A Luna for the Lycan King novel Chapter 99

Chapter 99

I wasn’t sure what I expected, but the look in Alfred’s eyes wasn’t it. His eyes were bloodshot and red, edged with puffy bags, as if he’d been crying for months. The sight forced me to remember the pain and loss I suffered on his behalf–the loss of my child because of his infidelity–yet the softening of his gaze toward me was inexplicable. Why did he look at me with such tenderness now? Memories of our past rushed through me like a storm, but his broken appearance contradicted the ruthless image I’d held onto. My thoughts raced, trying to make sense of the chaos inside me. Did he know what he had done to me? Did he feel regret? And yet, a darker voice whispered that this might be some sick game, another layer of betrayal that I hadn’t yet uncovered. But there he stood, an ex–mate, a potential enemy, reduced to a specter of his former self.

Alfred took a few hesitant steps in my direction, his hand

trembling with raw emotion. He was a ghost reaching out to me, a reminder of all that had been shattered. I was taken aback,

shocked by the depth of his distress, the unsteady sway of a man

unraveling. I steeled myself against his advance, every instinct screaming to protect what remained of my heart from him. His nearness dredged up forgotten feelings, echoes of love and pain intertwined, battling within me for dominance. A time when I ha hoped for a future with Alfred, and then when I wished to tear him apart. Why did he look at me like that, and why now? What kind of game was this, and what role was I expected to play in it? My

mind swirled, every heartbeat another question without an

answer.

But before Alfred could reach me, Ivy intercepted him. She rested her hand firmly on his chest, her touch a gentle but undeniable

command. She looked at him with the possession of a woman in control, her patting gesture almost condescending in its assurance. I watched, stunned by the sway she seemed to hold over him. Was this the same man who had once turned my world upside down? Her assertiveness left me off–balance, her eyes meeting mine with a mix of triumph and defiance. There was something almost pitying in the way she dealt with him, as if she was the only one who truly knew him now.

“Didn’t I warn you?” Ivy purred, her voice seductive and smooth. “I told you not to come down here. It’s too emotional for you, remember?” Her words dripped with a sweet poison. It seemed like her tone was persuading his mind. What had happened to him? The depth of their connection was a cruel twist, a reminder of how quickly he’d replaced me. I stood there, trying to decode their tangled dynamics, the way she seemed to be in control of everything, including him. The ease with which she held him in her grasp left me reeling. Alfred had never been the overly doting type, and this interaction was foreign.

Alfred looked torn, his gaze flicking between me and Ivy, and then back to me again. I could see him battling against himself, every muscle straining with indecision. He opened his mouth as if to

speak, but no words came out. Instead, he simply stood there, frozen and useless, an actor unsure of his lines. It was almost tragic, and if I hadn’t known better, I might have felt sorry for him. But then again, did I know better? Was he playing a part I hadn’t yet seen? His hesitation was telling, an internal struggle laid bare before me, and it only deepened the mystery of his condition. Why didn’t he say anything? I watched, bewildered and on guard, as if waiting for the punchline to a sick joke.

“Think of the baby,” Ivy said, pulling his face down to meet her own. Their eyes locked, and I saw the exact moment her reminder hit him. It was as if she’d yanked a leash, and he was a well–trained pet responding to his master’s command. And then, like a punch to the gut, the implication of her words landed. The baby? Was she pregnant? My eyes darted to her belly, the small bump unmistakable and taunting. Every molecule of air left my lungs, and the world spun, a dizzying whirl of disbelief and horror. It couldn’t be. It was a bitter realization, and yet there it was, as plain as the daylight seeping through the cold stone walls. He’d lost a pup with me and already put one in her. I think what bothered me the most was how little he seemed to care about the pup we had lost. It all felt more cruel.

