Temporary Luna, Permanent Heartbreak - Chapter 17: Chapter 17

After Sterling finished speaking, Zara was shocked for a moment, then shook her head to comfort him. "Mr. Ashford, it's not your fault. This has nothing to do with you. Even if it wasn't Vixen, it would've been someone else."
Kai's heart was an ocean vast enough to hold two women at once—his devotion was never singular, never absolute.
"Well, I'm just glad you're not mad at me. And don't call me Mr. Ashford anymore—just call me Sterling." He tried to sound casual. "I'm not practicing law anymore. I've decided to get into charity work like you. You can think of me as your partner from now on."
"You don't have to do that. I'm doing fine on my own." Zara politely declined.
"I know you're doing great. I just want to learn from you and help these mountain communities too." Sterling pretended not to understand her rejection and smiled, taking the textbook from her hands to continue teaching the children.
Sterling settled into life in the village, spending most of his days helping with construction and teaching the kids.
He took care of Zara in every possible way, always seeming to anticipate her needs. While carefully maintaining a respectful distance, he surrounded her with quiet devotion.
Everyone in the village could see that he liked her.
Grandma Rose often urged her to accept him too.
This bothered Zara a little.
One evening, as the sun was setting, Zara climbed up to the platform to watch the sunset.
Sterling had somehow followed her up. He handed her a peeled apple.
"Try this—it's really sweet."
"Thanks." Zara took the apple but didn't eat it, instead gazing at the red-tinged sky in the distance.
"Sterling, are you really happy staying here?" she asked softly.
"Yeah." Sterling nodded. "I'll always be happy as long as you're here."
"I know how you feel, but I'll never love again. I don't have it in me anymore. Stop wasting your time on me out of guilt." She handed the apple back to him. "I found a worm in an apple a few days ago. I'll never eat them again."
"Zara, life stretches long ahead of us. I believe that someday your heart will heal. If you don't want apples, that's fine—there are plenty of other fruits." Sterling persisted. It wasn't guilt driving him—he genuinely cared for Zara.
The sun set and the twilight was swallowed by darkness. Zara said nothing more, quietly getting up and leaving.
Whatever—if she couldn't talk sense into him, she'd stop trying. He'd figure it out on his own eventually.
Meanwhile, Kai had never given up searching for Zara.
Every time he found a lead and followed it, he'd discover that Zara had bought tickets to multiple destinations.
She was deliberately hiding from him.
Kai grew more and more frantic, becoming increasingly volatile. He'd lost his temper with business partners several times during negotiations, costing the company hundreds of millions.
The pack elders banded together in protest, demanding a change in leadership and insisting that Kai personally cover the losses.
The elders cornered him outside his office.
"Alpha Blackthorn, we won't accept these massive losses the pack's taking for no reason."
"If your personal issues are affecting your leadership, maybe you should consider stepping down temporarily."
"This pack doesn't belong to you alone—you need to think about our interests too. We've already spoken to your mother. If you keep this up, we'll challenge your Alpha status."
Faced with their threats, Kai showed no reaction, completely dismissing them.
Just then, his beta came running over, out of breath. "Alpha Blackthorn, we've got a lead on Luna!"