Moonlight Betrayal
Chapter 92

Chapter 92: Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Astrid’s POV

"I wanted to talk to you guys about something," Yvonne said, her eyes finding mine in the dim light of the garden.

Her gaze was so direct, so intentional, that it felt like Kaeleen wasn’t even there. It was a look that communicated this was about something more than just idle chatter.

"I’m... I’m thinking of putting on a show," she began, her voice a little hesitant, which was unlike her. "An art exhibition. For local artists, maybe some from other packs. A way to showcase talent that isn’t just about fighting or pack politics." She took a breath, and her next words were aimed squarely at me. "I’ve seen the sketches you do, Astrid. And I was wondering... if you’d be interested in putting one of your works on display."

"Me?" I asked her.

"Of course."

The thought was exciting, extremely so. And I wasn’t that girl that was always scared of being herself, not anymore.

Before I could even find my voice to respond, Kaeleen let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Okay, I’m calling bullshit," he grumbled, "You said ’you guys.’ This is very clearly a ’you, Astrid’ conversation. I’m just a decorative plant at this point, aren’t I?"

Yvonne smirked at him. "Finally, you’re self-aware. Yes, Kaeleen, but correction though, you are less useful than a decorative plant. And besides this is a conversation about art and culture. It requires a certain level of sophistication that, let’s be honest, you completely lack. Now shut up and let the adults talk."

She gently rocked a sleeping Christian in her arms, her attention returning to me, her expression softening. "You don’t have to decide now. Just... think about it, okay?"

With that, she carefully pushed herself to her feet, balancing her precious cargo. "Alright, I’m taking the history-maker to bed. Goodnight, you two." She paused, her eyes twinkling as she looked down at her cousin. "Try not to lower the collective IQ of the garden too much now that I’m gone, Kaeleen."

He just glared at her, but the corner of his mouth was twitching. She gave me a small, conspiratorial smile. "We’ll talk later, Astrid."

We watched her walk away, her silhouette disappearing into the warm light spilling from the pack house. The garden was quiet again, the silence deeper now, filled with the unspoken weight of her offer and the lingering intimacy of our shared stories.

Kaeleen offered me a hand, his large, warm palm enveloping mine as he pulled me to my feet.

"Ready to head in?" he asked, his voice low and soft now that the familial banter was over.

I nodded. We walked back towards the house side-by-side, not touching, but the space between us vibrated with a palpable energy. I was acutely aware of every detail, the sound of our footsteps on the stone path, the clean, woodsy scent of him that seemed to wrap around me.

He walked me to my door, the hallway silent and empty. He stopped, turning to face me. His green eyes were intense, searching my face as if he could read every thought, every fear, every hope swirling within me.

"Goodnight, Astrid," he murmured.

He leaned in, and for a heart-stopping second, I thought he was going to kiss me. My breath hitched, my entire body humming in anticipation. But his lips brushed against my cheek, a feather-light touch that was both achingly tender and deeply frustrating. It was a spark that promised a wildfire, but then retreated, leaving me smoldering.

He pulled back, his eyes holding mine for a moment longer, before he turned and walked down the hall toward his own rooms.

I stood frozen, my fingers pressed to the spot on my cheek where his lips had been. The skin tingled, warm and alive. I watched his retreating back, the powerful set of his shoulders, the confident stride that was pure Alpha.

And then Sheena spoke up.

’Go to him,’ she howled in my mind, a frantic, desperate clawing at the inside of my skull. ’Don’t let him go!’

The pull was a physical thing, a magnetic force centered in my chest, threatening to pull me right out of my own skin and down the hall after him. My feet actually took a half-step forward before I caught myself, my hand gripping the doorframe so tightly my knuckles turned white.

"No, not...I can’t do this."

’Why?’

"What if he touches me again and I spiral?"

’Are you scared you will?’ she asked me.

"Not really."

’Astrid...’ she called out to me. ’I like you a lot but you do know that this isn’t helping. The bond demands this and it’ll only be so long to resist it.’

"I know. I know but I’m scared."

’But we wouldn’t know if you’d spiral until you try.’

"I will. But...I..."

Sheena sighed. ’I hope you know what you’re doing.’

I hope I do too, because to be honest , I really didn’t. I had this intense pull towards Kaeleen but I was so fucking scared of what would happen if I gave in. His scent did things to me I couldn’t explain. There was just something about him.

I walked into my room and made my way to the bathroom. I took a bath and changed into my pyjamas. But I couldn’t remove thoughts of Kaeleen from my head. I still remembered how his lips tasted against mine. I still remembered the feel of his hands on me that night. I remembered everything so much that it was takjng over the immense fear I had felt that night. I could only imagine what being with Kaeleen would feel like.

’Maybe if you stopped being a coward, you wouldn’t be imagining right now.’ Sheena said with a huff.

She was right, of course she was but...

’No, there are no buts. You are being too much of a coward when it comes to this and you know it.’

"Fine, I’ve heard so could you please stop with this shit?" I asked her.

’Not until you come to your senses because you are not the only one suffering from this. I am also suffering from it and all this could be fucking resolved if you’d just give up the sift shell. That’s not who you are. You are not Clara. Hell, you hated most things about Leon and his pack but you just went with the flow because you’ve been burned once.’

"Once?" I asked with a scoff.

’It’s been more that that, I know but...’

"Sheena, can we just stop? I get it already. And like I said, I don’t want to rush into this."

’It’s been months already.’ She cried out.

It has. Which is why I was going to go to bed ignoring Sheena because I was not in the mood to think about all the fucking mistakes I’ve made in this life.