Page 27 of The Alpha's Lunar Crown

"Hey, I was worried I might wake you up." His voice is gentle, the kind that always makes me feel safe.

"It's alright. I've been up for a while." Sitting up and rubbing my face, I slump onto the couch, trying to shake off the memories and emotions that still swirl inside me.

Damon hands over a cup of coffee to me. "I thought you might need this."

I nod, reaching for the mug. "Thanks," I mutter, my voice barely above a whisper.I want to tell him everything about last night, about Lucien and how I feel, but somehow I feel like I shouldn't. Damon doesn't know the full story, and I'm not sure I'm ready to settle down to tell him all of that.

"How are you holding up?" Damon asks, sitting down next to me."I'm fine." I force a smile that barely reaches my eyes. "I'm just very tired."

He gives me a knowing look. "You don't have to hide it from me. Aurora, I know you're still struggling with Lucien."

I freeze at the mention of his name. Lucien. My mind reels, and I feel that old anger that I lock up stir inside me."I'm not hiding anything," I reply quickly, maybe a little too quickly. "I'm just... trying to move on from him. I just need to focus on me right now and not allow anything that will make me remember what happened between us."

Damon watches me for a long moment, his brow furrowed. He knows I'm lying, but there is nothing he can do about it.

"I understand. You're letting him get to you." His voice is soft. "But if you need someone to talk to, or if you want a distraction, I'm here. You know that, right?"

"I'm not." I meet his gaze, "Thank you, Damon. I'll keep that in mind." I run a finger along the rim of my cup, staring down at the swirling liquid, sipping from the mug.

"You don't have to let him control you," he insists. "You have a life outside of him. Focus on that."

I take a slow breath as Damon watches me for a moment, then leans back."Come with me and Ronan today. Let's clear up your head."

I hesitate. Lucien's presence still lingers like a shadow in my mind. Damon is right. I need to take in fresh air.

"Alright."

Later that day, the park is bright and full of children's laughter. Ronan runs ahead, his small legs moving fast and his laughter carefree, like this world is an easy place to live in.

Damon and I walk behind him as we enter a little café. It is usually crowded with people, and today isn't an exception.

We settle at a table in the corner. Our conversation merges with the chatter and laughter from other customers, with the soft clink of cutlery against their plates.

But as we talk, I couldn't help but feel a flicker of something nagging at me. It is this same feeling of being watched. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and my body reaction is always right about it. I push the thought aside, telling myself that I am being paranoid and there's no way he'd show up here.Just when I wave it off and stare at Damon, the door to the cafe shoots open.

I have no idea why my eyes dart to the entrance of the cafe, my pulse quickens and my stomach churns as soon as my eyes land on him.

What is Lucien doing here?

I quickly look away so he doesn't get to see me here. My eyes meet with Damon's, and I force a smile, hoping he doesn't look back in the direction where Lucien is.Damon must have noticed my sudden stillness because he looked over and then back at me with a confused expression. "Aurora? You okay?" he asks, and I nod.

"Aurora." Lucien's voice is fierce, his hands in his pockets as he walks up to me. His gaze is locked on me.

Right now, I don't want to pretend anymore, as sudden anger flares through me.Damon gazes at me. "Did you tell him where we are?" Resting his arm on the table, he glares at Lucien.

"No, I didn't," I say almost immediately because there's no reason for me to do that, especially now. I didn't want to set my eyes on him.

I couldn't take my eyes off Lucien. My breath hitches in my chest as he stands there, right in front of us, as if he'd been aware of where I'd be. I feel more like he'd been watching me.

And I know, deep down, that he had been following me. I just turned him down, yet he still didn't want to give up. It felt infuriating. Like how dare he do that?After everything, after how he walked away without a second thought, after how he treated me like I was a piece of garbage, how dare he just show up like this in front of our son?I have no idea why he feels like everything that occurs between us could just be swept under the rug like he could walk back into my life without any consequence.

Lucien has been following me, and I hate it.

Before I could stop myself, my voice was sharp, cutting through the air. "What are you doing here, Lucien?" I hissed.

He didn't flinch, his gaze steady, slipping his hand inside his pocket. "I'm trying to see you," his tone was too calm like he hadn't just shown up uninvited.I stand up, making my way toward him. My movement might look like I am going to confront him, but in truth, I am only using my body as a shield to keep him away from spotting Ronan.More than his appearance rattled me. Ronan's presence unsettles me more. The both of them in the space spells disaster, and if I play my cards right, maybe I can distract him from noticing the boy or at least take this confrontation outside.

Lucien tilts his head. "Nice day for a walk, isn't it?"

---