The Luna They Used Chapter 05

The Luna They Used Chapter 05

I woke up in a bed that wasn’t mine – massive, draped in hand-embroidered satin. The ceiling soared overhead, and a crystal chandelier scattered light across the room.

Cedar and fir lingered in the air – the unmistakable scent of the Northern Territory council hall. I was home.

“You’re up.” Adrian was in the chair beside the bed, a bowl of soup balanced in one hand.

The shadows under his eyes said he hadn’t slept. He held it out to me. “Eat something first – you’ve got medicine after this. The witch said the damage ran deep. Months of recovery, at the very least.”

I took the bowl and brought the first spoonful to my lips – and all I saw was Noah across a dinner table, pushing stew toward me with that perfect smile. My stomach clenched. I almost gagged right there.

Adrian watched me. Something dark moved behind his eyes. “What else did he do to you?”

I didn’t answer that. “Does Noah know I’m gone?”

“By now? Definitely.” Adrian’s voice was flat, almost bored. “He got back to the pack house last night and you were gone. Your phone was on the bed. He blew up your phone.”

“Did you answer?”

“No. But I left a note on his desk.”

“What did you write?”

The corner of Adrian’s mouth lifted. It wasn’t a warm smile. Something about it sent a chill straight down my spine.

“Nothing much. Just that I have his Luna. And if he wants her back, he can come to the Northern Territory and ask nicely.”

I stared at him. “You want him to show up?”

Adrian passed me the medicine and nodded. “He likes to perform? Fine. I’ve built the stage right here on my territory. Let’s see if he’s got the nerve to step onto it.”

I didn’t say anything for a while. I finished the medicine – bitter enough to make my eyes water – and set the bowl down. “Adrian. I don’t want to see him again.”

Adrian’s gaze gentled.

“I know.” He reached over and ruffled my hair, the way he used to when I was small. “But some debts don’t get to stay unpaid. You’re the Alpha Princess of the Northern Territory – not some prop in his little play. He’s going to pay back everything he took from you, and then some.”

I didn’t argue. Deep down, I knew he was right. Running from this wouldn’t make it disappear.

Adrian’s voice shifted. “I had my intel team look into what caused that scene at the hospital – I found

answers.”

I looked up.

—

Adrian paused. “Those fake texts and photos – the ones about you supposedly chasing Julian – we traced the digital footprint.” He let that land. “They were sent from inside Black Thorn. Their own server.”

My fingers twisted into the bedsheet.

“It was Marcus – Noah’s Beta.”

“Does Noah know?”

Adrian didn’t answer the question. He answered a different one. “Marcus was found dead before we could bring him in.”

I closed my eyes. That was enough.

It didn’t matter whether Noah had given the order out loud. Marcus Griffin was his right hand. No one

touched the Luna’s phone without clearance. No one accessed that server without permission.

I just hadn’t expected him to start taking me apart before I was even gone.

I opened my eyes. “Adrian. I need to see the territory’s high witch.”

“Why?”

“I took the bond-severing potion early – back at the pack house, before I left.” I stared at the ceiling. “But

when they drained my power, it must have weakened the potion’s effect too. The bond is still there. Faint, but

I can feel it.”

Adrian frowned. “You want to take another dose? Ashley, that stuff nearly destroyed you the first time.”

My voice barely carried, but every word was iron. “I don’t care. I don’t want a single thread still tying me to

him. Not one.”

Adrian held my gaze for a long time. Then he exhaled. “Alright. I’ll take you myself.”