As if savoring the blow she had just delivered, Ivy turned to me with a cruel smile. Her hand drifted over her stomach, a gesture both subtle and sharp as a knife. The truth of it was too big, too twisted to grasp all at once. I reeled from the impact, the weight of it pressing in from all sides. What kind of future were they

planning, and where did it leave me? However, if she thought this would break me, she was beyond clueless. I didn’t care about Alfred like that anymore. I wasn’t his mate. It was more of the shock… and the fact he had cared so little about the pup we had

lost.

Alfred didn’t say a word. His eyes seemed to fog over, like windows obscured by frost, and then he turned and left without uttering another sound. The entire exchange felt like a surreal nightmare. Had he been brainwashed, too? It seemed as if his soul had been erased, leaving behind only a shell of obedience. What had they done to him? How had they turned him into this? The questions flooded me, relentless and biting, as I tried to make sense of the oddity of his behavior. His silence echoed in the air, deafening and absurd, and I was left to stew in it, boiling with unanswered suspicions. The man I had just seen was not the Alfred I had known. He was hardly a shell of himself. What had happened?

Ivy watched him go, her eyes gleaming with a cruel satisfaction, as if the entire performance had been for her amusement. She turned back to me, her lips curling into a smirk that sent a jolt of rage through my core. Her arrogance was infuriating, a testament to how much she believed she had already won. She placed her hand over her stomach again, deliberately, as if rubbing salt into an open wound. It was a gesture that flaunted everything she thought she’d taken from me–Alfred, a future, a child.

“The proof of our love is growing inside of me,” Ivy said, her voice smug and gloating. She drew out the words as if they were poetry meant to crush me, her eyes locked on mine with a victorious gleam. “The future heir of the lycan kingdom is inside of me.” Every syllable was a knife, and I felt each one twist and burrow deeper. She took a step closer, watching me with predator’s eyes, eager for any sign of weakness. Her arrogance was a living thing, pushing at me with an intent to break me where I stood. I was boiling over. That baby inside of her was not the future heir. Mentally, I was plotting every way I could kill Ivy. I wouldn’t be satisfied until I snapped her neck and watched the life drain from

her eyes.

“Of course, we still need to think about how we want to deal with you,” she continued, each word dripping with malice. My heart pounded in my chest like a war drum, a fierce reminder that I was still here, still alive, and I was still fighting. “After we kill the lycan king, I think we’ll hand you over to the demons to harvest your organs. A fitting fate.” She sneered at me, and I wanted to claw that smug look off her face, to rip it to shreds and show her l wasn’t as defeated as she hoped. This was far from over. I didn’t know how, but I would get myself out of this mess.

My hands clenched into fists at my side. She had taken so much for me, but it led me to Darren. If she wanted to ignite my rage, speaking of hurting Darren was how to do it. My heart was a furnace, fueled by a fury that threatened to consume me whole. She might think she was powerful, but she hadn’t yet seen how

far I was willing to go. I was more than just rage and pain–I was a storm building on the horizon, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And when I did, it would be with a force that would flatten

everything in its path.

Ivy walked up to me and roughly grabbed my chin, tilting it upward with a grin. She leaned in close, her breath hot on my skin, “Oh, Allissa,” she taunted. “You will never be a mother in this life.” She tightened her grip, pulling my face even closer to hers.

I struggled against her hold, fury boiling within me, threatening to spill over. “The baby inside of you will be nothing more than demon food,” she said, each word designed to slice through my defenses. I growled at her, a low and furious sound that echoed off the stone walls. I refused to let her have the satisfaction of seeing me crumble. If she wanted to see me destroyed, she would have to work harder than this.

My defiance only seemed to fuel her madness, and Ivy laughed, a wild and vicious sound that sent chills down my spine. In an instant, she released my chin and slammed her fist into my face. Pain exploded through me, and I reeled back, tasting blood and anger on my tongue. Ivy wiped her knuckles, a crazy glint in her eyes, as if relishing the raw physicality of it all. She thought she was winning, but she had no idea what I was capable of. Not yet.

I snapped my head back and glared at her, my eyes burning wit‘ defiance and a hatred as deep as the ocean. The look seemed to