His Luna Was Never Me - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Ronan stood in the Alpha's office—the same office that had once been my father's—his usual confidence replaced by something unfamiliar. Hesitation.
"Anastasia," he started, his voice softer than I'd ever heard it. "I miss the days when you called me Ian. The name only you ever used."
The sound of that nickname hit me like a punch to the gut. Memories rushed in—us as kids, full of stupid dreams, back when I'd first realized what he meant to me. Back when I'd whispered that name like a secret, like a confession.
"Ian," I'd said once, my voice shaking. "There's something I need to tell you—"
But he hadn't let me finish.
"Don't call me that," he'd sneered, his voice dripping with disgust. "It makes me sick."
The love letter in my hand had crumpled under my grip, unsaid words turning to ash in my throat. After that day, I never called him Ian again.
Now, standing in the same office years later, I met his gaze with ice in mine. "Don't call me Anastasia," I said, my voice sharp enough to cut. "It makes me sick. Call me Alpha."
His eyes widened, recognition flashing across his face—he remembered. Before he could respond, the door swung open.
Adeline stood there, poised as ever, her sharp eyes darting between us. "Alpha," she said smoothly, "weren't we supposed to leave for the gathering together? What are you—" Her words died as she took in the scene: me behind the Alpha's desk, Ronan standing like a man awaiting judgment.
The air thickened with tension. Ronan's jaw clenched, his gaze flickering to me as if waiting for a reaction. But I didn't give him one. I just kept eating, indifferent.
"What are you doing here?" Ronan snapped, irritation lacing his words.
Adeline forced a smile. "You haven't been answering my calls. Or my mind links."
She wasn't wrong. He'd been ignoring her for days, hanging up on her right in front of me.
"I've been busy," he muttered, rubbing his temples. "Transferring everything to Anastasia. Go home. We'll talk later."
Adeline's smile faltered. "What do you mean?"
Ronan exhaled sharply. "I surrendered the Alpha title to her."
For a split second, her mask slipped. Raw jealousy twisted her features before she smoothed them back into place. But I knew her. I knew how much she hated this.
She wasn't done. Striding forward, she picked up Ronan's abandoned silverware, her smile saccharine. "Well, I'm starving. Mind if I join you two for dinner, Anastasia—oops, I mean Alpha?"
Her tone was sweet, but her eyes were knives.
I didn't even look up. "Actually, I do mind. Your presence turns my stomach."
Her smile cracked. She glanced at Ronan, waiting for him to defend her.
He didn't.
"Beta Magnus will take you home," he said flatly.
Adeline's face flushed with fury. For a second, I thought she might scream. Instead, she spun on her heel and stormed out, the door slamming behind her.
Silence.
Ronan hesitated, then finally spoke. "Anastasia, there's nothing between me and her. The only reason I tolerate her is because she begged your parents to save me when I was a kid. If not for her, I might not be alive."
I nearly choked on my food. He actually believed that? Of course Adeline would spin some twisted lie to keep him indebted to her.
He stepped closer, his voice softening. "If you're willing... I'll announce our marriage at the Alpha banquet in a few days." His eyes burned with something desperate. "Give me another chance. Marry me. I'll give you the wedding you deserve. You'll be my wife—and the Alpha of this pack."
His words hung between us, heavy with the future we could've had. The future I'd once wanted more than anything.
But the past was a wound that never healed. And some things—some people—couldn't be undone.