Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 46: Confrontation

Chapter 46: Confrontation

LUCIAN’S P.O.V.

I stood in front of the mirror, taking a slow, measured breath. My fingers moved to straighten my collar, my movements tense, deliberate. I must have adjusted it three times already, but it still didn’t feel right. My reflection stared back at me—a man hardened by countless battles, but the eyes... they were different tonight. Restless. Haunted. Facing enemies was second nature to me, but today was different. Today, I’d be facing Luke, Teresa’s brother, and that thought gnawed at me like a wolf locked in a cage.

"About time," Ares rumbled in my mind, his tone accusing and cutting. "Luke should’ve been the first person you went to when Teresa disappeared. You know that, don’t you?"

My jaw clenched, and I forced myself not to look away from the mirror, though it was my own reflection I despised at that moment. "Don’t you think I know that?" I muttered, more to myself than to him. "But after everything I did... after how I hurt her... I couldn’t just show up there like nothing happened. I was a wreck, Ares. I could barely keep control of my shifting. What if on my visit he snapped at me, and I lost it? If I hurt him..." I swallowed hard. "Teresa wouldn’t have forgiven me. I wouldn’t have forgiven myself."

Ares softened slightly, his judgment giving way to something almost like understanding. "I get it, Lucian. But this is something we need to face, no more running. Take whatever he throws at us. Even if it means a beating. We deserve it."

I nodded slowly, the weight of his words settling on me. "Yeah," I murmured. "We do."

I pushed away from the mirror and headed for the door, linking with Rylan as I made my way downstairs. "Take care of things while I’m gone. I’m going to see Teresa’s brother."

Rylan’s reply came instantly, almost as if he’d been waiting for this. "Good luck, Alpha. You’re going to need it."

Just as I stepped out the front door, a familiar voice filled my mind. "Lucian... wait. It was Juliette, her tone laced with hesitation and guilt. Let me come with you. I... I need to apologize too. To Luke."

I stopped, the memory of how I’d ordered her to distance herself from Teresa slicing through me. At the time, I’d thought it was for the best. Now I knew better. Teresa was gone, and all we had left were regrets.

"Alright," I said, sighing into the silence as I looked at the driveway. "Meet me by the car."

A few moments later, Juliette appeared, her face set in tense lines, her fingers twitching with nervous energy. We climbed into the car, and the drive was suffocatingly silent. Words hung between us, heavy and unsaid, but neither of us spoke. Guilt weighed us down enough as it was.

When we pulled up in front of Luke’s bakery, my heart hammered like it was trying to break free from my chest. I glanced over at Juliette. She looked as unnerved as I felt, her hands twisting in her lap. I offered her a small, tight nod.

"Let’s get this over with," I muttered, forcing myself out of the car and straightening up. As we stepped inside, the bakery’s door chimed, drawing Luke’s gaze from behind the counter. His eyes locked onto mine, first wide with shock, then narrowing into a glare cold enough to chill my blood.

"You’re not welcome here. Either of you," he spat, his voice carrying a venom that made a few customers glance our way.

I raised my hands in a silent plea, trying to keep my voice steady. "Luke, please. Just hear us out."

"Hear you out?" He laughed—a sharp, bitter sound that held no humor. His words cut like a knife. "You think you can just show up and ask me to listen? After everything? Do you know how many times I’ve stared at your picture wishing I could punch you? Don’t make me lose it, just leave!" His voice grew louder, causing customers to stare with open curiosity and concern.

Juliette stepped forward, her voice breaking slightly as she pleaded, "Luke, we’re so sorry. Please, just give us a chance to explain."

An elderly woman shuffled out from the back, her eyes filled with worry as she took in the tense scene. She placed a gentle hand on Luke’s arm, speaking softly, "Luke, please... maybe take them out back? You’re scaring the customers."

Luke’s jaw clenched, his glare like fire. He jerked his head toward the back door, then stomped off without another word. My pulse quickened as I followed, bracing myself for what was to come.

