The Alpha King And His Chosen Luna novel Chapter 143

The parts didn’t know

The parts I didn’t know

(Isla)

I stayed where I was with my head against his shoulder.

Neither of us moved for a while.

The bond had settled into something warm and quiet and I wasn’t in a hurry to disturb it. Outside the room, the pack house carried on with its evening while everything inside felt slower.

Caius’s hand rested over mine.

The contact was simple.

Comfortable.

Easy.

That still felt strange sometimes.

Not because of him.

Because there’d been a time when I couldn’t imagine feeling this relaxed beside anyone.

I looked down at our joined hands for a moment.

Then I looked up at him.

“What were you like when you were younger?”

Caius glanced down at me.

The question clearly wasn’t what he’d expected.

“Younger?”

“Before all this.”

He was quiet for a moment.

“Before what?”

I shifted slightly so I could see his face better.

“Before the council. Before everyone came to you with their problems. Before you became the wolf everyone expects to have answers.”

Something moved through his expression.

Not discomfort.

Something closer to consideration.

“I got into fights.”

Claire

The parts Ldidn’t know

stared at him.

That wasn’t the answer I’d expected.

“You did.”

“Yes.”

I looked at him for another second.

Then I shook my head.

“You still do.”

A faint hint of amusement appeared in his eyes.

“I do not.”

“You put Rodan through a wall.”

“Rodan chained my mate.”

“That’s not a denial.”

“No,” he said. “It isn’t.”

I felt myself smile.

The bond warmed slightly between us.

“What I mean is that you make it look like you’re always in control.”

Caius was quiet for a moment.

“Most of the time I am.”

“Most.”

“Most.”

I studied him.

“So what were you actually like?”

His gaze shifted toward the window before returning to me.

“I had a temper.”

That didn’t surprise me.

Not after Ashcrest.

r

Clam

Not after seeing what happened when he opened that shack door and realized what had been done to me.

“What kind of temper?”

The parts Ldie’t know

The corner of his mouth moved slightly.

“The kind that kept my father busy.”

I laughed softly.

“There it is.”

“There what is?”

“The answer.”

Something warmer moved through the bond.

Actual amusement this time.

“My father used to tell people I was an excellent future Alpha and a terrible son.”

I blinked.

Then I laughed again.

Chin

For some reason that was easier to picture than the perfectly controlled Alpha King sitting beside me now.

The laughter faded gradually and the room settled back into quiet.

The bond remained warm between us. Caius’s arm was still around my shoulders and neither of us seemed interested in moving anytime soon. For once there wasn’t anywhere we needed to be.

“What about your parents?” I asked.

Caius looked down at me.

“My parents?”

“Yes.”

Something shifted in his expression.

Not enough that most people would’ve noticed.

Enough that I did.

I immediately wondered if I’d asked something I shouldn’t have.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t mind answering.”

His voice stayed calm.

I waited.

“My mother died when I was young.”

The words landed quietly between us.

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349

The parts Ldidn’t know

Not because they lacked weight.

Because he’d clearly lived with them for a very long time.

“I’m sorry.”

He nodded once.

“Thank you.”

I hesitated.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk about her.”

“Most of the wolves who knew her are older,” he said. “The rest never met her.”

I thought about that.

“What was she like?”

For a moment something softer appeared in his expression.

Not sadness.

Memory.

“Patient.”

I smiled immediately.

“That sounds familiar.”

A faint hint of amusement crossed his face.

“Everyone says that.”

“Because it’s true.”

His hand squeezed mine once.

Clawn

“My mother had a way of making people feel heard. It didn’t matter if they were warriors, servants, council members, or children. She treated them the same.”

I listened quietly.

The bond carried something warm from him while he spoke.

Not pain.

Affection.

The kind that remained long after someone was gone.

“You miss her.”

“Yes.”

The parts didn’t know

The answer came without hesitation.

Hlooked down at our joined hands.

“I’m glad I asked.”

He was quiet for a moment.

Then he surprised me.

“So am I.”

I looked back up.

That wasn’t the answer I’d expected.

He looked toward the window briefly before continuing.

“My father lives in another country now.”

I blinked.

“You’ve never mentioned that.”

“There hasn’t been much reason to.”

I frowned slightly.

“What’s he doing there?”

“He found his second chance mate.”

That caught my attention immediately.

“He did?”

“Yes.”

Something about the answer made me smile.

Clas

Maybe because second chance mates always felt like proof that life wasn’t finished with people as quickly as they thought.

“Are they happy?”

His expression softened.

“As far as I know.”

“As far as you know?”

He looked back at me.

“I haven’t visited yet.”

That surprised me.

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The parts Ldidn’t know

“You haven’t?”

“No”

I studied him.

“Why not?”

He was quiet for a second.

“Wraithbone.”

I understood immediately.

The council.

The territories.

The responsibilities.

The endless line of wolves needing something from him.