The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation - Chapter 17: Chapter 17
You are reading The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation, Chapter 17: Chapter 17. Read more chapters of The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation.
SEBASTIAN.
"What the hell did he do?" I growl into the phone, my voice low and lethal—the kind that makes even my most seasoned Beta flinch.
Julian clears his throat on the other end. "Tyler Lewis appoints Pia Monroe as Vice President of TL Glam Studio," he says, his tone carefully neutral. "Instead of promoting Analise."
My jaw clenches so tight I can hear my teeth grinding. "Pia Monroe? The influencer with minimal design achievement?"
"The very same. Apparently, she has 'the right image' for the brand moving forward." Julian's distaste is evident even through the phone. "He announces it yesterday at his meeting with SB Capitals."
The leather seat beneath me creaks as I shift, barely containing the wolf inside me that wants to tear something—preferably Tyler Lewis—to shreds. "And Analise?"
"She only finds out about it today. I’m not sure how she’s taking it."
I stare out at the traffic crawling beside my Bentley, human lives moving in their oblivious patterns. "She builds that company from nothing. Her designs are the foundation of TL Glam."
"I know."
"And that ungrateful piece of shit rewards her by passing her over for some Instagram model?" The thought of how this must make Analise feel makes my blood boil. The hurt in those mismatched eyes that I can picture so clearly. Eyes I’ve tried and failed to forget for years.
"He's making a business decision," Julian says carefully. "Monroe brings two million followers and celebrity connections."
"Then he should have made her Head of Marketing. Don’t defend him." My voice drops to a dangerous register that would have my pack members bearing their necks in submission. "Even in the beginning, I have a bad feeling about this guy."
Julian remains wisely silent as my mind drifts back to when I first learn she is dating him. I turn a blind eye, give him a chance, thinking that maybe he loves her enough to give her the life she deserves—the life I can't give her.
"Well, he does come through, all right," I mutter, watching raindrops begin to speckle the window. "He becomes successful. But the problem is, the more money he earns, the more fame eats his brains."
"Sebastian—"
"That arrogant, selfish asshole!" I continue, the anger building with each word. "Using her only for her talents, milking her for what she’s worth, but not giving her enough attention and fulfillment. And now this?" I slam my fist against the car door, leaving a small dent in the armrest that my driver pretends not to notice. "She deserves better."
"Well, I'm sure you're right. But I'm also sure that she's no longer your business since you rejected her many years ago," Julian agrees. "And speaking of things you’d rather avoid, I need to remind you about your dinner meeting with your grandparents tonight. Seven-thirty at Encore."
I close my eyes, exhaling slowly. "Get me out of it."
"Sebastian."
"I mean it. Fabricate an emergency. Tell them I have to handle an urgent pack matter."
"As your Beta, it’s my duty to remind you that as Alpha, it is your responsibility to meet with the Elders when they request it," Julian says, his tone formal now. "Especially when it concerns the future of the pack."
I know exactly what this dinner is about. The same thing the last twelve dinners have been about. "They’re bringing another prospect, aren’t they?"
"The daughter of Alpha Montgomery of the Raven Pack."
"Tell them I’m not interested."
"You haven’t even met her."
"I don’t need to." I run a hand through my hair, frustration building. "This is something I’ve been dragging out for years, and I’m not stopping now. Because my grandparents make me reject my one true mate, it is not up to them to choose my bride—the future Luna of the pack."
The silence that follows is heavy with unspoken history. Julian is there that night, years ago, when I discover that Analise—my new stepsister—is my mate. He witnesses the impossible choice laid before me by my grandparents and the council: ‘reject her or watch her die.’
A human mate is forbidden for any werewolf, but especially for an Alpha. The pack would never accept her, and tradition dictates that she would be killed to free me from the bond. For me, it isn’t a choice at all. I reject her to save her life, break both our hearts in the process, and spend every day since pretending I don’t feel the hollow ache where our bond should be.
"They make you go on dates with half the eligible Alpha daughters on the continent," Julian says, interrupting my thoughts. "Sooner or later, you need to choose one."
I smirk despite myself. "So far, I manage to make them all hate me. I think I make almost half of them cry, don’t I?"
"I know what you’re thinking," Julian sighs. "You’re already planning how to make this one miserable so she rejects you immediately. I’m urging you to stop, Sebastian. Just take a Luna. Get an heir. It’s for the best of the pack and will ensure the stability of your reign as Alpha."
My fingers tighten around the phone. "My reign doesn’t need securing."
"Some people are already whispering," he says, lowering his voice though we’re on a secure line. "They’re casting doubt on your ability because you’re half-human."
The reminder stings more than I’d like to admit. My father, the previous Alpha, falls in love with a human woman—a forbidden relationship that he keeps from my grandparents for years. I am their miracle child, stronger than any pure-blooded wolf, but forever marked as different. My father leaves me and my mother behind and assumes his duties as Alpha. In the beginning, I loathe him for abandoning my mother. But when I am placed in the same situation, I completely understand him. He leaves us to save us.
