The Luna He Never Noticed by Phinie King novel Chapter 32

MOON’S POV

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My eyes blurred as I kept staring at the morning paper. My assistant had brought it to my room earlier while I was getting ready for an exclusive interview for my fashion brand.

I had been staring at the photo for so long that tears started falling onto the paper, smudging the ink.

“You’re ruining your makeup with those tears, Luna,” my assistan said gently, trying to calm me down, handing me the tissue box.

“Why does he keep doing this to me?” I whispered. “Why does he keep hurting me like this?”

My chest felt too tight, like it might burst. I had loved Ace for years. I truly believed we would become mates, that we would end up together and stay that way forever.

But the Moon Goddess had scattered my plans like they never mattered at all.

Four years ago, he made it clear he didn’t want to marry me. He said he didn’t love me anymore. I convinced myself that if I stayed, he would learn to love me again. But as the years passed, it became clear that was never going to happen.

“Who published this photo?” I asked suddenly. “I want their number before the end of today. I want to see the face of the woman standing beside my Alpha. They looked like a couple.” A complete family.

She nodded. “I’ll make the necessary calls. But you need to wash your face again. Your makeup is ruined, and we’ll have to start over.”

I stood in front of the sink, cold water running over my face. As I wiped it dry, something settled in my

If I can’t have Ace, then no one would.

And it would start with this interview.

chest.

A slow, sly smile crept onto my lips as a very simple idea formed in my head. An idea that will flush the woman out from hiding.

ACE’S POV

I had been sitting behind my desk at the pack office for six straight hours, going through the documents scattered across the table. But the file I kept returning to was the one Roman brought it had everything on the Red–Eyes Rougarou. I wanted every detail. I needed to understand what they were, and why they came for my woman and my son.

I caught his scent before he touched the door.

“It’s been three days since you started the search,” I said, finally lifting my eyes to Roman. “I want good news.”

He looked worn out. His clothes were wrinkled like he’d slept in them, his shoulders slumped. Dark shadows sat under his eyes, and his gaze looked dull, like he hadn’t rested at all. He looked like someone who had walked the pack land from end to end without stopping.

None of us had slept properly since the attack. If those things were stupid enough to attack my pack, they’ll likely attack again. It is my duty to ensure that the next time they see me, it’ll be the end of their kind.

“We found a cabin,” Roman said. “Hidden deep in the woods, almost at the end of the Northern border.”

I looked up sharply. “Take me there. Now.”

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Minutes later, we were in my car, driving deeper into the woods The road thinned out until it almost disappeared. Trees closed in around us. Whoever chose this place knew what they were doing. No one ever came this far.

The cabin was small. The moment I stepped out of the car, I shut my eyes and breathed in dowly, letting every scent sink in

Demian stood near the cabin, his hands tucked into his pockets I made sure no one went inside,” he explained. “I wanteri you to be the first. In case you pick up something the rest of us missed.”

We stepped into the cabin, and the smell hit me immediately.

Old blood. Rotting fur. That thick, sick scent of a Rougarou clung to the air. I knew that smell, I had chased that same smell into the woods that morning.

“I want his head,” my wolf growled in my head.

The place was a mess. The small wooden table lay shattered on the floor, broken into pieces like it had been slammed apart in rage. Deep holes were punched into the walls, claw marks scraping through the wood. The cabin was in complete chaos.

“He hasn’t been gone long,” I muttered through clenched teeth. A few days at most. Which means someone helped him escape.” Someone who knew about the search before it went public.

We stepped outside the cabin and Roman showed me, “We believe he slipped through the old smuggler’s trail along the Northern border. No patrols go there anymore. No one ever expects it.”

He pointed to the ground near the back of the cabin. “We found three sets of footprints. It’s faint, almost gone.”

I stared at the prints, my jaw tightening.

Someone took him. And they knew exactly how to do it.

Roman led me a few feet farther. He pointed at the ground where the soil was disturbed, dry leaves crushed under those running feet. Judging by the shoe sizes in the ground, they were all male.

“But around here,” he said, pausing, “the tracks split. Two went that way.”

My eyes followed where he pointed.

“It’s like they vanished,” he continued. “We couldn’t find anything after that. The third one ran back toward where their car was parked. He drove off and abandoned it there.”

He pointed toward a black Toyota Corolla sitting quietly among the trees.

I inhaled slowly, trying to pick up a scent.

“Whoever this was knew exactly how to hide his scent,” I said. “I can’t smell anything except the leather inside the car.” “The car is a decoy,” I added after a moment. “It was meant to pull our attention away from the real problem.”

