Luna's Legacy - Beneath the Lies

Ethan POV

“No. Absolutely not.” The answer leaves my mouth before I even have time to wonder why Luna is asking.

My keys are still lying on the kitchen counter beside me, exactly where I dropped them when I came in, but every bit of attention I have is fixed on the silence coming through my phone.

“My family had nothing to do with Benji’s accident.” Nothing. Not even one of her usual quiet sounds to let me know she heard me. I straighten slowly. “As far as I know, we had nothing to do with those children disappearing either.”

Another silence. Longer this time. My stomach tightens. I only called to ask if she wanted a ride. That was it. I’m heading back to The Veil tomorrow morning, and after everything that happened Saturday, it seemed easier to ask than leave her figuring out transportation on her own. Instead, she answered, sounding like someone had ripped the ground out from underneath her, and now she’s asking me about Benji’s accident.

A question she wouldn’t be asking unless— Fuck! “Luna?” I grip the edge of the counter. “What happened?”

She doesn’t answer. Instead, after several seconds of silence, she asks quietly, “Why did you call?”

The change in subject is so obvious I almost push back. Then I remember who I’m talking to. Luna has always been incredibly good at disappearing behind another question whenever the first one gets too close.

“I’m driving back to The Veil tomorrow morning,” I tell her carefully. “I thought I’d see if you wanted a lift.”

Silence again. Not empty this time. There are sounds in the background. Faint movement. Someone breathing. Maybe more than one person. She isn’t alone. I don’t know why that bothers me until her next words come through the phone. “I can’t stay here.”

My hand goes still against the counter. Her voice is quiet. Not angry. Not frustrated. Just done. “Can you come and get me?”

The chair behind me scrapes hard across the floor as I move before my brain has even properly caught up. “Yeah.” I grab my keys. Jacket. Wallet. The front door is already open by the time I add, “I’m already on my way.”

The engine turns over beneath me.

For a second, neither of us says anything. Luna is still on the line. I can hear her breathing through the speakers, quiet enough that I almost have to strain to catch it. Then she breathes out. That’s it. Just one small exhale. And somehow that worries me more than if she’d started crying.

I pull away from the curb, one hand tightening around the steering wheel. “I’ll keep my phone on.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know.” The silence stretches again. “You can hang up if you want,” I tell her. “Or stay on.”

Another pause. Then, quieter, “Can I stay?”

My hand stills briefly against the wheel. “Yeah, Lu.” I turn onto the main road. “You can stay.”

She doesn’t say anything after that. Neither do I. For the first few minutes, the only sound inside the car is the engine beneath me and Luna’s breathing through the speakers. It should make this easier. It doesn’t.

Somehow, a normal call about tomorrow’s drive back to The Veil turned into Benji, two missing children, and Luna asking me to come get her tonight. Can you come and get me? No explanation. No argument. Just that.

My fingers tighten around the steering wheel. Saturday forces its way back into my head. Five days ago, I was standing in the middle of Eldernoor territory with Cole’s fist connecting with my face while half our packs hovered seconds away from turning one stupid fight into something much worse.

Then Luna stepped between us, and everything inside me went quiet. I remember that too clearly. The anger disappearing almost instantly. Her standing there with her back toward me, furious at Cole like putting herself between two powerful males trying to beat each other senseless was somehow the most reasonable decision available.

Then the drive back. Victoria teasing. Rowan pretending he wasn’t listening. Luna joking about being thrown into the friend zone while I tried very hard not to examine why the word suddenly felt wrong.

And after that— House of Eldernoor. The secrets. The lies. Me sitting across from Darian and telling him exactly what would happen if they kept deciding what Luna could and couldn’t handle. Apparently, the truth finally came out.

I glance briefly toward the phone mounted beside the dashboard. The call is still connected. “Did they tell you?”

Her breathing changes. Barely. Enough. I keep my eyes on the road. “You don’t have to answer.”

Several seconds pass.

Then— “Benji is Alphi.”