But then my father dies in a rogue ambush, leaving the pack without an heir, a future Alpha. My grandparents learn about my existence. And they waste no time reclaiming me and hailing me as the next Alpha of the most powerful pack in the country. Sometimes, I still wonder if I make the right choice accepting their offer.
"Let them whisper," I say coldly. "Anyone who challenges me will learn exactly how ‘inhuman’ I can be."
"That’s not the point and you know it. The bloodline—"
Something outside the window catches my eye, a flash of familiar reddish brown hair in the gray afternoon light. My nostrils flare, catching a hint of something impossible.
"I need to go," I tell Julian, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"Sebastian, we’re not done—"
"We are for now." I hang up without waiting for his response and lean forward. "Pull over. Now."
My driver doesn’t question the command, smoothly guiding the Bentley to the curb. I push the button to lower the window, and there it is—her scent. Vanilla and sage with an undertone of something wild, something that calls to the wolf inside me. It’s forever engraved in my mind, unchanged after all these years.
I don’t wait for the car to fully stop before I’m opening the door, ignoring the light rain that immediately begins to dampen my custom suit. People on the sidewalk instinctively move out of my way—humans can’t recognize an Alpha wolf consciously, but something primal in them senses the predator in their midst.
And then I see her.
Analise.
My stepsister. My rejected mate. The woman whose life I save by breaking her heart.
She stands under the awning of a small café across the street, her reddish brown hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders. She’s dressed in a pair of white trousers and a dark green sweater that brings out the hazel in her left eye. Even from this distance, I can see the slight furrow in her brow, the tension in her shoulders.
Even after rejecting her, even after deliberately staying away, I still feel drawn to her like a compass to true north. Every cell in my body screams to go to her, to claim what is mine, to finally make things right.
But I know better. A human Luna is simply unacceptable. And so my choices are either reject her or watch the pack kill her. For me, it isn’t a choice at all.
Still, I find myself taking a step toward the street, then another. The rational part of my brain warns me to get back in the car, to drive away before she sees me. Nothing has changed. The laws that force me to reject her still stand. The danger to her life remains.
I take a step forward. And then another. Her scent is more potent now, intoxicating.
“Ours!!!” Enzo, my wolf, howls.
And I have to decide: Do I show myself this time? Or do I walk away again?
"What the hell did he do?" I growl into the phone, my voice low and lethal—the kind that makes even my most seasoned Beta flinch.
Julian clears his throat on the other end. "Tyler Lewis appoints Pia Monroe as Vice President of TL Glam Studio," he says, his tone carefully neutral. "Instead of promoting Analise."
My jaw clenches so tight I can hear my teeth grinding. "Pia Monroe? The influencer with minimal design achievement?"
"The very same. Apparently, she has 'the right image' for the brand moving forward." Julian's distaste is evident even through the phone. "He announces it yesterday at his meeting with SB Capitals."
The leather seat beneath me creaks as I shift, barely containing the wolf inside me that wants to tear something—preferably Tyler Lewis—to shreds. "And Analise?"
"She only finds out about it today. I’m not sure how she’s taking it."
I stare out at the traffic crawling beside my Bentley, human lives moving in their oblivious patterns. "She builds that company from nothing. Her designs are the foundation of TL Glam."
"I know."
"And that ungrateful piece of shit rewards her by passing her over for some Instagram model?" The thought of how this must make Analise feel makes my blood boil. The hurt in those mismatched eyes that I can picture so clearly. Eyes I’ve tried and failed to forget for years.
"He's making a business decision," Julian says carefully. "Monroe brings two million followers and celebrity connections."
"Then he should have made her Head of Marketing. Don’t defend him." My voice drops to a dangerous register that would have my pack members bearing their necks in submission. "Even in the beginning, I have a bad feeling about this guy."
Julian remains wisely silent as my mind drifts back to when I first learn she is dating him. I turn a blind eye, give him a chance, thinking that maybe he loves her enough to give her the life she deserves—the life I can't give her.
"Well, he does come through, all right," I mutter, watching raindrops begin to speckle the window. "He becomes successful. But the problem is, the more money he earns, the more fame eats his brains."
"Sebastian—"
"That arrogant, selfish asshole!" I continue, the anger building with each word. "Using her only for her talents, milking her for what she’s worth, but not giving her enough attention and fulfillment. And now this?" I slam my fist against the car door, leaving a small dent in the armrest that my driver pretends not to notice. "She deserves better."
"Well, I'm sure you're right. But I'm also sure that she's no longer your business since you rejected her many years ago," Julian agrees. "And speaking of things you’d rather avoid, I need to remind you about your dinner meeting with your grandparents tonight. Seven-thirty at Encore."
