The Fake Luna: Marked By The Alpha King

Chapter 247: Chapter 247 Find her first. Kill him second

The bond felt wrong.

Stretched thin like a wire pulled too tight, vibrating with tension every time I tried to reach for her through it.

Aria was pulling away from me.

And Moon Goddess help me, I didn’t know how to stop it.

I’d been sitting in her apartment for the past two hours, staring at the city lights through the floor-to-ceiling windows and trying to convince myself that I wasn’t being pathetic.

Failed spectacularly on that front.

*You shouldn’t have come,* my wolf growled in the back of my mind. Not angry—worried. *You’re still healing. You promised you’d rest, and instead you’re out here pushing yourself past every limit, like the wound doesn’t matter at all.*

"She said she’d take time off after the launch event," I muttered aloud, running a hand through my hair. "Said we’d spend time together. And now she’s working late, avoiding my calls—"

*Because something’s wrong and you’re too much of a coward to ask what.*

That stung. Mostly because it was true.

I’d felt the shift in her since this morning. A subtle change in the way she responded to me—cooler, more distant.

The warmth that usually flooded the bond when we were together had dimmed to barely a flicker.

Something had hurt her. And I had no fucking clue what.

The not knowing was eating me alive.

I checked my phone again. 10:47 PM. Still no word from her.

My fingers hovered over her contact, debating whether to call again or give her the space she clearly wanted.

*Go get her,*my wolf insisted. *You’ve already broken your promise by flying here. Might as well finish what you started.*

He had a point.

I pulled up her number and hit call before I could second-guess myself.

It rang twice before someone picked up.

"Alpha King?"

Not Aria’s voice. Female, slightly slurred—drunk.

Every muscle in my body went rigid.

"...Who is this?" I managed to keep my voice level. Barely.

"Oh! Sorry. This is Emily. I’m having drinks with Aria right now." A pause, then a hiccup. "She’s in the restroom. We’ll be heading home soon, don’t worry."

Emily.Her former assistant.