The Alpha Never Stopped Trying To Claim Me Chapter 03

The Alpha Never Stopped Trying To Claim Me Chapter 03

Lucian’s face darkened, and he sighed in exasperation. That sigh held no tenderness, only the irritation of “she’s bothering me again.”

He turned around, reached into the back of the closet, and dug out the moonstone necklace from under a neatly folded ceremonial robe.

Because by tradition, the moonstone necklace was supposed to be kept on the Alpha’s person—worn on his wrist, soaked in his scent.

But Lucian had dug it out from the back of the closet.

Like it was some forgotten old thing.

Like something he’d stuffed in a random corner and never thought about again.

I suddenly remembered the old days. We were just teenagers back then. He wasn’t Alpha heir yet. On a stormy, Moonless Night, I’d curled up in an old closet shaking, and Lucian pushed the door open and sat down next to me.

“Serena.” His voice had been soft and warm back then. “You don’t have to be scared. I’ll be right here with you every Moonless Night from now on. On our Mating Ceremony day, I’ll hide your moonstone necklace in the back of this closet—because this is the place you fear most. I’ll pull it out with my own hands and put it on you. So you know, I’ll turn the corner you fear most into the start of something good for you.”

He’d squeezed my cheek gently and smiled. “This is the safety I’m giving you. Remember it—you’ll always come first with me.”

That was the most serious promise he’d ever made me in his life.

But now—

He stood in front of me, brows furrowed, like he was putting up with an unreasonable subordinate.

He grabbed my left hand roughly, pressed the cold moonstone necklace against my skin, and forced it around my wrist.

My knuckles ached from being squeezed.

I flinched back on instinct.

Lucian didn’t look up, just mumbled, “Stop moving, let’s get this over with fast.”

“Get this over with fast.”

This sentence cut deeper than the cold metal.

In that second, it felt like every bit of trust I’d given him over the years had turned into a joke.

But right now, he just kept pushing. “You done moping? Let’s go, the elders are waiting.”

The photographer hinted quietly. “This won’t look good on camera. Don’t you two want a romantic keepsake video for later?”

Irritation etched deep into Lucian’s features. “Just cut it out. It’s just a formality, missing one part doesn’t matter.”

“Just a formality.” Those words ached like a dull knife in my chest.

I stood up and looked at him. “Today is our Mating Ceremony. It only happens once in a lifetime.”

He nodded and cut me off. “I know. But we have a whole lifetime ahead of us. Maya has Moonless Night trauma. Just swallow this for now, I’ll make it up to you later.”

I gritted my teeth and walked toward the ceremony caravan outside.

I was just about to speak when my friend Chloe ran in, panic all over her face. “The caravan order got messed up! The groomsmen said you’re in the last car. How does that make sense—future Alpha and future Luna don’t ride separate!”

Lucian picked up his car keys, unconcerned. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing. Chloe, you switch to the back seat with her. Maya’s riding shotgun with me, only my car doesn’t make her carsick. I’ll pick Serena up after I drop her off, it’s fine.”

The bridesmaids all protested, but Lucian tuned them out, slung Maya’s duffel over his shoulder and walked out.

I hurried after him in my heavy wedding dress. “Lucian, if you insist on switching this, the Mating Ceremony ends right here today.”

He didn’t hesitate for a second. He tossed the duffel into the trunk, held the door open for Maya, and only then looked back at me.

“If you don’t marry me, who are you gonna marry?”

His gaze swept over my red, teary eyes, and his tone softened. “Stop throwing a fit. The elders and all our kin are waiting. You spent six months planning this ceremony—don’t you want to experience it yourself?”

Before he finished talking, Maya’s soft gasp pulled his attention right back.

He tapped her forehead fondly, waved a quick goodbye, and drove off.