My Dearly Beloved Luna

Chapter 6

The dark grey of his eyes ignited into brilliant gold for the briefest moment. His wolf surged beneath the surface. His jaw clenched. Every muscle in his body tightened. His breathing became uneven as a low, involuntary growl which was barely audible escaped his lips.

And yet somehow I felt it vibrate through every part of me.

He looked at me as though he’d spent years searching for something he never expected to find.

As though the rest of the room had ceased to exist.

“Elias?”Alpha Marcus’s voice broke the silence.

“Elias? He called again.

Then Alpha Marcus pushed back his chair and concern replaced the calm authority he’d carried all evening, but that didn't make a difference.

Because Elias didn’t even blink. He kept staring at me as though he was seeing something nobody else could see.

His entire body had gone rigid, every muscle drawn so tight it looked painful. His breathing grew rough, his chest rose and fell with barely controlled restraint. For a moment, I felt as if he would start walking towards me.

Then his weight shifted he took a step toward me, then he stopped. Something changed in his face. Shock gave way to fear. Not fear of me. Fear of what seeing me meant and Without another word, he spins around, turned towards the door and walked out, slamming the door shut hard enough to rattle the glasses on the table.

We were all in shock no one could speak or move.

It was my mother who finally broke the silence.

“That,” she said stiffly, straightening her napkin as if nothing extraordinary had happened, “was incredibly disrespectful.”

Her words barely reached me. I couldn’t stop staring at the closed doors. It felt as though the air he’d carried into the room had followed him back out, leaving me struggling for my next breath.

My heartbeat refused to slow. It pounded against my ribs so violently I pressed a hand to my chest without thinking. The expensive scent of soap and wet dirt still lingered around me. Which bothered me because he wasn’t even here and yet my instinct insisted he was close.

Close enough to touch.Close enough that if I reached out…

Stop. I squeezed my eyes shut for the briefest second. Get yourself together. When I opened them again, nothing had changed.

The dining room looked exactly the same.

The chandelier still glittered overhead.

Dinner still sat untouched. My mother still watched me with barely concealed irritation.

Only I felt different. Like someone had reached inside me and rearranged pieces that could never be put back the way they were.

“Sylvia.”Alpha Marcus’s voice was gentler now.“I owe you an apology.”

I turned toward him.“I don’t understand what just happened.”

“Neither do I,” he said

That answer surprised me.

He looked toward the doors Elias had disappeared through, his brow drawn together in genuine confusion.” I’ve never seen my son behave that way”

Not once.

Not ever.

“He isn’t… angry with me, is he?” I asked quietly.

Marcus frowned.“Angry?”

He almost looked offended by the suggestion.

“No.”His answer came without hesitation.“If anything…”

He stopped himself before finishing the thought.

“If anything?” I repeated.

His gaze lingered on me for another second before he slowly shook his head.“It doesn’t matter.”

Of course it mattered. Every cell in my body screamed that it mattered. Whatever had happened the moment Elias looked at me…It wasn’t normal. I’d never reacted to another person that way. Never felt my body answer someone before my mind even had time to think.

My mother rose from her chair with an impatient sigh.“We’re wasting everyone’s time.”

She glanced toward Marcus.“Should someone check on Elias?”

“I’ll handle it.”Marcus said as he rose from his seat.“Excuse me for a few minutes.”

Then he rested a reassuring hand on the back of my chair and added.”I’m sorry your first evening home unfolded like this”

Then he was gone. The dining room felt twice as large without him.

An uncomfortable silence settled between my mother and me.

She studied me for a long moment. Before saying “You look flushed.”

“I’m warm.” I snap.

“You’ve been back less than a day and you’ve already started creating problems,” she said with annoyance in her voice.

I stared at her.“I didn’t do anything.”

“Visibly no, but you caused something?”Her eyebrow lifted.”Elias has never walked away from a family dinner in his life.”

The accusation settled between us.

She was implying that somehow…It was my fault he threw a tantrum.

I laughed once but I wasn’t amused

“I walked into a room and did absolutely nothing to annoy him plus the only reason I’m down here is because you forced me to.”

“You could have refused and stayed in your room.”She said so matter-of-factly that I almost questioned whether I’d heard correctly.

Before I could answer, raised voices started slipping in faintly through the open doorway.

One belonged to Alpha Marcus.

The other…Elias.

I couldn’t make out the words. Only the strain in his voice.

Whatever was happening outside…

It had everything to do with me.