The Luna You Betrayed Is No Longer Yours

_Rowena’s POV_

When I stepped out of the hospital to get dinner, I ran into Ezekiel at the hospital car park.

He was leaning against a wall near the entrance with his hands in his pockets and one look at him you could tell that he had been standing there for a long time.

He looked up when he heard my footsteps and something in his face shifted into relief.

“You look terrible,” he pointed out the moment our eyes met.

“You’re the second person to say that to me today,” I replied.

“Then it’s probably true.” He fell into step beside me without being invited. I didn’t mind anyways. “Where are you going?”

“To find food,” I said.

“I’ll come along,” he said.

“I didn’t invite you.”

“I know,” he said but kept walking anyway.

We found a restaurant two streets from the hospital that was quiet enough at this hour and we could get a table without waiting.

Ezekiel ordered for both of us without asking what I wanted. I just let him because I wasn’t the type to actually enjoy food.

As long as it tasted okay, I didn’t mind whatever was presented to me.

We sat across from each other and I looked at the table for a moment. “What happened to you?” he asked and his voice sounded serious.

“Nothing happened,” I said.

“Rowena.”

I looked up at him, he had his arms folded on the table and he was watching me with a knowing look in his eyes.

I exhaled. “There’s a woman at the hospital,” I said. “A doctor, she’s treating Alaric.”

He waited for me to elaborate.

“Her name is Brielle,” I added. “Apparently she and Alaric have a history.”

Ezekiel was quiet for exactly one second and the next, he laughed.

It came out genuine, warm and completely unhelpful. I stared at him with my flat expression, instantly regretting why I opened up.

“I’m sorry,” he waved his hand then pressed it briefly over his mouth. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t.....” Another small sound escaped. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you finished?” I asked with an irritated look.

“Almost,” he laughed again. “Give me one more second.”

I waited for him.

“Okay,” he said after a while. “I’m done.” He looked at me with eyes that were still slightly too bright. “Rowena. You are not a jealous person.”

“I’m not jealous,” I nodded.

“You just described a woman as a doctor in the tone most people reserve for awfully worse things,” he said. “You’re a little jealous.”

I picked up my water glass and said nothing.

“It’s fine,” he said. “It’s actually.....” He stopped himself. “It’s fine, and it doesn’t mean anything. Alaric looked at you and announced it to the entire world on live television that he loved you. Brielle is a doctor doing her job and then she’s going to leave, that will be the end of it.”

I looked at him for a moment and instead of commenting, I changed the topic. “Why were you standing outside the hospital?”

He shifted slightly, feeling uncomfortable now. “I came to check on Alaric.” he lied. I could already tell without pushing it.

“And then you stood in the car park instead of going in?” I asked.

He was quiet for a moment. “Pierre is inside,” he said. “He came to see Alaric too. You didn’t see him?”

I looked at him without a word at first, I had indeed seen Pierre entering the hospital.

“Did something happen between you two?”

Ezekiel picked up his fork, turned it over in his hand and set it back down. That small restless movement told me more than whatever he was about to say. “We had an argument,” he confessed.

“About what?” I pushed.

He looked at me, then he lowered his head to the table.

“I like him, Ro.” he let out. “More than I should. More than just.....” He paused and continued. “More than friends.”

I looked at him and said nothing, which was the right response because he was still talking.

“The problem is that Pierre hasn’t decided anything,” he said. “He feels it, I know he does, but he keeps stepping back every time something gets close. And I’m.....” He stopped and exhaled, you could see the exhaustion in his eyes. “It’s getting to me. More than I want it to. I said something I shouldn’t have said and he said something back and now we’re both ignoring each other.”

I listened to all of this without moving my face, I was giving him a chance.

It wasn’t everyday you hear stuff like this.

“He’ll decide,” I shrugged.

“You don’t know that,” he replied annoyingly.

“No,” I said honestly. “But I know Pierre. He’s careful with everything he does, including this. Careful stuff takes longer. It doesn’t mean a big no.”

Ezekiel looked at me for a moment, then after a while he nodded. He picked up his fork properly this time to eat.

We ate in silence for a while before his phone rang.

He looked at the screen and made a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a sigh and pushed the phone slightly away from him on the table without answering it.

“Your father,” I said and it wasn’t a question.

“My father,” he nodded.

“He’s still angry about the press conference, isn’t it?” I asked.

“He’s been angry since the press conference,” Ezekiel confirmed. “He planned to make a formal move toward your family again on my behalf, plus make me make a move too but Alaric ruined it by announcing his feelings on live television before anyone could do anything and now my father feels outmaneuvered.” He picked up his glass. “He calls me every day to discuss it as if I have any control over what the Alpha King announces at press conferences.”

I looked at him and sighed. “Your father isn’t wrong to want things for you,” I said. “He’s looking at your life and he wants it to go somewhere good. That’s not a terrible thing to want for your son.”

Ezekiel looked at me with an amused expression, “The things you say with your mouth.”

“The thing is,” I ignored him and continued, “given the direction your life is actually going, his concern might be more relevant than he knows. Just aimed at the wrong person.”

Ezekiel stared at me and looked back at him calmly. “That’s.....” He stopped. “Did you just......”

My phone rang immediately, cutting him short, It was Celeste who called me.

I picked it up immediately. “Yes?”

“Virella has requested to see you,” Celeste said immediately I spoke up. “She’s been asking since this morning. The investigating team handling the judge’s death wants to know if you’ll agree to it. They think she might say something to you that she hasn’t said to anyone else.”

I was quiet for a moment. “What’s there that she couldn’t say again? And why does she want to say it to me?” I asked.

“She didn’t say,” Celeste said. “She just asked for you specifically.”

I stayed silent for a moment, if she wanted to tell me anything it has to be relevant.

“I’ll go,” I said and ended the call. I glanced at Ezekiel, “Virella wants to see me,” I told him.

He was already pushing back his chair. “I’m coming with you,” he said.

I thought about telling him he didn’t need to but I didn’t bother. He was already standing up and pulling on his jacket

There was no need saying no, so I just allowed him. We left the place and walked into the night.