I close my eyes, exhaling slowly. "Get me out of it."
"Sebastian."
"I mean it. Fabricate an emergency. Tell them I have to handle an urgent pack matter."
"As your Beta, it’s my duty to remind you that as Alpha, it is your responsibility to meet with the Elders when they request it," Julian says, his tone formal now. "Especially when it concerns the future of the pack."
I know exactly what this dinner is about. The same thing the last twelve dinners have been about. "They’re bringing another prospect, aren’t they?"
"The daughter of Alpha Montgomery of the Raven Pack."
"Tell them I’m not interested."
"You haven’t even met her."
"I don’t need to." I run a hand through my hair, frustration building. "This is something I’ve been dragging out for years, and I’m not stopping now. Because my grandparents make me reject my one true mate, it is not up to them to choose my bride—the future Luna of the pack."
The silence that follows is heavy with unspoken history. Julian is there that night, years ago, when I discover that Analise—my new stepsister—is my mate. He witnesses the impossible choice laid before me by my grandparents and the council: ‘reject her or watch her die.’
A human mate is forbidden for any werewolf, but especially for an Alpha. The pack would never accept her, and tradition dictates that she would be killed to free me from the bond. For me, it isn’t a choice at all. I reject her to save her life, break both our hearts in the process, and spend every day since pretending I don’t feel the hollow ache where our bond should be.
"They make you go on dates with half the eligible Alpha daughters on the continent," Julian says, interrupting my thoughts. "Sooner or later, you need to choose one."
I smirk despite myself. "So far, I manage to make them all hate me. I think I make almost half of them cry, don’t I?"
"I know what you’re thinking," Julian sighs. "You’re already planning how to make this one miserable so she rejects you immediately. I’m urging you to stop, Sebastian. Just take a Luna. Get an heir. It’s for the best of the pack and will ensure the stability of your reign as Alpha."
My fingers tighten around the phone. "My reign doesn’t need securing."
"Some people are already whispering," he says, lowering his voice though we’re on a secure line. "They’re casting doubt on your ability because you’re half-human."
The reminder stings more than I’d like to admit. My father, the previous Alpha, falls in love with a human woman—a forbidden relationship that he keeps from my grandparents for years. I am their miracle child, stronger than any pure-blooded wolf, but forever marked as different. My father leaves me and my mother behind and assumes his duties as Alpha. In the beginning, I loathe him for abandoning my mother. But when I am placed in the same situation, I completely understand him. He leaves us to save us.
But then my father dies in a rogue ambush, leaving the pack without an heir, a future Alpha. My grandparents learn about my existence. And they waste no time reclaiming me and hailing me as the next Alpha of the most powerful pack in the country. Sometimes, I still wonder if I make the right choice accepting their offer.
"Let them whisper," I say coldly. "Anyone who challenges me will learn exactly how ‘inhuman’ I can be."
"That’s not the point and you know it. The bloodline—"
Something outside the window catches my eye, a flash of familiar reddish brown hair in the gray afternoon light. My nostrils flare, catching a hint of something impossible.
"I need to go," I tell Julian, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"Sebastian, we’re not done—"
"We are for now." I hang up without waiting for his response and lean forward. "Pull over. Now."
My driver doesn’t question the command, smoothly guiding the Bentley to the curb. I push the button to lower the window, and there it is—her scent. Vanilla and sage with an undertone of something wild, something that calls to the wolf inside me. It’s forever engraved in my mind, unchanged after all these years.
I don’t wait for the car to fully stop before I’m opening the door, ignoring the light rain that immediately begins to dampen my custom suit. People on the sidewalk instinctively move out of my way—humans can’t recognize an Alpha wolf consciously, but something primal in them senses the predator in their midst.
And then I see her.
Analise.
My stepsister. My rejected mate. The woman whose life I save by breaking her heart.
She stands under the awning of a small café across the street, her reddish brown hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders. She’s dressed in a pair of white trousers and a dark green sweater that brings out the hazel in her left eye. Even from this distance, I can see the slight furrow in her brow, the tension in her shoulders.
Even after rejecting her, even after deliberately staying away, I still feel drawn to her like a compass to true north. Every cell in my body screams to go to her, to claim what is mine, to finally make things right.
But I know better. A human Luna is simply unacceptable. And so my choices are either reject her or watch the pack kill her. For me, it isn’t a choice at all.
Still, I find myself taking a step toward the street, then another. The rational part of my brain warns me to get back in the car, to drive away before she sees me. Nothing has changed. The laws that force me to reject her still stand. The danger to her life remains.
I take a step forward. And then another. Her scent is more potent now, intoxicating.
“Ours!!!” Enzo, my wolf, howls.
And I have to decide: Do I show myself this time? Or do I walk away again?
End of The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation Chapter 17. Continue reading Chapter 18 or return to The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation book page.