Roman opened the dashboard and pulled out some papers. “You’re right. According to this, the car belongs to Philip Dass. He died in his sleep five days ago. But when we ran the autopsy, it showed he was murdered.”

I let out a low chuckle. “Smart,” I said coldly. “A very good diversion. Which means whoever planned this didn’t just help the Rougarou escape, he is Philip Dass’s killer.” And he’s still out there.

We stayed out in the woods for two more hours, trying to piece things together. By the time we drove back to the pack, it was already past five.

I took a quick shower in my office bathroom, planning to head hadn’t slept in two days.

my penthouse, call Charlotte, maybe get some sleep. I

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Chapter 32.

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Stephen had mentioned her phone was broken, so I ordered the latest one and sent it to her. I wanted to be the first to call her, but work kept pulling me in different directions. I wanted to see her again.

The other night, I missed her so much that I crossed into the human world and went to her house just to catch a glimpse of her. She made me dinner for me, and I ate everything. I didn’t even pretend to slow down. I needed to figure out a way to get her to live with me.

I stepped out of the bathroom wearing only sweatpants when loud voices outside caught my attention. Then my door burst open with enough force to rattle the walls.

I growled low in my chest at the unwanted guest.

“Ace, what the hell is this…?”

Her words died in her throat as her eyes dragged over my bare chest.

Most of the marks that once refused to heal had mostly faded. Charlotte did that to me without trying. My wounds healed faster around her, with minimal medicine from her. I hadn’t gotten a new mark in over a week. That alone was worth celebrating. Charlotte is my angel. And I intend to keep her close

“Damn,” she breathed, staring openly now. “You’re the hottest man I’ve ever laid

eyes on.”

Her gaze lingered shamelessly on my bare chest, slowly, like a hungry animal. She had forgotten why she stormed in here in the first place. The paper crumpled slightly in her hand, and I didn’t need to look twice to know it was about the photo.

“State what you want and get out,” I said coldly. I grabbed a white shirt from the couch and pulled it on. It didn’t help.

The look in her eyes only deepened, darker now. “You can wear a hundred shirts, my love,” she whispered softly, her voice sugary, “and it still won’t hide what you are. Or that perfectly carved body.”

She walked closer and dropped the paper on my desk. “Do you remember,” she continued, her voice unbearably low, I winced, “how you used to take me right there? Like you couldn’t get enough. Like a wild animal.”

She bit her lower lip, holding my gaze.

“I’d do anything,” she whispered, “to feel that again.”

“Stop dreaming,” I snapped. My voice came out harsh. “That will never happen again. Now tell me why you’re here and get it over with.”

“A girl can dream, my love,” she said quietly. “And right now, dream is the only thing I have. We’re practically strangers now, and thinking about our past is all I have left.” Her eyes filled with tears.

It didn’t move me. Not even a little.

When I first realized years ago that whatever I thought I felt for her was gone, I tried to force it back. I told myself love couldn’t disappear just like that. But my heart stayed cold, almost dead. It only started beating again after I met the woman who truly owned it.

“I don’t have all day,” I said through clenched teeth as I sat back behind

my

desk.

She wiped her tears quickly. “Are you seeing another woman?” she asked, pointing at the paper she had dropped earlier.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” I replied. “What I do with my life shouldn’t concern you.”

“It does!” she cried. “I’m your wife. Your Luna.”

“Not for long.” I said quietly.

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She froze. “What did you just say?” Her eyes widened. “Are you planning to divorce me?”

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My patience snapped. “Stop acting like a victim. Do you remember that night years ago? I told you we couldn’t keep pretending. That it was over. But you insisted. You said you’d stay as my wife and Luna on paper only, if that’s what it takes to be with me.”

“I said that because,” She rushed toward me, reaching out for a bug. One look from me made her stop. “I said that because I thought things would change,” she continued, her voice shaking I thought you’d come back to me. I love you.”

I laughed. “Do you really love me,” I tilted my head, “or the fame the power, the influence that comes with being my Luna?”

Silence fell between us. We both knew the answer.

“I won’t divorce you.” Her tears stopped suddenly. Her eyes hardened, filled with new determination.

“You will,” I said calmly. “The moment I put the papers in your hands.”

Her lips curved slightly. “And what do you think the elders will say when they find out you’re cursed and divorcing your wife?” she quizzed. “That you won’t live much longer.”

The muscle in my jaw ticked so hard I thought it would pop out. I pushed back my chair and stood, the force making it scrape loudly against the floor. “Say that again,” I growled.

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