There it is. I already knew. Not every detail. Not how she would find out. Not when. But I knew enough. Still, hearing her say it makes something tighten painfully beneath my ribs. “Yeah.”

A humourless laugh comes through the speakers. “You knew.” Not angry. Not yet. Somehow that’s worse.

“Yes.”

Silence. I let it sit.

Then she asks, “How long?”

I hesitate.

Wrong move. Another quiet laugh. “Fantastic.”

“Luna.”

“How long, Ethan?”

“Not long.”

“That isn’t an answer.”

“No.” I exhale slowly. “It isn’t.” The road ahead disappears between the trees. “I knew Benji was Alphi,” I admit. “And I knew Darian and Aveline believed you were their daughter. I believed them too.”

Another silence.

“You knew that too.” There’s no anger in her voice. Somehow, I almost wish there was.

“Yes.”

A shaky breath comes through the speakers. “My name is Viënna.” There is something strange about hearing her say it herself. Saturday, Viënna was a name everybody else knew. A name belonging to someone Luna hadn’t even met yet. Now it comes from her. Quiet. Uncertain. Like she’s testing whether it fits.

“I know.”

“It doesn’t feel like mine.”

My grip loosens slightly around the wheel. “Then don’t use it.”

A pause. “What?”

“You’ve been Luna for nineteen years.”

“That’s apparently not who I am.”

“Says who?”

“Everyone.”

“Everyone sounds pretty fucking sure for people who aren’t you.”

A tiny sound comes through the speakers. Almost a laugh. Gone quickly. Still counts.

“You found out your birth name today,” I continue. “Nobody gets to hand you nineteen years of missing history and expect you to reorganise your entire identity before dinner.”

“It’s after dinner.”

“Then you’re already behind schedule.”

This time the laugh is clearer. Small. Tired. But hers. For the first time since she answered my call, some of the pressure in my chest eases. Only a little. Because she still hasn’t told me why she needed me to come tonight, and something tells me Benji isn’t the whole answer.

For several minutes, neither of us talks. I don’t ask what happened. Not yet. She told me enough to know the truth came out. Benji. Darian. Aveline. Viënna. That alone would be enough to knock most people flat.

Except something still feels wrong. The question about Benji’s accident keeps circling back. So does the way she said she couldn’t stay there. Not I don’t want to. I can’t. My jaw tightens. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Silence. There. “Nothing.”

Bullshit. I know her too well for that answer. “Lu.”

“I really don’t want to talk about it right now.”

That stops me. Not because I suddenly stop wanting answers. I want every fucking one of them. I want to know why her voice sounds like this. I want to know what happened after all those people finally decided honesty was the best policy. I want to know why she needs me to drive out tonight when I was already offering to take her away tomorrow morning. But none of that matters as much as what she just said. “Okay.”

She doesn’t respond immediately. “Okay?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re not going to ask?”

“I just did.”

“I mean again.”

“No.”

The silence that follows feels different. Softer somehow. Then Luna whispers, “Thank you.”

I stare at the road ahead. That shouldn’t feel like something worth thanking me for. “Don’t.”

“What?”

“Thank me for listening when you tell me no.”

She goes completely quiet. Fuck. Apparently that one landed somewhere I didn’t intend.

I let the subject die. The kilometres pass beneath the tyres while the familiar route toward Eldernoor unfolds ahead of me. I’ve driven it enough times to stop paying attention to the turns. Too many meetings. Too many arguments. Too many negotiations where everyone involved pretends that decades of resentment can be fixed with signatures, territorial lines, and chosen-mate bonds. And Saturday. Definitely Saturday.

Five days ago, Cole and I nearly beat each other bloody over Victoria. Again. He told me my family had handed my sister over to prevent a war. I hit him. He hit me. Furniture suffered. Normal diplomatic relations, apparently. Then Luna stepped between us and somehow became the only person in the clearing I was capable of listening to. Now I’m heading back into the same territory because she asked me to. Cole is going to love that. For some reason, the thought almost makes me smile.

