Faith’s Pov
I sat by the lake, knees drawn to my chin, watching the calm, dark water t mirrored a still and peaceful world, so unlike the storm raging inside me. My heart felt heavy, a constant against my ribs.
A sudden shift in the air, a scent of fresh pine and raw, untamed power, dent a jolt through me and my muscles tensed, every nerve screaming a silent
warning.
Alpha Kyle.
He emerged from the line of ancient oaks his presence was a towering shadow and it was immense. My breath caught in my throat.
For some reason being alone with him felf uncomfortable and he was very
intimidating.
I was a Luna, yes but I had no wolf. No primal instinct to rise to the challenge, no fierce animal to lend me courage in the face of such a powerful male. My human heart, stupid and fragile, hammered a frantic, cowardly beat against my ribs, a drum telling me to run.
No. Stop this, Faith. I straightened, my spine stiffening. My shoulders went back, a silent command to my own body. I was Luna. I could not cower. Not in front of Alpha Kyle, not in front of anyone. I took a deep, shaky breath, pushing down the fear, forcing my hands to unclench. I could pretend like his presence didn’t make me uncomfortable. I would act as if his sudden appearance meant nothing, as if my heart wasn’t trying to beat its way out of my chest.
He stopped a few feet away, his dark eyes, sharp and intelligent, studying me with an intensity that made my skin prickle. I met his gaze, schooling my face into a calm, unreadable mask. “Alpha Kyle,” I said, my voice, to my relief,
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steady and clear. A small, knowing smile touched the corners of his lips.
“Luna Faith,” he replied, his voice a low, rumbling sound that vibrated slightly
in the air. “You don’t need to be nervous, Relax.” My eyes narrowed just a
fraction. “Nervous about what?” I asked, a hint of defiance in my tone.
He took a slow step closer, and I felt my muscles tighten, though I fought hard to hide it. “That my presence doesn’t affect you,” he said, his gaze dropping briefly to my chest. “I can feel your heartbeat, Luna. It’s quite fast.” Of course he could. His senses were probably a hundred times more refined than mine, picking up every tremor, every accelerated beat.
The discomfort swelled, pressing in on me. I stood up, my intention clear. I couldn’t stay here, not under his dissecting gaze. I needed to escape, to regain my composure far from his knowing eyes. “If you’ll excuse me, Alpha,” I began, taking a step away from the lake. “Wait.” His voice, though gentle, was firm, a quiet command. He didn’t touch me, but his powerful presence seemed to block my path, a solid, invisible wall. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you. If I interrupted something, I can leave.” He sounded genuinely regretful, his dark brows drawing together in a slight frown. “You seem… really upset.”
His unexpected kindness, the soft concern in his voice, surprised me. It was a tiny crack in the thick wall I had built around myself. My shoulders slumped, the pretense suddenly too heavy to maintain.
Without a word, I sank back down onto the cold grass, not looking at him, my gaze fixed on the endless shimmer of the lake. Then, the words, raw and unthinking came out of me, a testament to how truly broken I felt in that moment. “Have you ever been in love, Alpha Kyle?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper, thin and fragile in the vast silence. “And I don’t mean a mate, I know you haven’t found yours. But just… truly and deeply in love with someone?”
He was silent for a long moment, and I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, sharper now, more probing, trying to piece together the shattered
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landscape of my emotions. “No,” he said finally, his voice oddly soft amoes reflective. “I haven’t.” I looked up at him then, a bitter, humorless smile. twisting my lips. It felt more like a grimace. “You’re very lucky told him the words laced with a pain I couldn’t quite hide, a deep, aching sorrow There no greater misfortune than love.” His expression shifted a flicker of confusion crossing his face. “How come?” he asked his voice low You and Alpha Astor… you seem happy.”
My heart gave a fresh, agonizing wrench. Happy The word felt like alien my tongue, a cruel, mocking joke. I quickly looked away my gaze flying ba to the still, cold surface of the lake. “Oh, no, I’m happy” I said trying to make my voice sound light, dismissive, as if it were of no importance it was adde act, even to my own ears. “I was just asking in general. You know addTQUE It can be… complicated, for some people.” I tried to sound formal agar distant, as if discussing a topic from a textbook, not pouring out the agony my own bleeding heart.
I stood up again, this time with a surge of desperate rescive I couldnt stay here, not with him seeing so much, feeling so much of my raw, exposed pan “Is something wrong, Luna Faith?” Kyle asked, his voice even lower row full of a quiet concern that I found almost unbearable. I paused my back to en
The dam I had so carefully constructed around my emotions, buit with Lute duty and practiced composure, finally cracked. A single, hot tear escader tracing a lonely path down my cheek, unheard, unseen by him. “Beything whispered, the word thick with unshed grief, heavy with a pain that encompassed my entire existence.
“Everything about my life is wrong.” I didn’t wait for him to respond hus walked. I walked away from the lake, away from Alpha Kyle’s quiet understanding gaze, away from the questions I couldn’t answer, and the searing agony I couldn’t explain.
$25 Ports
Chapter 37
