Rise Of A Shattered Luna (Natalie) by Kave Derry novel Chapter 164

Chapter 164 Protect Me Or Ruin Me

Natalie’s POV

I sat across from Jensen, the weight of

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silver mask on my face feeling like a shield.

Jensen seemed determined to play a part of a l

loving mate.

He reached for the cup the trembling barista had placed before us, his movements frantic desperate to bridge distance between us.

“Natalie, look… this is your favorite cappuccino,” he said, his voice straining in a way made

my skin crawl.

He pushed the cup toward me, the foam swirling in a way that he clearly thought was inviting.

that

“Try it! They say the coffee here is now the best in the district; I’d been meaning to ask out for one for so long, but… You know

You haven’t been around…

As he spoke, I felt bile rise up my throat.

you

Moonmilk had been our place… he had always brought me here because it was far from his pack and he didn’t want anyone seeing us together.

Now, he’s claiming to have wanted to bring me here.

His voice trailed off, his gaze dropping to the table.

I looked at the cup, the steam rising.

“Alpha Jensen,” I answered, my voice flat in an almost mocking tone. “I’ve never liked coffee. What I enjoy… what I have always enjoyed is black tea.”

Jensen froze.

The silence that followed was heavy.

I had indeed loved a pot of strong black tea.

I saw the realization strike him like a physical blow.

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Chapter 164 Protect Me Or Ruin Me

His jaw tightened as he stared at me as if I was a stranger.

Well… I was.

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Jensen’s throat tightened, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he struggled to find a response. Jensen’s throat tightened, his Adam’s

I looked at his pained expression, and a cold laugh curled in my heart.

From the corner of my eye, I caught a glint of glass and metal.

The Accord.

I had timed it perfectly.

They were already lurking outside, their eyes pressed against the tinted windows like the eyes of hungry scavengers.

It was time to move the pieces.

制

I quickly leaned forward, the silver fur on my collar brushing against my jaw.

I counted the seconds in my head.

Three.

Two.

Now.

“Alpha Jensen, let’s get to the point,” I said evenly, the volume of my voice perfectly pitched

to carry.

“I hope you’ll stop spreading these bizarre lies about our relationship online… As far as I am aware, and as the public record shows, you are already mated. When you stand in front of the Accord and claim I am your ‘lover,‘ what exactly is your intent? Do you want the public to attack me?”

He opened his mouth as if to speak but I cut him off.

“Are you trying to brand me as the mistress to Sharon Summers? Are you trying to force me out of your pack by destroying my reputation?”

His eyes widened in genuine shock.

He looked as if I had slapped him across the face with my silver–lined glove.

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“Natalie, what are you saying? How could I ever treat you that way? How could you think I’d want to ruin you?”

I didn’t answer him.

Instead, I saw the signal from the door.

The Accord had reached the entrance, their cameras ready, the elders actively present.

My eyes flickered toward Chris.

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The guards at the door immediately stepped aside, letting the tide of Alphas and Betas surge into the lobby.

My voice rang out in the same instant, pitched for the microphones that were now being shoved toward our table.

“Oh? Then what you’re saying, Alpha Jensen, is that you never intended to destroy me?”

“Of course!” Jensen blurted out, his face pale, his hands reaching across the table as if to catch me.

He was terrified.

“I’d ruin anyone in this world… I’d ruin myself before I’d ever ruin you!”

I let out a cold, sharp laugh that cut through the frantic clicking of camera shutters.

I leaned back in my chair, my laugh getting louder.

“Then aren’t you mated?” I asked, my voice dripping with mock confusion. “You held your mating ceremony… Didn’t you?”

The question struck Jensen like a hand around his throat.

He went rigid.

He couldn’t force a sound out.

His face flushed a dark, angry red.

His voice was strained, a low rasp of desperation.

“Natalie, you know.. you were there. It was never about loving Sharon. It’s not what you think. The only woman I’ve ever wanted to mate in this life… the only one I’ve ever

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Chapter 164 Protect Me Or Ruin Me

considered my mate is you.”

“Alpha Jensen!”

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I cut him off before he could launch in

another nauseating declaration of his devotion.

“Let me clarify a few things for the record,” I said, looking directly into the nearest lens re!” I said, looking directly into the nearest lens before shifting my gaze back to Jensen.

“First, whoever you choose to mate is your business, not mine. I have no right to interfere in your domestic life, and you certainly don’t owe me an explanation for your choice.”

The murmurs from the elders suddenly quieted down.

“Second, you and I are not close. We are not friends, and we are certainly not ‘lovers. You do not have the right to casually say you want to marry me… otherwise, my mate might get the wrong idea, and I value my mate far too much to let your delusions affect it.”

I heard the collective gasp of the room.

Jensen looked like I had physically disemboweled him.

“Third,” I continued, moving for the kill, “every design I created under the name Keeper was never licensed to you. I never signed a contract with the pack. I never entrusted my intellectual property to you for sale.”

“Nata-”

“So, over the past five years, while you have been using my transcription for the betterment of your pack and giving my title to another woman… Please prepare a full, transparent accounting of every transaction and have your Beta contact the Stone Pack to return the funds as soon as possible.”

He slammed his hand on the table, the porcelain cups rattling.

“Natalie, even now, you won’t admit who you are?” he roared, his Alpha aura flaring in a way that made the Betas stumble back.

“If you weren’t my Natalie… how could I have five years‘ worth of your work?”

He leaned over the table, his eyes bloodshot.

“Five years ago, I was the one who pulled you out of the Summers family’s mud! I was the one who fell in love with you when you were nothing! You had no name. No power. No place to go,” he continued, voice cracking under the weight of his own belief.

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| _| Ahme

“Everything you became… you became

…. behind me!”

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“Alpha Jensen,” I started but was interrupted by his raised hand.

You

the

“You told me you were willing to stand behind me: you told me everything of yours was mine. That’s why we never signed agreements… because we were going to be one. Putting something like that on paper would have cheapened the love we shared! I did everything for your benefit.”

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