Then Luna shifts somewhere on the other end of the call. A sharp breath cuts through the speakers.

My expression changes instantly. “What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“That didn’t sound like nothing.”

“I moved.”

“And moving hurts?”

“No.” Too quick.

“Luna.”

“Ethan.” There’s enough warning in my name to make me grit my teeth. Fine. Not over the phone.

“Ten minutes.”

“What?”

“I’m about ten minutes out.”

“Oh.” Something about that one word catches me. Relief. Real relief.

My chest tightens again. “You need anything before I get there?”

“No.”

“Bag packed?”

A pause.

“I have my things.”

That isn’t what I asked, but close enough. “Good.”

I take the final turn toward Eldernoor territory. The checkpoint comes into view ahead, lights glowing between the trees. Usually, Duskryn plates earn me several seconds of suspicion before anyone decides whether tonight is worth starting another territorial argument. Apparently word travels fast. The barrier lifts before I’ve even fully stopped. Interesting. They’re expecting me. Of course they are. “I’m through the gate.”

The line stays quiet for several seconds. Then Luna says softly, “Ethan?”

“Yeah?”

“Please just… don’t start anything.”

I almost laugh. Saturday has permanently damaged my reputation. “I’m offended.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

“Ethan.”

I sigh. “Fine.” Another pause. “I won’t start anything.”

That wording earns exactly the reaction I expect. “That’s not reassuring.”

“It’s the best you’re getting.”

A tiny laugh slips through the speakers again. There she is. I hold onto that sound as the main house comes into view between the trees. Warm light spills from the windows. Several vehicles stand near the entrance. Familiar ones. Luca’s. Cole’s. Darian’s. Probably half the fucking family at this point.

I park near the steps and kill the engine. For the first time since I left home, I don’t move immediately. “You still there?”

“Yeah.”

I look toward the front doors. “I’m outside.”

Silence. Then a small, “Okay.”

I reach for the door handle. “I’m coming in.”

Her answer is barely audible. “Okay.”

The line disconnects. For a moment, I stare at the dark screen. Then I get out of the car.

Five days ago, I walked into this house already bleeding because Cole and I had spent half the evening trying to rearrange each other’s faces. Tonight, I have every intention of behaving. Then the front door opens. And I see Luna.

My entire body goes still. The sling is the first thing I notice. Her left arm is secured tightly against her body in a sling, the oversized shirt bunching awkwardly around it. Then the way she’s standing. Too much weight on one side. The slight tension around her mouth like merely being upright hurts. The exhaustion written across her face. She looks like fucking hell. Every promise I made in the car evaporates.

“What the fuck happened to you?”

Luna’s eyes close for half a second. Not long enough to hide the exhaustion in them when they open again. “I’m fine.”

I stare at the sling. Then at the way she’s keeping most of her weight on her right leg. “Right.”

Her mouth tightens. “Ethan—”

“That is a sling.”

“I noticed.”

“And you can barely stand.”

“I can stand.”

“Not convincingly.”

A faint sound leaves her that might have been a laugh under different circumstances, but it disappears almost immediately.

Only then do I properly register the people behind her. Aveline stands close enough to catch Luna if she needs to, one hand hovering near her back without actually touching her. Darian is a few steps farther behind, his expression controlled in that way Alphas seem to believe hides absolutely everything. It doesn’t.

And Luca— I stop there. Later.

My attention returns to Luna. “What happened?”

She looks past me toward the car. “Can we just go?”

That answer does nothing to improve my mood. “Lu.”

Her shoulders drop slightly. “It was an accident.”

Of course it was.

“What kind of accident gives you a broken arm?”

She hesitates. Again. That is becoming deeply fucking concerning. “Cole tackled me.”

For a moment, I’m certain I heard her wrong. “Cole did what?”

“It wasn’t—”

“Cole tackled you?”

“He wasn’t trying to hurt me.”

Somewhere behind her, Darian exhales slowly.

I look past Luna toward the open doorway as if Cole might conveniently appear there and save me the trouble of finding him. “He tackled you hard enough to break your arm.”

