Chapter 90
Chapter 90
LUNA AQUAMARINE’S POV
Clinton.
My heart slammed so hard it hurt. Alexander had broken his jaw, torn into his flesh–he was supposed
to be dead.
So, how was he standing in this pack? Did Alexander force him to come here? Is Alpha Felix also here? Beta Liam and Sarah?
But, thinking about it now, I’ve only seen Fiona.
But Clinton didn’t look at me. He hasn’t noticed me yet.
He looked straight ahead, walking till he stood in the middle of the hall. But his eyes didn’t hold the same as it used to. His steps weren’t arrogant.
It’s almost like it was someone else. Or, did Alexander’s blow reset him entirely? Did it make him forget who he was? Who I was?
“Who dares interrupt my speech?” Alexandra growled. I had almost forgotten he was here. Fuming, gritting his teeth, but it seemed like he was trying to swallow his anger. “State your name.”
“Clifford,” the man answered, bowing his head.
Clifford…. Clifford?
My mouth went wide.
Clinton’s twin brother?
What and why is he here?
If he says he’s from the Moonstone pack, Alexander might demote him from a Beta to a slave. Or
what if he finds him familiar? What if he thinks Clifford was the one who tried to force himself
worse,
on me?
My chest tightened, eyes fixed on the man standing before us.
I couldn’t mention if he had changed much. The clothes he wore were very big. His hair was wild and unruly. His face wasn’t as clean as it used to be. He had even grown a beard. It was almost as if he came directly from the battlefield, battered, tired and…. injured.
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“Clifford,” Alexander dragged his name in a low growl that made goosebumps spread painfully across. my skin. I glanced at him. His eyes were closed, but his eyebrows were twitching. “Do you value your tongue, boy?”
I swallowed hard as he continued.
“Tonight is for my Luna. I’d rather not stain my hands.”
The hall quieted, a ripple of whispers passing through the gathered crowd.
Clifford gaze finally met mine, and he froze.
He couldn’t move. He looked like he could barely breathe. My nails dug into my palms. Clifford looked so much like Clinton that my stomach turned.
Every angle of his face dragged me back to that day that Clinton tried to force himself on me.
Clifford cleared his throat and nodded. “As you wish.”
The tension thinned, though not enough to disappear. People shifted back into motion, voices rising again, but I still felt Clifford’s shocked gaze on mine.
The rest of the night blurred. I smiled when I needed to, nodded at words I barely heard, but stayed fixed on one single person.
my
mind
Clifford.
When the gathering finally ended, I slipped away with quick steps, ignoring Alexander again. The heavy air of the hall clinging to me as I walked the quiet corridor back to my room.
Clifford. Here. After all this time.
I should have felt relieved that at least one of the Alpha’s sons was alive. But instead, unease sat like a stone in my stomach.
The next evening, the order room felt different. I had never been soo eager to attend a meeting till this day. The torches burned the same, the table stood the same, but there were fewer Elders. My eyes caught the empty seats before I could stop myself–Marcus wasn’t here. Neither was Thaddeus.
Alexander sat at the head, sharp, unmoving, the weight of the room tied to his silence.
Clifford stood in the middle, Still looking the same way he did yesterday.
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“I came here to pay the debt my pack owes you,” Clifford said calmly. “And to take my people, you hold captive.”
The words struck like a slap.
Laughter from the Elders filled the air, as if Clifford had said something extremely funny.
My heart stumbled; no one spoke to Alexander like that. Not in this room. Not ever.
I don’t think another Alpha or King has demanded their pack back.
What exactly is Clifford thinking?
But Clifford didn’t look moved. Instead he reached into his pouch and he pulled out something. He unwrapped it to reveal a large glass ….. crystal. It was almost the size of my head.
“The Vsuend,” he declared, raising it up for all to see. “From my battle in the kingdom of Birhr, where
the winged beasts, the Ciejri’s, guard the most powerful air creature–he Giejrb. This is rarer than diamonds, richer than gold, and carries the power to shift storms and rule the skies.”
Gasps circled the table. The Elders murmured, glancing at each other wide–eyed and standing up just
to take a look at it.
Inside the crystal looked like there was a huge storm raging inside. A huge storm with lightning bolts striking with each movement. Dark, angry and familiar. Like the ones Alexander used when he saved
me from Terran.
A shiver ran through me before I could hide it,
Alexander leaned back, his smirk growing into a loud roar of laughter. The sound made my chest tighten. He wasn’t agreeing–he was mocking.
I’m pretty sure he didn’t agree with that. In the sense that he’s a fire–breathing monster.
“Impressive,” he said, voice dipped in fire. “But don’t speak to me of ‘the most powerful,‘ Clifford. The Giejrb is nothing. I’ve seen greater things.” His eyes darkened, and for a moment, I swore the air itself leaned away from him.
Then his voice cut again, clean as a blade. “No gem, no treasure, can buy what your people owe me. Their debt is heavier than what you understand, boy.”
Clifford took a step forward, the crystal still raging in his grip. “Then state your price. Take the chains off my people, and I’ll do anything you wish. Anything you ask for, I’ll do it.”
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The Elders whispered sharper this time, some in shock, others in intrigue. I felt my pulse race with
them.
Wrong move, Clifford,
I couldn’t tell if he was reckless or brave, but the sight of him looking at Alexander like they were equals burned my throat like I’d swallowed fire.
Alexander’s stare didn’t move. His eyes roamed Clifford’s body like a predator sizing up his meal. Same look he gives when deciding whether to kill or destroy.
“What is your rank in your pack?” His voice was steady, sharp.
“Strongest Beta warrior,” Clifford said, raising his chest in pride.
“Weaklings,” Alexander kissed his teeth. His hatred for wolves still confuses me till this day. “Do you have secondary knowledge of creatures of the earth?” Alexander asked.
“I’m a renowned scholar among two kingdoms. Knowledge of creatures is just the tip of the iceberg. I
A light chuckle escaped Alexander’s lips, “coming from someone who thinks Giejrb is the most powerful air creature? I wonder how little those kingdoms are and how much they think they know.”
Clifford went quiet at that, but his expression didn’t change. Clifford didn’t lie about being a scholar. He was famous for that in our pack and he took pride in it.
Alexander stroked his chin, at the corner of his mouth lifting to a smirk.
The silence after felt dangerous, so heavy it pressed against my ribs.
Alexander leaned forward at last, eyes locked on Clifford, and I swear I could feel the ground itself waiting for his word. “How many nations have you wiped? Have you killed an Alpha before?”
And me–I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t look away, because I knew Alexander wasn’t simply asking. He was choosing whether to break him–or claim him.
AD
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