The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation - Chapter 47: Chapter 47

'Damn it! I thought I could handle this. I was wrong!’
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding as I enter my bedroom.
Years after rejecting her, after breaking the mate bond, I thought things will go back to normal. I thought that finally, we can just be family—just normal brother and sister.
But no. Her scent—wild berries and sweet honey—lingers on my clothes and stays in my mind.
Now, she is under my roof, sleeping in a bed next to mine. She’s close enough that if I let my guard down, I’m afraid that my wolf might forget the reasons we can’t be together.
‘As if you don’t remind me that every fucking day!’ my wolf growls inside my head.
I start to unbutton my shirt, thinking about the look on Lewis’s face when the limousine pulled up in his driveway is priceless. He’s probably having a headache right now, wondering how the woman he thought was nothing turned out to be something after all.
‘He never deserved her! I can’t believe we just let him have his way with her!’ Enzo complains.
‘You know we can’t.’
‘And what about now? Why are we helping her now?’
I sigh. He’s right. Helping Analise now will jeopardize everything. Including her safety. But what can I do? She has no one.
‘I can’t not do anything, Enzo,’ I tell him. ‘She asked for help. She needs me now, more than ever.’
I remember how Analise looked during dinner. It’s amazing how the shower gave her a different aura, washing away the dust, tears and blood, leaving her fresh and radiant. The wine brought color to cheeks. She ate the steak I had my personal chef prepared, savoring each bite as if she hadn’t had a good meal in years.
Suddenly, I catch a whiff of pine and earth in the air. It’s coming from the balcony. Instantly, I know who has arrived, opting to jump up my balcony instead of using the front door.
I don’t turn around. Instead, I use our mindlink to speak to him. “Come in now.”
The glass door slides open and Julian steps inside, barely making a sound. He’s dressed in black jeans and black shirt that makes his pale skin look almost ghostly under the dim light.
“So… she finally opened that damned envelope,” he says, leaning against the wall. “Right?”
I turn to face him, one eyebrow raised. "Why do you ask questions you already know the answers to?"
He smirks. "Force of habit, I guess.”
I take off my shirt and toss it on the bed. "Tell me one thing,” I say, raising a challenging brow at him. “When you gave her that envelope, did you scare her out of opening it?”
Julian looks at me thoughtfully. Then he shrugs and says, "Why are you asking questions you already know the answers to?" His voice is so calm, it’s irritating.
"Damn it, Julian!" I slam my fist against the wall, hard enough to crack the plaster. "Because of you, it took her six years to call me! Six years of enduring the pain and humiliation of that despicable guy and his family!” I can feel the rage building inside my chest. “She was alone and helpless. She had nowhere to turn. She could have called me sooner if she knew it was safe to call for help! If she knew that envelope came from me!”
Julian doesn't even flinch at my outburst. He watches me with those steady eyes that have seen me at my worst. "I was protecting you," he says simply. "And in a way, her.”
"Protecting me?" I laugh humorlessly, the sound harsh in the quiet room. "From what?"
"From yourself. From what would happen if you got too close to her." He walks away from the wall, moving further into the room. “Just like what you’re doing now. You’re putting everything in jeopardy.”
“I know what I’m doing,” I tell him. Though in my head, I am not sure I sounded convincing.
"Yeah? What's your plan now? Are you going to live here with her? Move out of the pack house?" His voice hardens. "You're the Alpha. You can't live away from the pack."
I run a hand through my hair, forcing the anger down. "I know my duties. I’m not abandoning the pack." I walk towards the bar to pour myself a glass of whiskey. "I have responsibilities to the pack, to the corporation. But I also have duties to my family." The amber liquid burns down my throat, grounding me. "Analise is my stepsister. She's my family too. Since her father is in a coma, she has no one else. It's my responsibility to look out for her."
Julian snorts. "Bullshit."
I turn to him slowly. "Excuse me?"
"I said bullshit." He doesn't back down, meeting my gaze directly. A challenge that would get anyone else in the pack thrown across the room. But not Julian. He’s not only my beta. He’s also my best friend. “I don't believe your excuses. You're just using this as an opportunity to be near your mate."
The word hits me like a physical blow. Mate. Something I have long forgotten since I rejected Analsie—my human mate.
"She's not my mate anymore," I say, each word precise and cold. "I rejected her years ago. The bond is broken. She means nothing to me beyond family."
"You're full of crap, Sebastian." Julian moves closer, unafraid despite the growl building in my chest. "I was there, remember? I saw what it did to you whe you severed the mate bond. I cleaned up the mess when you tore apart half the forest. I kept your secret when the council asked questions."
I set the glass down carefully, too aware of how easily I could shatter it in my grip. "She's my sister," I insist. "Right now, I’m the only family she can rely on. It's my duty to help restore what's hers. I will help her get revenge on the people who brought her down—her husband, his family, even Lorraine." I feel my eyes shift, the beast inside me responding to my anger. "I will help her redeem herself. And I won't stop until she is herself again—Analise McGregor."
Julian watches me, his expression unreadable. "And how exactly are you going to do that?"
"I have a plan." I turn to him. “Did you bring the box I asked you to take from my safety deposit box?”
He nods, reaching into his jacket. He pulls out a small metal container, its surface etched with ancient symbols. "Here."
I take it from him. I press my thumb on the sensor, hearing the lock clicking open.
Inside, nestled in black velvet, lies a pendant like nothing else I’ve ever seen.
Even under the dim lighting, it gleams with quiet defiance. Platinum curves into a crescent moon cradling a full moon, the shape fluid, intimate.
Diamonds glint from within veins of blue jade, the exact hue of my eyes—a detail no one else would notice but the two of us.
It’s breathtaking, and it’s the only one of its kind.
Julian leans in, eyebrows rising. “You had this custom-made, patented... and then kept it hidden. Why?”
I lift the pendant by its chain, letting it glimmer under the light.
“Because it was never meant for the world,” I say quietly. “It was meant for one person.”
Realization flickers across his face. “Her.”
I simply nod in admission.
Julian’s voice lowers. “Does it have a name?”
I don’t answer right away. I watch the pendant rotate slowly, silver and blue dancing like captured moonlight.
“She called it... Moonstruck.”