The second we stepped outside, he turned on me, his fist flying faster than I could react. Pain exploded in my jaw as his punch landed, raw and unfiltered. I didn’t flinch—I’d expected it. I welcomed it. The sting was nothing compared to the guilt that tore at me from within.

Luke shook his hand, wincing slightly from the impact, but his brown eyes that were an exact replica of Teresa’s were blazing, his voice quivering with fury. "Do you even understand, Lucian?" he demanded, his voice cracking. "Do you have any idea what it’s been like? My sister—my sister—vanished, and it’s because of you! You pushed her away. You hurt her! She was pure... she didn’t deserve any of this. How could you hate someone like her?"

My throat tightened, and I struggled to find my voice. "I don’t hate Teresa," I rasped. "I was scared, Luke. She made me feel things I couldn’t handle. I pushed her away because...I was stupid and didn’t know how to handle it."

For a fleeting moment, a look of something like understanding flickered across his face, but it was gone just as quickly, replaced by a scoff full of disdain. "Right. Scared. You’re so full of shit, Lucian." His words dripped with anger. "She overheard you telling your secretary that you never wanted to hear her name again. That you wanted nothing to do with her. Some feelings that turned out to be."

"What?" I blinked, feeling like he’d just doused me in ice water. "Luke, I never said that. I swear."

"Liar." Luke’s voice was low, his fists clenched again. "Teresa told me herself. She was there. She heard you say it! And the Teresa I know is not a liar!"

I searched my memory, thinking back to the day Kenneth mentioned Teresa had come by. That had been the same day that meddling elder had barged into my office and said... something stupid about Teresa. I’d snapped at him, ordered him to never say her name again. But that wasn’t-

"I wasn’t talking to Kenneth," I managed, my voice barely a whisper. "I was... it was someone else. Someone who had insulted her. Teresa must’ve misunderstood."

Luke’s anger wavered, confusion flickering in his eyes, but then he hardened again. "Fine. Even if that’s true, she needed someone when those–when our stepsisters and stepmother were bullying her. And you," he turned on Juliette, "you were nowhere to be found. All that talk you said when you both visited, talk of ’I’ll always protect you,’ and you left her to fend for herself. She needed a friend!"

Juliette’s face crumpled, her voice breaking. "I’m so sorry, Luke. I-"

Luke cut her off, venom in his voice. "Don’t. And don’t act like you didn’t know. Even when she found out she was-" He paused, clamping his mouth shut.

My ears perked at the unfinished sentence. "What, Luke? What did Teresa find out?"

He shot me a look so scathing, I could almost feel it cutting into me. "Nothing," he bit out. "Now, leave. And don’t come back. I’m saving up every cent, and I’ll pay back everything you ever gave us, Lucian. We don’t want anything from you."

"Luke, you don’t have to," I said, my voice rough with emotion. "I did it because I cared about her."

He shook his head, turning his back on us. "If you cared for her like you claim, you wouldn’t have sent her away so harshly. I’ll pay you back. Every cent."

And with that, he stormed back inside, slamming the door behind him. Juliette’s shoulders shook with silent sobs, and I wrapped my arm around her, guilt gnawing at me. "I’m sorry, Juliette. This... all of this is because of me."

Ares was silent for a moment before speaking, his voice troubled. "Something’s not right, Lucian. If it were just her family or the words she heard at the office and misunderstood, Teresa would’ve stayed. But for her to leave without telling Luke? the person she loves most. There’s more to this, something bigger."

I listened, feeling a sense of dread settle in, but my resolve was even stronger. The pieces felt so close, like I could almost grasp the reason she left, but it remained just out of reach. Whatever it was, it must’ve been powerful enough to drive her away from everything she cared about.

I turned to Juliette, locking eyes with her, and the weight of determination settled over me, overpowering the regret that had threatened to consume me. "I don’t care what it takes, Juliette. I’m going to find her. And when I do, I’ll bring her back. I’ll fix this Juliette, I swear by the goddess."

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