I Refuse To Be Your Luna (Flourish and Harold) novel Chapter 20

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I Refuse To Be Your Luna

Chapter 20 Betrayal

Lady Flourish’s POV

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I regretted agreeing to lunch the moment I stepped into the elevator with Damian.

And no, it was not because I didn’t want food.

Quite the opposite actually, because my stomach was already celebrating the decision.

The problem was Damian himself, or rather, the way he seemed entirely too comfortable around me.

For someone who had disappeared from my life for almost eight years, he acted as though we’d spoken yesterday.

Meanwhile, I could barely survive a conversation without becoming painfully aware of how tall he was.

The elevator doors opened and he gestured forward.

“After you, Little Flower.”

I rolled my eyes and walked ahead. “One day I’m going to ban that nickname.”

“You can try.”

“I own half the territory.”

“And I own the other half.”

I glared at him, and he smirked. The worst part was that he wasn’t entirely wrong.

By the time we arrived at the restaurant, I had already decided that Alpha Damian Stormbridge was an insufferable man.

The hostess practically tripped over herself when she recognized him, then immediately did the same thing when she recognized me.

The restaurant itself overlooked the sea, with floor–to–ceiling windows and polished black marble floors. Every table was occupied by wealthy businessmen, pack leaders, investors, and wolves who wanted everyone around them to know they were important.

In other words, Damian fit right in.

We were shown to a private section near the back. I barely sat down before Damian pushed a

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Chapter 20 Betrayal

menu toward me. “Order first.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Order.”

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “Why?”

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His expression remained calm. “Because if I order first, you’ll claim you’re not hungry and ask for a salad.”

I felt personally attacked. “That’s not true.”

“It absolutely is.”

My wolf whined in betrayal.

Because unfortunately… It was true.

I looked down at the menu, and five minutes later I had ordered enough food for a small army.

Damian looked disturbingly pleased. “You were saying?”

“Shut up.”

His laugh rumbled through the table.

Goddess.

How was a laugh attractive?

That wasn’t fair.

The food arrived shortly afterward, and for the first time all day, I felt myself relax.

No discussions about the Luna Rite or Harold or family drama or expectations.

Just food.

Glorious food.

Damian mostly watched me eat with an amused expression.

Eventually I lowered my fork. “If you keep staring, I’m going to charge you. It’s creepy.”

“I’m admiring how efficient you are at eating.”

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Chapter 20 Betrayal

“You’re annoying.”

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“That’s not what your wolf thinks.”

I nearly choked. My wolf immediately betrayed me by wagging metaphorical tails somewhere deep inside.

I hated both of them.

Across the restaurant, another group entered through the main entrance, and somehow I didn’t notice.

Damian didn’t either.

Neither of us saw Alpha Harold escorting Phina toward a table on the opposite side of the building.

The restaurant was large enough that several walls and decorative partitions separated the sections.

Had I looked up, I might have recognized him immediately.

Had Harold looked around carefully, he might have caught my scent.

Instead, fate continued its cruel little game.

Hours passed surprisingly quickly.

Somewhere between arguing over business expansion and listening to Damian explain how he had built Stormbridge from nothing, I found myself genuinely enjoying his company.

Which was dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Because every time I started forgetting how attractive he was, he would smile.

Then I’d have to start all over again.

By the time lunch ended, the restaurant had become significantly busier.

Business leaders filled nearly every available table.

Investors wandered around exchanging greetings.

Several wolves recognized me and offered respectful nods.

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Chapter 20 Betrayal

I was gathering my things when my telecom suddenly rang.

The ringtone echoed much louder than expected.

I glanced at the screen, then groaned.

Damian immediately noticed.

“What?”

I turned the screen toward him, and his brows lifted.“Your father.”

“Unfortunately.”

The call continued ringing and ringing and ringing, and eventually I answered.

“Alpha.”

Garret’s furious voice exploded through the receiver. “WHERE ARE YOU?”

Every nearby table fell silent.

Wonderful.

Just wonderful.

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“At lunch.”

“Lunch?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any idea what is happening right now?”

I already knew where this was going.

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Probably Harold.

Always Harold.

“I assume this is about the failed Luna Rite.”

The entire restaurant became noticeably quieter. A few businessmen glanced in my while others openly stared.

direction,

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Chapter 20 Betrayal

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My father practically growled through the receiver. “You keep finding news ways embarrass this family.”

I laughed a genuine laugh. “No Alpha.”

The room was completely silent now, and every wolf within earshot was listening.

“You embarrassed yourselves.”

Damian leaned back in his chair. His green eyes practically glowed with amusement.

My father on the other hand sounded moments away from exploding.

“Flourish-”

“No.” The words came out sharper than intended.

“I spent six years preparing to become Harold’s Luna.”

Several gasps sounded throughout the restaurant. I ignored them.

“I spent six years being patient.”

More wolves turned toward me.

“I spent six years being understanding.”

My voice grew calmer and colder.

“And somehow all of you expected me to apologize because he couldn’t stop running after another woman. Did you ask the dear Alpha why the Rite couldn’t hold today?”

The silence became absolute, and even the servers had stopped moving.

Across the restaurant, Harold froze. I watched his hand tightened around his wine glass.

Then slowly, very slowly, he turned toward the sound of my voice.

For the first time all afternoon, our eyes met, and the color drained from his face.

Beside him, Phina looked equally stunned.

I froze too. What the hell?

Of all the restaurants in the territory for him to show up…

Of all the possible places…

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Chapter 20 Betrayal

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My father was still yelling through the telecom, so I ended the call without another word.

Then I stared directly at Harold.

The entire restaurant watched us. The atmosphere became so tense it felt tangible.

Harold’s gaze shifted slowly from me to Damian, who was still seated beside me.

Looking relaxed, calm, and entirely unbothered.

The realization hit Harold like a physical blow.

And judging by the expression on Phina’s face, it hit her too.

I swallowed.

Damian casually stood beside me.

Then, without breaking eye contact with Harold, he took my handbag from the table and handed it to me.

Such a simple, harmless gesture, yet somehow it felt devastating, because it was the sort of thing Harold had never once thought to do.

Damian’s voice was calm. “Ready to go, Little Flower?”

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Chapter 21 Please Stop

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For years, there had always been a sadness lingering behind her eyes, a weight she carried even when she smiled. Looking at her now, that burden seemed lighter.

The realization irritated me far more than it should have.

Then Damian stood, and the atmosphere shifted immediately.

It wasn’t even intentional. The man simply had that effect on people. Wolves noticed him wherever he went. Dominance radiated from him so naturally that it felt less like a display of power and more like breathing.

I hated it.

I hated the way other Alphas respected him.

I hated the way lesser wolves, any wolves, lowered their heads whenever he entered a room.

Most of all, I hated how comfortable Flourish appeared around him.

Damian picked up her handbag and handed it to her. The gesture itself was harmless, but something about it made my jaw tighten. It looked natural. Familiar. As though he had done it countless times before.

His gaze lifted and met mine, then he smirked.

My wolf surged forward immediately.

Several wolves nearby visibly stiffened as my Alpha waves spread through the restaurant, but Damian didn’t appear affected in the slightest.

If anything, his amusement only deepened.”

“Alpha Harold,” he called calmly. His voice carried across the room with ease.

I rose from my seat. “What?”

Damian slipped one hand into his pocket and tilted his head slightly. “I’d advise you to stop bullying her.”

The statement hit me so unexpectedly that I thought I had misheard him.

“What did you say?”

“I said I’d advise you to stop bullying her.”

The room fell even quieter.

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