“And bruise my hip,” Luna adds.

My head snaps back toward her. She winces. Probably because she realises a second too late that adding information was not the best strategy. “Your hip too?”

“It sounds worse when you repeat everything.”

“It sounds worse because it is worse.”

“Ethan.”

I drag a hand over my jaw. Five days. Five fucking days since Cole and I last tried to beat each other into the ground, and apparently he’s already found a new way to make me want to do it again.

“It wasn’t deliberate,” Luna says more firmly. “There was a fight. I got caught in the middle.”

I stare at her. She stares back. “That sentence is doing absolutely nothing to make this better.”

“I know.”

“Who was fighting?”

Her eyes shift. Barely. Enough. Something cold settles in my stomach. I follow that tiny movement. Straight to Luca. He hasn’t said a word since I arrived. He stands several steps behind Darian, shoulders rigid, gaze fixed entirely on Luna.

Saturday flashes through my head again. The clearing. Blood. Cole. And Luca finally admitting what everybody with eyes had already started figuring out. She means more to me than she should.

At the time, I hadn’t known what exactly that meant. Looking at him now, I’m suddenly not sure I want to know.

Before I can ask, Aveline steps closer. “Luna…” The softness in her voice pulls Luna’s attention away from me. Aveline’s eyes are red. She looks like she has been crying for hours. “Please,” she says quietly. “You don’t have to leave tonight.”

Luna’s expression changes immediately. Not anger. Something more tired than that. “Aveline.”

“You can stay upstairs. You don’t have to speak to anyone.” Her voice catches slightly. “We’ll give you space. As much as you need. Just… please don’t leave like this.”

Luna closes her eyes. For a second, nobody moves. Then she shakes her head. “I can’t.”

“You can.”

“No.” Luna opens her eyes again. “I can’t.”

Aveline’s face crumples slightly. “Viënna—”

“Please don’t.” The words are quiet. Still, everyone hears them.

Aveline stops.

Luna swallows. “I know what you told me. I know what that name means to you.” Her voice trembles despite how carefully she’s holding it together. “But I can’t be that person for you tonight.”

Aveline presses her lips together. “I’m not asking you to be anyone.”

“You are.” Luna’s voice remains gentle, which somehow makes it hurt more. “All of you are.” Silence falls across the entrance. Luna glances briefly toward Darian before continuing. “I need somewhere where nobody expects me to know who I’m supposed to be.”

That lands. Hard. Aveline looks down. Darian moves to her side without a word, one arm settling around her shoulders as she leans into him. For the first time since I arrived, I meet his eyes properly. There is a warning in them. Not a threat. Something closer to fear. “Take care of her.” The words are low. Controlled. Not quite an order this time. Something far more personal.

I look at Luna. Then back at him. “I will.”

His jaw tightens.

I take one step closer. “But not because you asked me to.”

Something flickers across his face.

“I’ll take care of her because she asked me to come.” Silence. “And because, apparently, when people around here decide they know what’s best for her…” My gaze travels briefly over the sling before returning to him. “We can all see what comes of that.”

Aveline closes her eyes. Darian doesn’t look away. For several seconds, neither of us says anything. He could argue. Could remind me whose territory I’m standing on. Could tell me I have no idea what happened.

Instead, his eyes move toward Luna. Then to her arm. His expression hardens in a completely different way. Finally, he gives one short nod.

Fair enough.

I turn back toward Luna. “Ready?”

She nods almost immediately. “Yes.” She takes a step.

“Luna.” Luca’s voice stops her. Everything changes. Her shoulders stiffen before she even turns around.

I stay where I am. For now.

Luca takes one careful step forward. “Please.”

Luna closes her eyes briefly. “Luca, no.”

“Just talk to me.”

“We already did.”

“Not enough.”

Her eyes open. “For you.”

The words stop him.

“I told you upstairs I need space.”

“I know.”

“Then give it to me.”

His jaw clenches. “I can’t let you leave like this.”

