Get Back The Abandoned Luna (Scarlett and Alexander) novel Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Scarlett’s POV

The edge in his voice scraped something raw in me. I’m not sneaking around, Lucien. I’m sure you know that too. And if 1 decide to face him, it will be on my terms, not his

He stepped closer, shadows sharpening the lines of his jaw. His voice dropped to a low growl. “Then let me be there when you do.”

Heat flared in my chest–anger, defiance, and something else I refused to name.

“This isn’t about protecting me from him. It’s about proving to the council that I’m not chained to his shadow”

I saw his eyes burn, the storm inside him pulling at something in me I didn’t want to admit. His voice dropped, quieter but sharper. “I’m reminding you that you don’t have to fight every battle alone, Scarlett.

“You think I don’t know that?” My voice rose. “Every time he corners me, every rumor he and his mistress spread, it isn’t just me they look at–it’s you too. If I lean on you, Lucien, they’ll twist it until I’m nothing more than a woman hiding behind her Alpha! Do you want that? Do you want me painted as weak?”

His jaw tightened. “What I want is to keep him from breaking you.”

I was about to speak when I felt Kaya stir inside me, stopping me from arguing with Lucien.

‘Scarlett, it is not Alexander or anyone else who could break you… but the distance you keep from the one who stands by your side.‘

I paused. Just as one of us was about to press the matter further, there was a sharp knock that interrupted the scene.

I watched him stride forward and yank the door open.

“Speak,” he said coldly, his voice filled with authority.

A pack scout stood there, bowing quickly. “Alpha Lucien, Luna Scarlett. I have urgent news.”

“What is it?” Lucien’s tone was clipped, impatient.

The scout’s gaze flickered nervously between us, as if he had just realized he had interrupted something and had come at the wrong time. “Alexander has been spotted near the northern border. Close to Nightshade Territory.”

The words hit me like stones in my gut. Kaya surged forward in my mind, teeth bared.

‘He’s pushing. He wants you to come to him. That jerk.‘

Lucien glared into my eyes, blade to blaze. “This is just bait.”

“I know.” My voice was steady, though my pulse hammered hard enough to shake me. “The question is… do we ignore the bait, or rip the hook from his hands?”

Lucien stepped closer again, close enough for me to feel his heat. “You’re not going there. Not this time. I won’t allow it.”

I arched a brow, refusing to flinch. “You think you can stop me? Whether I go or not, it’s my decision.”

His jaw flexed, but he didn’t answer. The silence was enough.

1/4

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Kaya just ignored me.

We had barely crossed the ridge when we heard shouting, Male voices–sharp and eating the kind that conti ser drenges stone if anger had weight.

My heart leapt into my throat and I spurred my horse forward. We swept through a row of gines, and there they were Lucien and Alexander, confronting each other like opposing storms

Lucien stood rigid, squared shoulders ready to spring, his voice low and deadly. “You crossed the border nied. That‘ not diplomacy–that’s provocation”

Alexander stood with the cool composure I knew too well, hands clasped behind his back and a douchy posture dur betrayed a practically indifferent nonchalance, as if Lucien’s fury were no more than a passing breeze.

A rolled parchment hung loosely in his hand. “I’m here on diplomatic business. Nothing more!

“Diplomatic?” Lucien barked a laugh devoid of humor. “You’ve stalked these lands for werks, sent letters meant spread your poison through the council, and you dare dress it up as diplomacy?

Alexander’s smile was thin. “It’s not poison if it’s the truth?

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11:01 am 64

Chapter 36

Murmurs followed among the gathered warriors. My guards exchanged glances and dragged. I kne whatever was spoken here would reach the council by the next day, every singer word.

I swung out of the saddle and my boots crunched on the wet ground. “Enough”

Both men turned their eyes to me. Alexander’s gaze lingered, slow and deliberate, as if he wanted row to feel and my bones. Lucien’s was different–sharp, protective, desperate to shield me from a storm I had already walked when

“If you want to talk, Alexander, there are proper channels, I said evenly. “You know the count’s laws as well do

He tilted his head, measuring the distance between us. “And if I told you this matter was personal

Lucien moved instantly, stepping in front of me in a protective stance. Then you’ve already said too much

Alexander’s chuckle was soft and mocking. He raised his voice just enough for the guards to hear. “You don’t weed. protector to speak your own mind, Scarlett, Or have you forgotten how to use it?”

The words cut sharper than any blade. My fists clenched at my sides.

I stepped around Lucien, shoulders squared, eyes locked on Alexander. “I remember when you valued my mind instead of trying to control it.”

That wiped the smirk from his face–if only for a moment. His jaw ticked, but his voice smoothed back into that infring calm. “Control? No, Scarlett. I’m offering you the truth. About Kane, who took my side instead of yours!

At Kane’s name, murmurs rose again among the guards. My chest tightened, but I refused to let my reaction show

Lucien cut in, sharp as a blade. “You’ve said enough.”

Alexander’s eyes flicked toward him, then back to me. “You see? He decides when you’ve had enough, not you” His smile curved, poisonous. “That’s the difference between us. I let you choose.”

My nails bit into my palms, every muscle taut with the effort not to lunge at him. Kaya snarled in my head, pacing, hungry for blood. He twists everything. He’ll drag Kane’s name through the mud if it keeps you looking at him.

“Choice?” I echoed, forcing my voice to stay steady. “The only choice you ever gave me was the one that kept me bound”

Before he could speak, I continued, “Besides, why drag Kane into this? What, do you want everyone to see that he went to you? Staking him to us so you can see me? Oh, Alexander. You know damn well why you’re here. You can’t stop me from dissolving our bonds, so stop dragging Kane in when it’s all your doing–yours and your wonderful mistress’s–soon to be your Luna.”

Alexander’s face darkened. After a moment, he let out a heavy sigh and slowly extended the parchment, handing it not to me, but to one of the guards.

“An invitation,” he said. “A formal request for arbitration. I can give Kane back to you, Scarlett… You know where to find me.”

The guard looked uncertain but accepted the parchment. Alexander didn’t even glance at Lucien as he added, his voice smooth, “Or you can let your Alpha answer for you. As always.”

Lucien lunged forward, fury darkening every line of him, but I caught his arm before he could move further.

Alexander’s eyes lingered where my hand touched Lucien’s sleeve. His smile turned cold. “Wow. Is this the reason you want to dissolve the bonds between us so badly?”

I sneered. “You know damn well why.”

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