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#Chapter 56: A Dance in the Shadows
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 57: Sweet Disarray
“Let’s dance,” he said.Nathan held his hand out to me with a smile on his face, but there was something performative about it that made my chest ache more than it already was.But I knew why he was doing it; we had to do this. We had to put on a good show, because people were doubting our relationship. Not only was Nathan’s place on the Alpha Council at risk, but so was my reputation.We were already in this too deep, and I didn’t want it to be known that I had let my childhood best friend use me for social advancement. I also didn’t want anyone to ever find out the horrible truth about my baby’s real father.“Come on, Olivia.” He held his hand out a little further, urging me to take it.And so, with an equally performative smile, I took Nathan’s hand and let him lead me over to the dancefloor.As we approached, some of the other guests moved out of our way and looked at us in shock. I felt the weight of everyone’s gaze on me, their “Luna”.Nathan put one hand around my waist, holdin
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 58: Whispers in the Garden
“I hope it’s a girl.”Nathan's puzzled expression lingered for a painstaking few moments, right after I unexpectedly revealed my hopes for the future. I felt my chest surge with fear, as though somehow revealing the fact that I wanted a baby girl would somehow push him further away.“Huh?” he finally uttered, clearly caught off guard by my candid response.I took a deep breath, meeting his gaze with unwavering sincerity. “Yesterday, you asked what I was hoping for,” I clarified. “And I'm hoping for a girl, although I'd take either. I just want a healthy and happy child.”There was a long silence between us. I felt my heart pounding inside of my chest, aching, asking me why I suddenly felt the need to be so candid with Nathan.Truthfully, however, I didn’t have an answer to that question. Looking at Nathan standing there in front of me, with his jacket slung over his shoulder and his sleeves rolled up and his forehead coated with a thin layer of sweat, just suddenly made me want to ope
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 59: Beneath the Surface
The sound of silverware being tapped loudly against the sides of glasses floated across the air to us.“Come on,” Nathan said, with an oddly relieved expression on his face. “We have to go inside now. My dad’s supposed to give a speech.”Before I could even speak, Nathan turned on his heel and headed inside. With a sigh, I followed in his footsteps, my heart aching for the words that kept going unsaid between us.Our best friend, the missing piece to our puzzle, was sitting all alone in his dark house, and Nathan seemed to have no desire to try and talk to him. He kept saying that it was dangerous, that Alvin was different… But I didn’t believe him.Surely, if we both went to Alvin’s house and tried to talk to him, he would open up to us. Maybe together we could get to the bottom of what was going on with him, and we could help him. But it wouldn’t work if Nathan kept refusing to even try to help his friend.As we walked back into the banquet hall, the clinking of silverware and the h
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 60: Whispering Woods
“Just quit complaining and walk with me,” Nathan said with a mischievous look in his eyes. “I want to show you something.”My childhood friend’s voice was laced with a tinge of mischief that I couldn’t resist. Finally, rolling my eyes, I picked up my skirt and followed him as he walked toward the woods that were lining the side of the road.Nathan walked right into the woods, but I stopped by the edge and took a few moments to peer in.There was a thin trail that led into the woods, but it appeared muddy and bumpy and not at all suited for an elegant gown and heels.I imagined how disdainful it would be to ruin the dress that I was wearing, which would make it two in a row that I had ruined.“Nathan, I’m in high heels,” I complained, looking down at my feet. “I can’t walk in there. And I’ll ruin my dress. I don’t want to ruin another one.”Nathan stopped and walked back to me with a smirk on his face.“Come on, Liv,” Nathan begged, employing my seldom-used nickname, most likely because
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 61: Rainy Reflections
“You don’t remember?” Nathan asked.As we stood by the pond, I furrowed my brow, trying to recall how I knew this place. I knew that it was familiar, but I didn’t remember much else about it.Nathan, always quick to tease, noticed my expression and couldn't resist poking fun at me.“What's the matter, Olivia? You really can’t remember?” he said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.I rolled my eyes playfully and sighed. “Give me a break, Nathan. It’s been over a decade since I last saw this town, and probably even longer since I saw this place.”He chuckled and nudged me gently. “Well, maybe this will jog your memory. We used to come here all the time when we were kids, remember? We'd catch tadpoles and pretend we were explorers.”Suddenly, it all came rushing back to me. My eyes widened. “I remember now!” I exclaimed, grinning. “Those days were so much fun.”The pond, once teeming with life, now looked deserted and chilly due to the cold weather. The water was too cold for t
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 62: A Sip of Soup and Suspicion