Something in Luna’s expression breaks. Not loudly. Just enough that I see it. “You don’t get to say that.” Luca goes still. “You don’t get to decide what I can handle anymore.” Her voice shakes now. “You don’t get to decide what I should know, or where I should stay, or what’s best for me.”

“Lu—”

“No.”

He stops.

Tears shine in her eyes, but she refuses to let them fall. “I asked you upstairs to leave me alone.”

“I’m trying to fix this.”

“You can’t.”

His face changes. She sees it too. For one painful second, neither of them speaks. Then Luca says, barely above a whisper, “Please don’t go with him.”

There it is. My patience snaps. I step forward.

Luca’s gaze cuts to me immediately. “Ethan.”

“I don’t care who you are.” Darian straightens slightly behind him. Luca does too. I ignore both of them. “She told you she wants space.”

His expression darkens. “This is between her and me.”

“No.” I take another step closer. “It stopped being between you and her the second she told you to leave her alone, and you decided your feelings mattered more.”

His jaw flexes. “You have no idea what happened.”

“Maybe not.” My gaze drops briefly to Luna’s sling. Then returns to him. “But I know what she just said.” Silence. “She wants you to leave her alone.” My voice lowers. “So, respect that.” Luca doesn’t move. Neither do I. “That is the least you can do after everything you’ve already failed her on.” The words land exactly where I intend them to.

Luca flinches. Barely. Enough. Behind him, Aveline inhales sharply. Darian says nothing. And Luna— Luna just stands there between us, looking more exhausted with every passing second. That is enough.

I break eye contact with Luca first. Not because he won. Because this was never about him. I move back toward Luna and open the passenger door. “Come on.”

She looks at me for a moment. Then at the house behind her. At Aveline. Darian. Finally, Luca. Whatever she sees there makes her swallow hard. Then she turns away. And comes with me.

Luna takes one step toward the car and immediately slows. I notice. Of course I fucking notice. Her jaw tightens as she shifts her weight, trying to make the movement look more natural than it is. It doesn’t work.

I move toward her, then stop before reaching for her. “Can I help?”

She looks at me. For half a second, genuine surprise crosses her face. Then something softer replaces it. “Yes.”

One word. That’s all I need. I step closer and offer my arm rather than grabbing hers. Luna hooks her good hand around my forearm, using me for balance as we cross the last few metres toward the car. Slowly. Much too slowly for somebody who insists she’s fine.

I open the passenger door and wait while she turns herself carefully, lowering into the seat with a sharp breath she tries unsuccessfully to hide.

My teeth clench. “Still fine?”

She gives me a look. “Don’t.”

I raise both hands. “Not asking.”

That earns the faintest twitch at the corner of her mouth. Once she’s settled, I reach for the seat belt before stopping. “Do you want me to—”

“I can do it.”

“Okay.” And I let her. No argument. No reaching past her. I just wait while she awkwardly pulls the belt across herself with one hand, grimacing when the movement catches somewhere in her shoulder. It takes longer than it should. Neither of us comments on it. When the buckle finally clicks into place, she exhales. “There.”

“Impressive.”

“Shut up.” Better.

I close the door carefully. When I turn back toward the house, Darian is already walking toward me. Luna’s suitcase hangs from one hand. Aveline remains near the entrance with Luca beside her, though neither of them looks particularly interested in each other. Both are watching the car.

Darian stops in front of me. For several seconds, neither of us speaks. Then he holds out the suitcase. I take it.

“She trusts you.”

The words catch me off guard. My eyes return to his. Darian glances toward the passenger side of the car. “Completely, from what I can see.” There is something strangely vulnerable about the admission. Especially coming from him. When he looks back at me, the Alpha is still there, but so is the father. “I don’t know everything that happened between the two of you before she came here,” he says quietly. “And right now, I don’t need to.” I wait. His grip releases from the suitcase. “If she trusts you, then I will too.”

