Luna Forsaken (Arya and James) novel Chapter 83

83 Adopted by an Alpha, Betrayed by a Mate

Arya’s POV

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Milley’s headlights cut through the dark as the road narrowed, the highway giving way to structured paths that felt watched.

Not haunted.

Watched.

The patrol lights came first, small, steady flashes in the distance, like eyes that didn’t blink. Then the markings: metal signs bolted into posts, the carved insignia that announced territory without shouting

1. And the air… the air changed.

Not softer.

Not kinder.

Ordered.

My fingers stayed tight around the knot of the sheet bundle on my lap. It dug into my palms. I didn’t loosen my grip. I didn’t relax my shoulders. I didn’t let myself sink into the passenger seat like a normal woman being given a lift by another normal woman.

Normal wasn’t my life anymore.

“Almost there,” Milley murmured, voice a little too high.

I didn’t answer.

She kept both hands on the wheel, posture stiff. She kept glancing at the mirrors as if she expected

someone to appear out of the darkness and slam into us.

The gates came into view.

Tall Reinforced. Built with the kind of confidence that said, Try it. Try to breach us.

The fencing rose high. Watchtowers sat in the shadows. Wolves moved along the walls in smooth

patrol routes. It wasn’t frantic movement, it was disciplined. That was what unsettled me most.

No fear.

No chaos.

A pack that knew what it was doing.

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(83 Adopted by an Alpha, Betrayed by a Mate

Milley slowed, indicators blinking as she rolled toward the checkpoint.

Two guards stepped forward immediately.

Hands on weapons.

Eyes sharp.

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They didn’t wave her in because she was one of them. They didn’t smile because she wore the scent

of this territory. They checked her like procedure, like habit, like the kind of routine that kept a pack

alive.

Their gaze swept over the vehicle.

Then it landed on me.

I felt the pause.

That single beat where everything in my life condensed into one question a stranger could ask without

words.

Who are you?

Milley stopped fully.

The driver-side guard approached her window. The other one came to my side, leaning slightly as if the

glass wasn’t enough.

Milley lowered her window.

“Evening,” the guard said. His voice was firm, not rude. “Name and purpose.”

“Milley,” she answered quickly. “Returning from,”

His eyes flicked to me.

“And her?”

Milley hesitated.

My stomach tightened.

I didn’t shift. I didn’t move my shoulder away. I kept my face neutral. I kept my breathing even. I made myself look like the kind of woman who did not panic, even when she was balancing on the edge of a

blade.

Milley cleared her throat. “She’s,”

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<83 Adopted by an Alpha Betrayed by a Mate

“Step out,” the guard on my side ordered.

It wasn’t a request.

It wasn’t a suggestion.

Milley’s hands tightened on the wheel. “She’s with me.”

“Step out,” he repeated, colder.

I exhaled once. Slow. Controlled.

I opened the passenger door.

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Mere

The air hit me first, night wind and faint metal and the layered scent of wolves, territory, authority. It

carried discipline. It carried danger.

I stepped out with my bundle in one hand and my chin lifted.

No flinching.

No shrinking.

No begging.

The guard’s gaze went straight to my throat as if his instincts were already searching for a story.

My dress neckline was high. My collar stayed covered. But a trained guard didn’t need to see a mark to know when someone was hiding something.

He stepped closer, eyes narrowing.

“Name,” he demanded.

“Arya,” I said.

His brows tightened. “Arya what?”

“Arya,” I repeated.

His jaw ticked like he didn’t like that answer.

He was about to push again when his ear twitched.

He stilled.

A second later, the driver-side guard stiffened too, posture shifting as if they’d been given an invisible

order.

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< 83 Adopted by an Alpha Betrayed by a Mate

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* Merke

The guard in front of me took a half-step back

His voice changed, more formal, less personal.

“Wait here.”

My pulse kicked once.

Not fear.

Suspicion.

Because “wait here” could mean a hundred things.

Milley leaned out of her window, whispering urgently. “It’s okay. He’s probably confirming.”

I didn’t answer.

I kept my eyes on the gates.

On the walls.

On the movement above.

On the shadows.

My fingers tightened around the bundle. My body stayed still, but my mind slid into readiness.

If they touched me,

If they tried to restrain me,

If this gate turned into another trap,

I would fight.

Even if I lost.

I would fight because I was done being dragged.

Then the gates opened wider.

And he came through.

Not a messenger.

Not a patrol leader.

<83 Adopted by an Alpha, Betrayed by a Mate

Not another guard.

Alpha Maxwell.

He moved like a storm forced into human form.

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Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark clothes. No unnecessary ornament. No showmanship. His presence hit the air and everything around him adjusted.

Guards straightened.

Warriors stiffened, then relaxed.

Not because the danger had vanished.

Because their Alpha had arrived and the rules were now his.

His gaze locked onto me from a distance.

And his stride slowed.

Not in hesitation.