Chapter 9 No grovelling
Rue’s POV
My lips curved into a short smile. “If I wanted your attention, Aiden, trust me pretend to be anyone else to get it.”
I’d have it. And I wouldn’t have to
I’d just turned to leave when Aiden moved. His arm blocked my path before I could take another step.
I stopped, my pulse quickening-not out of fear, but because after years of separation, it felt strange being so close to him. I hadn’t expected standing this near to Aiden, let alone meet and speak to him.
He stepped in closer, closing the space between us until my back brushed the wall.
“Going somewhere?” His voice was low but controlled.
I kept my chin high. “Yes. I have better places to be.”
His fingers curled around my arm-not enough to hurt, but enough to make it clear I wasn’t going anywhere until he was done.
“Everything you’ve been doing…” he said, his eyes narrowing, “every action you’ve taken since you showed up here-it’s all to get my attention. Admit it.”
A laugh slipped from me. “Not everything revolves around you, Aiden.”
I kept my tone even, deliberately steady. “I thought you’d let it go. Or… are you still bothered?”
For just a heartbeat, something flickered in his gaze-hurt. But it vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by that cold expression I associated him with.
“You expect me to believe you dressed like that tonight for no reason?” His gaze swept over me, as if my dress was some kind of weapon aimed at him. “You were clearly trying to seduce me.”
“Seduce you?” I let out a soft, incredulous breath. “You think far too highly of yourself. So I just can’t decide to dress nice?”
He didn’t even blink. “The Luna’s place isn’t yours. It never was. It belongs to Haven.”
I let the words hang there, my chest tightening-not because I wanted that position, but because once, I’d given
up everything for the man now saying I was never meant for it. Once, I would have bled myself dry just to stand by his side.
And now? Now the idea was laughable.
“Let go of me,” I said quietly, my voice a warning.
But he leaned in, “I know you’ve been watching me, Rue. Waiting. Planning. You want to destroy me and my standing with Blood Claw pack.”
The accusation landed like a blade. Part of me wanted to deny it outright. Another part-the one that had been silent for years-recognized there was truth in it. I had been watching. I had been waiting.
Finally, I said, “You want to hear the truth? Even if you were on your knees begging me, I wouldn’t so much as glance at the Luna’s seat. You can keep it. Keep her.”
His jaw flexed, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me waver. “I wish you and Haven a long, happy life together.”
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At that moment, Cole, who had been apparently looking for me, entered the hall.
His eyes scanned me like he was checking for wounds, then averted back at Aiden who had withdrawn his grip.
“Are you hurt?” His voice was low, but it carried the undercurrent of an unspoken authority.
“No,” I said, forcing my shoulders to relax. “It’s nothing I can’t handle by myself.”
Still, Aiden’s words echoed in my ears. He hadn’t changed-his arrogance, his coldness-it was the same mask he’d always worn. I refused to waste another second thinking about it.
“Excuse us, Mr.Aiden” Cole said politely out of habit, preparing to lead me away
“Before you leave, you were just the man I wanted to speak to. I want to discuss a partnership,” Aiden said, his tone even but stripped of warmth.
Cole didn’t miss a beat. “Ah! A partnership. Aren’t we getting too ahead of ourselves?”
Aiden frowned “What do you mean?”
“First, we should address Haven’s behavior earlier tonight. I suppose she is your fiancé.” Cole’s voice carried a kind of strictness, sharp enough for the nearby guests to hear. “Publicly humiliating someone in my company is unacceptable.”
Aiden’s jaw ticked. “I’ll speak to her.”
Cole’s gaze was steady, unblinking. “Do that. And understand this-any sort of collaboration isn’t my decision alone.”
That caught Aiden’s attention. “You’ve lost me”
“Let me be more clear,” Cole said, his voice deliberately calm, “it also depends on Rue’s opinion.”
I saw the shift. Aiden didn’t move, didn’t flinch, but something passed over his expression-just for a second-a flicker of frustration that cracked his perfect mask.
He still looked cold, collected, every inch the Alpha he’d always been. But I knew what I was seeing. I had unsettled him.
For the first time in years, the balance between us wasn’t tilted in his favor.
And I would never-never-let it tilt back again.
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