For once, I don’t have a sarcastic answer ready. Darian draws a slow breath. “The last twenty-four hours have changed almost everything she thought she knew about her life.” His eyes briefly close. “Werewolves. Mate bonds. Luca. Benji. Us.” Each word seems heavier than the last. “She’s been given answers to questions she didn’t even know she had.” His gaze drifts toward the car again. “And I don’t know how much of it she actually heard.”

That makes sense. More than I want it to.

“She was there,” Darian continues, quieter now. “She listened. She asked questions. But hearing something and being able to understand it are two very different things.”

I look through the passenger window. Luna is staring straight ahead. Not at us. Not at the house. Nowhere, really. Fuck.

“If she asks you something and you don’t know the answer, call me.” My attention returns to him. “Any time.” There is no authority in his voice now. No order. “Day or night.” He pauses. “She doesn’t have to speak to me if she doesn’t want to.” That costs him something. I can see it. “But she should never have to wonder whether she’s allowed to ask.”

For a second, I just stare at him. Then I nod once. “I’ll tell her.”

Relief flickers across his face. Small. Brief. Enough.

“And Darian?” His gaze meets mine. “I meant what I said.” He waits. “I’ll look after her.”

Something in his shoulders eases. I glance toward the house. Aveline has folded her arms tightly across herself now. Luca still hasn’t moved. Then back at Darian. “But she decides what that looks like.”

A faint, tired smile touches his mouth. “I’m beginning to understand that.”

“Good.” I move around the back of the car and open the boot. The suitcase lands inside with a dull thud. When I close it again, Darian is already walking back toward Aveline. She reaches for him before he even gets there. He pulls her against his chest.

Luca doesn’t. He remains exactly where he is. Watching Luna through the windshield. I look at him for one second longer than necessary. Saturday flashes through my head again. The way he looked at her. The things he finally admitted. Whatever Luna was to him, she mattered. A lot. And somehow, in less than five days, he managed to turn that into her begging him to stay away. Impressive.

I climb behind the wheel. Luna doesn’t look at the house when I start the engine. Not once. I do. Aveline is crying against Darian now. He has one arm wrapped around her, his attention still fixed on the car. Luca stands a few metres away. Still watching.

I pull away. Nobody follows. For the first few minutes, Luna says nothing. Neither do I. The main house disappears behind the trees. Then the checkpoint. The guard lifts the barrier without making us stop this time. I drive through. Eldernoor territory falls away behind us.

Luna releases a breath. Long. Slow. Like she has been holding it since I arrived. “You okay?”

“Ask me tomorrow.”

I almost smile. “Fair.”

She shifts in her seat and turns slightly toward the window. Her hair slides away from her neck. Everything inside me stops. There. Just above the collar of her shirt. A healing bite. Two puncture marks surrounded by bruised skin. A mark.

My hands tighten so hard around the steering wheel that the leather creaks. No. Absolutely fucking not. “Luna.”

Something in my voice makes her look at me. “What?”

I stare at the road. Because if I look at her right now, I might actually lose what little restraint I have left. “Did Luca mark you?”

Silence. That is answer enough.

“Ethan—”

“Did he?”

“Yes.”

My foot comes off the accelerator. The car begins slowing immediately.

“Ethan.”

I check the mirror. Empty road. Good. My hand moves toward the indicator.

“What are you doing?”

“Turning around.”

“No.”

I barely hear her. Every part of me is already back at that fucking house. Luca standing by the doors. Watching her leave. Knowing he did that. “He marked you.”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t even know werewolves existed two days ago.”

“I know.”

“You didn’t know what a mate was.”

“I know.”

“And he fucking marked you?” My indicator clicks.

Luna’s good hand closes around my forearm. “Ethan.”

“No.” The word comes out sharper than I intend. I slow, already looking for somewhere to turn around. “He doesn’t get to do that and then stand there looking devastated because you left.”

“Ethan, stop.”

“I’m going back.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I am going to put him through a fucking wall.”

“That won’t help.”

“It’ll help me.”

Despite everything, a broken laugh escapes her. I look at her. Wrong decision. The mark is still there. My jaw clenches so hard it hurts. “Did you agree to that?”

