against mine like she'd been crafted to fill the spaces in my arms.

Emma's arrival yanked me from my dangerous thoughts. Her designer perfume filled the office, expensive and somehow wrong. Felix growled softly, an unusual reaction to someone who was supposedly my destined mate.

"Ethan, darling." She perched on the edge of my desk, her skirt riding up in a calculated display. "You won't believe what that woman just said about you."

I looked up slowly, keeping my expression carefully neutral despite Felix's growing agitation. "Which woman would that be?"

"Aria, of course!" Emma leaned closer, her perfectly manicured hands reaching for my collar. "She actually had the nerve to call you a 'used alpha.' Can you believe her audacity?"

The accusation didn't sting as it should have. Instead, my mind filled with memories of the hospital – Aria's touch, her taste, the way she'd whispered my name like a prayer. If she truly thought so little of me, why had she responded so passionately to my touch?

"Did she now?" I kept my tone neutral, though Felix bristled at Emma's proximity.

"It's obviously jealousy," Emma continued, her fingers brushing against my neck. "She can't stand to see us so happy tog—" She froze, her perfectly painted nails grazing the marks Aria had left. "What happened to your neck?"

"Allergic reaction," I lied smoothly, though my hand moved instinctively to cover the evidence of that night. "Nothing serious."

Emma's eyes narrowed, doubt clear in her expression. "An allergic reaction," she repeated slowly. "Of course."

I stood abruptly, needing distance from her cloying perfume and eyes.

"If that's all, Emma, I have work to do."

The dismissal was clear, though perhaps ruder than I'd intended. Once she left, I moved to the window, loosening my tie as I stared out at the training grounds. In the distance, I could just make out Aria's figure leading her class through combat drills. Even from here, her strength was evident in every movement, her grace undiminished by the loss of her wolf powers.

Felix whined softly, pushing against my control with growing insistence. My wolf had never liked Emma, had always seemed unsettled by her presence. I touched the marks on my neck, remembering how Aria's lips had branded my skin, how her body had responded to mine with an intimacy that felt like coming home. The memory made Felix pace faster, more urgently.

I watched Aria demonstrate another takedown move to her students. Her strength, her grace, the curious void where her wolf scent should be – it all felt hauntingly familiar, like a dream I couldn't quite remember upon waking.

The sun caught her dark hair as she moved, and for a moment, I was back in that hospital room, holding her in my arms, feeling more complete than I had in six years.

But now, she called me "a used Alpha".