Alpha's Discarded Luna (Talia) novel Chapter 31

Alpha’s Discarded Luna

Chapter 31

Talia’s POV

Nick’s face brightens with a vindictive grin. “Did you hear that, Alpha? She said I don’t have to—”

“I said his apology means nothing to me.” My voice cuts through his gloating like a blade. “I won’t forgive him regardless. So let’s skip the performative regret and do something actually useful. I want someone to help me throw water on him. I think, a few dozen glasses should be enough.”

Nick’s jaw goes slack, then tightens with fury. His finger stabs the air in my

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Chapter 31

direction. “You psychotic–you kicked me! And now you’re demanding more? How far do you think you can push this?”

“I was defending myself.” I don’t raise my voice. I don’t need to. “You threw liquid in my face first. That was acceptable to you. Now the consequences feel ‘too far‘? How wonderfully convenient.”

He lunges forward, murder in his eyes. Raymond intercepts him with a single, effortless step, creating an immovable barrier between us.

“Remarkable,” Raymond murmurs, his golden gaze sliding to Aires with pointed amusement. “In front of multiple witnesses, Mr. Thorne is still attempting 09

< Chapter 31

to assault a bedridden woman. It

speaks volumes about the culture of permissiveness surrounding him.” His smile sharpens. “One might wonder where he derives such confidence! Probably, someone has promised him immunity, regardless of what he does.”

The accusation hangs in the air, crystalline and damning.

Aires’s jaw tightens untikI can see the muscle jumping beneath his skin. The silence stretches, suffocating.

Finally, his voice emerges, low and clipped. “What do you want, Talia?”

Nięk pales dramatically. “Aires, you can’t09

Chapter 31

be serious-

“What do I want?” I tilt my head, considering him. The man who brought this chaos to my door. Who allowed his rabid dog to run loose in my sanctuary. “One hundred glasses. Thrown directly in his face. That seems fair payment for the

water he wasted on me.”

Imema’s eyes go impossibly wide. She clutches Aires’s sleeve. “Aires, that’s excessive–surely we can resolve this like reasonable adults-”

Aires doesn’t glance at her. His focus remains fixed on me. “Do you want to administer it yourself, or shall I arrange the execution?”

I

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The question lands like a thunderclap. Execution. A deliberate, brutal choice of

words.

“Arrange it,” I say, settling back against my pillows. “I refuse to aggravate my injuries on his account.

A single nod. “Consider it done.”

Nick stares at Aires with naked betrayal. Then he turns to me, his eyes promising violence. “This isn’t over.”

He storms out. Imema, reading the room with the survival instincts of a cockroach,

follows without another word.

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The door clicks shut. Silence crashes

down like a wave.

I close my eyes. The adrenaline drain leaves me hollow, shaking beneath the surface. “I’m exhausted. Whatever

remains unsaid can remain that way.”

Footsteps hesitate. Then Raymond’s voice, warm as honeyed tea. “Before you rest, Talia. You should eat.”

I open my eyes. He’s unpacking containers on my bedside table, utterly unperturbed by the storm that just departed. Aires still occupies the corner like a carved statue, dark and immobile.

Raymond arranges small dishes with 16:09

Chapter 31

casual precision. “The kitchen sent your favorites. I specified no spice. Right now, your body needs gentleness, not fire.”

I look at the spread. Braised fish, silken tofu, vegetables glistening with light sauce. Foods I loved once, before my palate forgot pleasure. Someone remembered.

My throat tightens. Not with grief, but with the sheer strangeness of being seen.

୮

“Mr. Capaldi.” My voice wavers. “This is… thank you.”

He waves off my gratitude with a lazy hand. “Please eat, Talia.”

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I take the chopsticks. The first bite is warm, unexpectedly familiar and comforting.

Aires watches from his corner. His face reveals nothing, but his stillness has changed become rigid, watchful. A predator observing a rival claim territory he’d long abandoned.

I don’t meet his eyes. I eat the food Raymond brought, accept his kindness, and let the silence speak for itself. The ghost in the corner can watch or leave. I’ve stopped caring which.

Aires‘ POV

The scene before me curdles something in

Chapter 31

my chest. Raymond arranges dishes on her table like a devoted husband. Talia accepts them with a soft smile.

They look like a family, while I seem like I’m the intruder.

“Mr. Capaldi.” My voice cuts through their domestic tableau like ice. “If your business is concluded, I’ll remain with my

wife.”

Capaldi pauses, then offers a lazy,” infuriating smile. “I’m not certain your presence serves any greater purpose than mine, Mr. Perseus. Perhaps Ms. Volkov requires your attention more urgently?”

The barb lands precisely where intended.09

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Your mistress needs you. Leave your wife

to me.

My jaw tightens. “Talia is my wife. My place is here, yours is not.”

Before he can retort, Talia speaks. “Mr. Capaldi, please go. I need to speak with my husband privately.”

Capaldi inclines his head, all gracious obedience. “Of course. Call me if you need anything, okay?”

He glances at me as he passes, a look of quiet triumph. The door closes, and the silence between us is a wasteland.

Something ugly coils in my chest. Not 16:09

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jealousy… I refuse to name it that. But the sight of another man providing what I’ve withheld, of her accepting it so readily…

“You called him Raymond!” I hear myself say. “You’re on a first–name basis now?”

She looks at me. Her eyes are empty.

“What do you want, Aires?”

The question hangs between us, stripped of all pretense. I came to demand r answers, to investigate, to control.

Standing here, under her flat, colorless gaze, I no longer know what I want. Only that watching her turn to another man feels like losing something I never |

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realized I possessed.

B

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