He Thought I Became His Perfect Luna, I Had Only Stopped Loving Him Chapter 04

He Thought I Became His Perfect Luna, I Had Only Stopped Loving Him Chapter 04

Five years ago was the night of our wedding.

I didn’t react. I didn’t remember that night anymore. I just stood there while people turned to look at me with expressions I couldn’t quite name.

By now, everyone knew. The Alpha’s Luna was unwanted.

But then Rhoslyn leaned close to my ear, voice barely above a whisper.

“That night, it was me and Stellan. You were unconscious.”

Oh.

So that’s what happened.

I looked at her.

And honestly?

I didn’t care.

I stepped back, putting space between us. Rhoslyn blinked, caught off guard.

The branch was tossed again. This time it landed in my hands.

An older woman smiled at me from across the clearing.

“Come on, Luna! What does the Alpha treasure most? Get it wrong and you owe us a performance!”

Stellan’s most prized possession.

Once I would’ve said his Alpha medallion. Then I thought it was Rhoslyn. And now…

The memories were behind a wall so thick I couldn’t even find the door anymore.

I thought for a long time.

Then I said, quietly: “I don’t remember.”

The crowd fell silent.

I shrugged.

And then I sang.

My voice came out low and rough. Nothing like how I probably used to sound. Like a crow trying to find the melody in something it had no business singing.

The song drifted through the trees and into the dark.

Stellan stared.

She never sang in front of people. He knew that. And those eyes. That blankness was real. It wasn’t a performance.

The celebration ended, and the sky opened up.

Rain came down in sheets.

Stellan sent his warriors to escort Rhoslyn home. Then he turned to me, expression flat.

“Walk back yourself.”

I nodded.

And I walked into the rain.

It soaked through me in seconds.

Stellan sat in the backseat of the car.

In the rearview mirror, he watched her figure grow smaller.

The rain was too heavy. Within moments, she vanished.

He lit a cigarette. Exhaled. Told the driver, “Slow down.”

The car crept along. He kept watching the mirror.

She didn’t appear.

“Turn around,” he finally said.

When they found her, Aelwen was face-down in the mud.

He carried her to the car himself. She was burning up.

The hospital healer’s voice was tight with barely-contained fury:

“One hundred and four degrees Fahrenheit. Much longer and she would’ve gone into shock.”

“Alpha. I told you last time, her body can’t take any more strain. What you just did could have killed her.”

Stellan stood outside the glass partition and stared at the figure on the bed.

She looked so small. So breakable. Like she might just come apart if someone breathed wrong.

I was out for two days.

When I woke, Stellan was sitting beside me. Faint shadows under his eyes.

He looked up the moment I stirred.

“You’re up.” His voice was softer than usual. “The healers said you need rest. I’ll stay.”

He paused.

“Those things I said at the celebration? I was joking. Don’t take it seriously.”

“When you’re better, I’ll give you the Luna crown.”

I blinked at him.

“The Luna crown,” I said. “Is that… important?”

He went still. “You wanted it. Very badly.”

“Did I?” I smiled faintly. “That must’ve been a long time ago.”

“Aelwen.” His voice went tight. “You have to treat me like this? I’m offering you the crown, an apology. What more do you want from me?”

I didn’t answer.

I looked out the window instead.

I just needed to get through the next month.

One month, and the Luna bond would be dissolved.

On the day I left the hospital, Stellan took me to a medical symposium.

“You used to love these events,” he said. “Your mother’s research manuscripts are on display today.”

Something moved in my chest. The first real feeling I’d had in weeks.

In the exhibit hall, I stood in front of my mother’s display for a long time.

This was the work from her peak years. Research that had shaken the field when it was published.

I turned to leave.

And then I saw it.

In the latest achievements section: a familiar research report.

Author: Rhoslyn.

Title: Innovative Treatment Methods for Acute Wolf Venom Infection.

My whole body went cold.

I stood there and read it again. And again.

This was my manuscript. Written three years ago. Locked in my office drawer. Never shared with anyone.

“Curious about that one?” Stellan’s voice came from behind me. “Rhoslyn just published it. Just won the Rising Healer Award.”

I turned around.

“That’s my research.”

Stellan frowned. “What?”

“Innovative Treatment Methods for Acute Wolf Venom Infection. I wrote it three years ago.” My voice was steady. “The manuscript has been in my desk drawer this entire time.”