When The Moon Hides Her Crown novel Chapter 147

SERAPHINA

“I came to chase after him.”

I nearly bit my tongue at his shameless boldness. My grip tightened around the scroll, my knuckles whitening, while Grace smirked knowingly, her eyes dancing with mischief, silently declaring see, I knew you two were lovers.

“We are not!” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Ronan blinked down at me, a flicker of confusion shadowing his sharp features. Grace, however, burst into laughter, her voice carrying with mocking delight.

“Bye guys,” she slid into her car, waving at us playfully as she drove off, leaving me alone with him.

I exhaled a weary breath as her car disappeared from sight, but his piercing presence immediately pressed in on me, sharp and suffocating.

“Seraphina,” he stepped closer, his tone low, velvety, and dangerous, “did you sleep well last night?” His voice caressed my skin like silk, deceptively soft, yet ladened with intent. My heartbeat stumbled into a wild gallop. “Because I couldn’t sleep a wink…not after tasting your rosy lips and…”

“Mr. William!” I cut him off, my voice too loud, too desperate.

The dormitory assistant passing by froze, startled at my sudden shout. I wasted no time, striding quickly toward him, clutching at his presence like a lifeline. Inside, I repeated my mantra like a prayer—

Don’t stop. Don’t panic. Don’t look back at him.

“The laundry looks heavy,” I said hastily, snatching the basket from the poor man’s arms before he could protest. “Let me help you!”

Without waiting for his reply, I marched toward the Academy building, head high, pretending Ronan didn’t exist. Pretending I couldn’t feel his burning gaze drilling into my back.

Once safely inside, I locked myself in the laundry room and collapsed against the door, clutching my chest. My heart pounded so hard it hurt. That feeling, that strange, terrifying current that Phina and I both had felt was back, stronger than ever. All because of him.

“What the hell is happening to me?” I whispered, my voice trembling. One kiss. Just one kiss and it had unraveled me to this point. My emotions were a storm I couldn’t command. My wolf thrashed inside me, restless and reckless. I couldn’t even meet his eyes anymore without feeling my entire resolve cracking.

That kiss had ignited something dangerous, sparking it into flame, flame into wildfire. Knowing Ronan as I had for over two months, I knew one thing for certain: he would never stop. That terrified me. Because my disguise, my secrets…were at risk. Far worse, my wolf, my heart, and I was at risk. None of them were under my control anymore.

I sat there for a long while, thinking, unraveling, until finally, I made my decision. I would not let that kiss weaken me. I would not allow these forbidden feelings to control me. Never.

When in reality they were not just my weapon to keep Ronan away but Ryker as well. To my understanding he had some kind of allergy to other Alphas and he never was around them. So he just stared at me from a distance with cold eyes whenever he stalked in my direction, I changed my path to the crowd.

But what I did not realize was that my actions had kept Finn away from me as well. In the past week, he had a frown across his face whenever I was among the Alphas. He would watch me but would not talk. For a second I had a feeling that I wronged him somehow.

However, there was a strange thing that I noticed in Asher. He had been alone all the time. I have always seen him and Ronan together since the day I arrived at Lupine Academy. Yet, over the last seven days they had not been together even once, let alone speaking to each other. It made me uncomfortable for some reason but what made me even more uneasy was, Asher also seemed to be not talking to me. He looked like he was thinking something while staring at me all the time.

Then again, who could beat Ronan when it came to make me supper unease? At first, Ronan tried, relentlessly, to speak with me. But as I continued to ignore him, his patience frayed. His frustration deepened. Until one day, he stopped trying altogether. He grew unnervingly quiet. Training like a beast during the day, then sitting in silence, his eyes fixed on me the rest of the time. Like a ticking bomb, ready to detonate.

But I forced myself not to notice. My wolf finally stilled, no longer clawing with strange, dangerous emotions. My control returned. The reins of my life were back in my hands. I wanted it to stay that way. No attachments. No affection. No weakness.

By now, surely, Ronan understood that too. It was better this way. Safer. This was how it should have been from the start, and how it must remain until I left this Academy. I would not bend. I would not break.

With that conviction, I pushed myself off the ground, deliberately avoiding his gaze, and strode to the fire to claim my portion of fish.

Unaware of the storm brewing inside him. Unaware that every moment I had spent avoiding him this past week would soon become the regret of my life.