I Refuse To Be Your Luna (Flourish and Harold) novel Chapter 108

Chapter 108 The First Clash

Alpha Damian’s POV

The scent of rain and white cedar was the only thing keeping my wolf from tearing the ballroom apart.

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Finished

It was a quiet fragrance, entirely too understated for a gathering of this scale, yet it cut through the heavy, suffocating wall of foreign pheromones like a blade.

Flourish stood at my side, her fingers resting lightly on my forearm.

She thought she was blending into the background in her simple midnight-blue dress, completely unaware that every dominant male in the room had been tracking her since the moment we crossed the threshold.

Then, the heavy oak doors opened, and the air soured.

Before my human eyes even registered the newcomers, my wolf surged forward against his mental restraints, baring his fangs in a silent, vicious snarl. *Mine,* the beast growled, his hackles rising as a wave of intense possessiveness flooded my veins. *He is looking at what belongs to us.*

I looked up, my gaze locking instantly onto Harold as he stepped into the ballroom.

He didn’t look at the opulence of the hall, nor did he look at the high-ranking elders turning to greet him.

His sharp eyes scanned the crowd with a frantic, desperate hunger until they landed squarely on Flourish.

The moment he found her, his pupils dilated, and his jaw clenched so hard the muscles jumped.

Beside me, Flourish’s breathing hitched. She had noticed them.

“Damian,” she whispered, her fingers tightening against my sleeve. “I didn’t think they would be on the guest list.”

“Every notable lineage in the territory was invited,” I replied, my voice dropping an octave, carrying the heavy, resonant vibration of an Alpha asserting dominance. I didn’t take my eyes off Harold as I casually slid my hand from her arm to the small of her back, pulling her flush against my side. “It changes nothing. You are with me.”

Across the hall, Harold watched my hand rest against her waist, and for the first time since I had known the man, he visibly lost control.

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11:34 Thu, Oct 1

Chapter 108 The First Clash

Finished

His shoulders squared, his hands balling into fists so tight his knuckles cracked, and a dark, dangerous shadow crossed his face. He took a predatory step forward, entirely forgetting the woman on his arm.

Phina, who had been smiling radiantly at a nearby photographer, felt the sudden tension. She looked up at Harold, her sweet expression instantly faltering as she tracked his gaze straight back to Flourish.

A flash of profound uneasiness washed over her features, her fingers digging desperately into Harold’s sleeve as if trying to anchor him before he did something irreversible.

“Harold?” Phina’s voice was too quiet to carry over the music, but I read the frantic movement of her lips perfectly. “Harold, look at me. The elders are watching.”

He didn’t even blink. He was entirely consumed by the sight of his former fiancé standing wrapped in the shadow of another Alpha.

“Alpha Damian,” a booming voice interrupted, drawing my attention back to the immediate circle. Alpha Robert, an elder from the Northern Ridge Pack, stepped into our path with a calculating look. “I must say, the rumors traveling across the floor are quite fascinating. You’ve ignored every formal introduction we’ve attempted for years, yet tonight you bring a companion. And one that happens to have history with us.”

“Flourish is not just a companion,” I stated clearly, ensuring my voice carried over the immediate crowd.

My wolf thrummed with approval as I tightened my grip on her waist, marking her as protected under my territory. “She is the executive director of F-Tech, and she has my absolute confidence.”

Robert’s eyes flicked between us, noting the protective arc of my shoulder and the way my aura entirely shielded her from the heavy pressure of the room. “Is that so? The pack councils have been wondering when the Stonehedge line would see its next Luna. It seems we might have our answer sooner than expected.”

Flourish’s cheeks flushed a delicate pink, her scent flaring with a sudden spike of nervous energy. “Alpha Robert, we are simply—”

“We are enjoying the evening,” I cut in smoothly, giving Robert a look that signaled the end of the interrogation. “If you will excuse us.”

As we moved away, the whispers among the older generation intensified. Groups of elderly Alphas and Lunas watched our retreat, their heads inclined as they openly debated the shift in pack dynamics.

A few yards away, leaning against a marble pillar with a glass of dark liquor in hand, was Alpha

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11:35 Thu, Oct 1

Chapter 106 The First Clash

Magnus.

$30

Finished

My grandfather had been pretending to study the architectural molding, but as the whispers about a new Luna grew louder, the old wolf turned his head.

His sharp, weathered eyes locked onto Flourish, assessing the calm dignity with which she handled the scrutiny, and then flicked to the protective stance of my wolf.

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