Luna Forsaken (Arya and James) novel Chapter 100

100 The Bond He Refused to Hide 2

Arya’s POV–s

Lev lifted his head slowly, eyes on me.

“I can’t wait to dance with you again,” he said.

Again.

The word struck deeper than it should have.

He remembered.

Of course he remembered.

And now I knew why he had been so attentive before.

The bond.

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With James’s claim gone, I could feel the mate bond in full force now. Not dulled. Not buried beneath another mark. Not blocked by loyalty I had once believed in. It was all there now, loud and pulling, and Lev, infuriating, composed Lev, was not giving me any room to pretend it wasn’t happening.

I withdrew my hand the moment I could do it without causing a scene and kept my face calm.

I wasn’t ready for romance.

I wasn’t ready for tenderness.

I wasn’t ready for anything that looked like hope.

And yet my body kept betraying me in stupid, humiliating ways every time he touched me.

Breakfast dragged and moved too fast at the same time.

Maxwell and Lev spoke of Union matters, of schedules, of Radimir’s presence, of arrangements that mattered far above my current place in the world. I kept quiet, answered nothing, and focused on making sure my voice wouldn’t shake if spoken to.

Eventually, Maxwell stood.

He glanced at us once, and I knew that look. He had seen more than he was saying. He always did.

“I need to see to something,” he said. “Enjoy the rest of your morning.”

Enjoy

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I almost laughed.

He moved away with suspicious ease, leaving me seated beside Lev.

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The moment Maxwell was out of the room, I pushed my chair back, intending to stand, to create distance, to get to my room and breathe properly without this bond clawing at me

I barely got halfway up.

Lev moved.

One strong arm hooked around me, and before I could react, he lifted me clean off my feet

“Lev,”

The protest came out sharp and breathless.

He sat back in his chair and placed me squarely on his lap as if that was exactly where I belonged.

I twisted immediately, trying to push away, trying to stand again.

it was useless.

His arm locked around my waist, not painful, but firm enough that I felt the message in it clearly.

You’re not getting away.

“Let me go,” I snapped.

He leaned in close, so close that I felt his breath near my ear.

“You ran off the last time,” he said.

The low sound of his voice near my skin sent a shiver down my spine despite the anger blazing

through me.

His hand rose and brushed my hair aside gently, exposing more of my neck.

Ria purred, loud and hungry, pressing against the mate bond like she wanted to leap into his hands

I hated how my body reacted to him and hated even more that fear rose right beside the pull.

The bond wanted me to lean in.

My fear wanted me to run.

I forced myself still and kept my tone sharp.

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“It’s a long story.”

He didn’t loosen his hold.

“I have time,” he murmured.

I clenched my jaw.

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I should have fought harder. Should have clawed his arm, shoved his face away, thrown my weight and made a scene.

Instead, I sat there breathing too fast, held in place by a man who acted like patience and posses could exist in the same gesture.

I knew this moment mattered.

I could keep lying by omission.

I could hide the truth.

I could let him think I was only being difficult, only being proud, only being stubborn.

Or I could show him the one thing that would end all of this quickly if he was the kind of man I feared he might be.

The cancelled mark.

I made my choice.

Slowly, I reached up and pulled aside the collar of my dress.

The skin at my neck felt colder instantly.

The scarred, jagged place where James had cut through his claim was ugly, impossible to miss, and impossible to misunderstand.

Lev’s hand went still against my hair.

For one heartbeat, neither of us moved.

I watched his face for disgust.

For pity.

For hesitation.

For that tiny recoil men gave when they saw damage they had no interest in carrying.

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I saw none of it.

His gaze dropped to the mark, and his thumb came up to trace close to it

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Ment

Not on the rawest line, not enough to hurt, just a gentle caress at the edge that sent a shock through

me

“I was hoping he’ll do this,” he said.

I jerked my head slightly and stared at him.

“What?”

He met my eyes then, calm and bold and entirely too certain.

“I was hoping he would break what he couldn’t keep,” he said quietly, fingers still at my neck. “It makes

this easier.”

The words should have offended me.

Should have made me slap him.

Should have made me throw every wall I had left in his face.

Instead, the sheer daring of him stole my breath.

He said it like he had no shame in wanting me.

No hesitation in claiming space around me.

No concern about what my past looked like or what name had been attached to my neck before his

bond reached me.

It was bold

Possessive

Terribly dangerous to a heart like mine.

And it gave me butterflies so hard I nearly hated myself for it.

I shifted on his lap, trying to get control of my breathing

His arm tightened slightly at my waist, not enough to scare me, just enough to remind me he was still holding me and very much aware of every reaction I was trying to hide.

My voice came out lower than I intended.

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“You talk too confidently for a man who barely knows me ”

A faint glint passed through his eyes

“I know enough,” he said.

I scoffed, though it sounded weak even to my ears. “You know nothing.”

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Lev’s hand slid from my neck to my jaw, turning my face toward him with deliberate slowness.

He didn’t ask.

He didn’t apologise.

He looked at me like a man studying a weapon he intended to keep close.

Menu

“I know you’re angry,” he said. “I know you’ve been betrayed. I know you are fighting this bond like it insulted you personally.‘

My throat tightened.

He continued before I could cut in.

“I know you were trapped that day,” he said, voice still calm. “No woman leaves like that unless

something forced her.”

I stared at him, surprised into silence.

So he had thought about it.

He had not dismissed me as rude.

He had not written me off as unstable.

He had noticed.

His thumb moved once against my jaw.

“And I know,” he added, “you haven’t healed enough to admit what your wolf already has.”