The laugh disappears. Luna looks down. Fuck. My entire body goes cold. “Lu.”

“It’s complicated.”

“That is not an answer.”

“I know.”

“Did you tell him he could mark you?”

She goes quiet. Too quiet. Then finally— “No.”

Something inside me snaps. I pull toward the side of the road. Not because I’ve changed my mind. Because driving while imagining exactly how many bones Luca has is becoming increasingly irresponsible. The car stops. I put it in park.

“Ethan.”

I turn toward her. “He marked you without asking?”

Her eyes close. “It wasn’t like that.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“He didn’t plan it.”

“That makes absolutely no difference to me.”

“It does to me.”

That stops me. Not completely. Enough.

Luna looks at me again. There are tears in her eyes now. Not falling. Just there. “I need you not to make this worse.”

My anger doesn’t disappear. It settles lower. Hotter. “I’m listening.”

She gives me a sceptical look.

“I am.”

“You’re parked on the side of the road because you were about to turn around and murder someone.”

“Details.”

“Ethan.”

“Fine.” I force my hands away from the steering wheel and lean back. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Her gaze remains on me.

“Yet.”

“Ethan.”

“I’m listening.”

She sighs. For a long moment, she says nothing. Then she looks down at her hand resting in her lap. “When you left Saturday…” Her voice is quiet. Careful. Like she has no idea where to begin.

I stay silent. This time, I mean it.

“Everything just kept getting worse.” Her fingers curl slowly against her jeans. “I thought Saturday was bad.” A humourless laugh escapes her. “It wasn’t even close.”

My jaw tightens again. Luna looks through the windshield. “After you left, Luca and I…” She pauses. “Luca and I started talking again. Properly, I guess. We spent the next few days trying to figure things out.”

I remember the way he looked at her that night. I say nothing. “He told me things.” Another pause. “Not everything.”

Of course not.

“He told me he cared about me. That what happened between us wasn’t something he could keep pretending didn’t matter.” Her fingers tighten. “And then somehow we ended up leaving together.”

My eyes narrow slightly. “Where?”

“A hot spring.”

I blink. Of all the answers I expected— “A hot spring.”

“Yes.”

“Of course.”

She gives me a tired look. “Do you want me to tell you or not?”

I gesture for her to continue. She takes a breath. “We slept together.”

There it is. Something unpleasant twists beneath my ribs. I shove it down immediately. Not important. Not now.

“And Luca…” Her hand rises unconsciously toward the mark. Stops before touching it. “He didn’t mean to mark me.”

I look at her. She sees exactly what I think of that sentence. “I’m serious.”

“Luna, intent does not magically remove his teeth from your neck.”

“I know.”

“Then stop defending him.”

“I’m not defending him.” Her voice sharpens for the first time. “I’m trying to explain.”

That shuts me up.

Luna swallows. “He didn’t know it was going to happen. His wolf took over.”

My expression must say enough.

“I know how that sounds.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.” A beat. “Because I didn’t even know he had a wolf when it happened.”

Every bit of anger inside me shifts. Not gone. Just joined by something much worse. “What?”

She stares at her lap. “When I woke up, I had no idea what had happened.” The words come slowly now. “He had to explain the knot. The mark. Werewolves.”

My eyes close for half a second.

Moon fucking Goddess.

“And mates,” she adds.

I open them again. “He told you after?”

“Yes.”

“After he marked you.”

“Yes.”

My head falls back against the seat. For several seconds, I stare at the roof of the car. Saturday. I had sat in Darian’s house and warned all of them that Luna didn’t handle lies well. Apparently Luca heard that and decided to speed-run every possible version of the problem.

“Ethan.”

“I’m listening.”

“You look like you’re planning a murder.”

“I can multitask.”

Another tiny laugh. Then it disappears. “There’s more.”

Of course there fucking is. I turn my head toward her. Luna looks exhausted. Not physically this time. Something deeper.

“What happened?”

She takes a slow breath.

And this time, I just listen.