It was only a few days after the luncheon that the morning sickness finally began. For weeks, I woke up every morning feeling incredibly ill. The relentless waves of nausea left me unable to eat anything, and I worried about the well-being of my baby.Nathan kept insisting that I go to the doctor, but I refused every time.“It’s just morning sickness,” I would tell him as I was wiping the sweat from my forehead. “It’ll pass. I read online that it kicks in right about now and can last for a while.”“Yeah, but you should still get checked out,” Nathan insisted. “You look like you’ve lost weight. I’m getting worried about you and the baby.”I had been trying harder to hold my tongue when it came to matters involving the baby, as my previous coldness surrounding Nathan not being the father only hurt him, and I was tired of arguing.Finally, I told Nathan that I would go by the end of the week if the morning sickness didn’t improve at all.It was Friday morning, and I was lying on the couc
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 63: Anxiety, Relief, and Unexpected Comfort
I was deep in slumber, right in the middle of a dream, when the sound of Olivia's distressed voice shattered the peacefulness of the night.“Nathan!” she cried, pounding on the door frantically. “Please, I need your help. Something’s not right.”Her cries for help jolted me awake, and without a second thought, I leaped out of bed and rushed to the door.Panic filled my chest as I opened it to find Olivia standing there, tears streaming down her face. She looked pale and weak, and was shaking and wavering as she stood in front of me."Olivia, what's wrong? What happened?" I asked, my voice trembling with worry.She could barely catch her breath as she explained through sobs, "Nathan, it hurts so much and I can’t stop throwing up. Something's wrong. We need to go to the hospital…"Suddenly, Olivia’s legs seemed to give out. She lurched forward, and I managed to grab her just in time. Her body felt weak and clammy in my arms, and without a second thought, I scooped her up and carried her
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 64: Reassurance
I stood there outside Nathan’s room, feeling myself waver in front of him. I remembered pitching forward and being caught by his strong arms. I remembered him carrying me down to the car as though I weighed nothing, and I remembered his hand holding mine as he drove me to the emergency room.After that, a sudden fever took over me and I became too delirious to consciously remember anything.When I came back to my senses, there was an IV in my arm, two nurses and a doctor standing around me with concerned looks on their faces, and Nathan was nowhere to be found.The sterile hospital room enveloped me, a stark reminder of my vulnerability.“N-Nathan?” I mumbled, looking around confusedly.“He’s in the waiting room,” one of the nurses, a gentle older man, said as his face came into view. “You can see him once we’ve run some tests.”I nodded slowly, but I couldn’t deny the fact that there was anxiety coursing through my veins. In my semi-delirious state, I didn’t just want Nathan by my si
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Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 568: True Vows
OliviaI gripped the edges of the podium, my knuckles whitening from the strain as I stared out over the sea of faces. All eyes were trained squarely on me, awaiting my words. But I was frozen.A tremor of nausea wormed its way up my throat as I stared out at them. What was I thinking—how could I have ever agreed to this? Speaking to crowds had never been my forte; that was Nathan’s arena, not mine. I was just the woman behind the scenes, the young mom who had never gone to college, the one who had been handed her job by her husband…Suddenly, a flicker of motion off to the side caught my eye—Nathan, standing just at the edge of the stage with his arms folded across his chest. Even from this distance, I could feel the weight of his steady gaze, that piercing Alpha stare that always seemed to see straight into the depths of my soul.He must have sensed my faltering because, slowly, deliberately, he offered me the faintest of smiles and a single, reassuring nod.And just like that, the
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 567: True Luna
Olivia I looped my arm through Nathan’s as we stepped down from the podium, the applause from the crowd and the flashing of cameras having finally subsided after what felt like an eternity. “It’s over,” Nathan beamed, giving my arm a squeeze. “That wasn’t so bad.” I couldn’t help but grin back at him. “No, it wasn’t. You were great up there.” And he really had been great; the press conference had been an overwhelming success—any lingering doubts or trepidation we had harbored before had been utterly blown away by the sheer force of the crowd’s enthusiastic response. For so long, it had felt like we were fighting this battle alone, like the victims who had suffered under Dan’s horrific operation were little more than nameless, faceless casualties. But today, we had finally given them a voice. Their stories had reached the masses, had resonated and struck a chord with everyone who watched. Nathan had handled all of the questions that were thrown his way with poise and ease
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 566: Vignettes
OliviaI rapped my knuckles lightly on the door to Nathan’s office. A moment later, his voice called out, “Come in.”Stepping into the room, I placed my hands on my hips upon seeing the scene in front of me: Nathan was standing in front of the mirror, his shirt still untucked and his tie loosened. His desk was a mess of papers and folders, and it was clear that he had been checking over his notes last-minute before the press conference.
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 565: By Your Side
OliviaI wiped a bead of sweat from my brow, slowly turning to survey the progress that had been made in the park. The banners we had hung were a bold purple color, signifying our support of the women who had been affected by the trafficking ring.I couldn’t help but smile a bit as I looked at our progress. With the press conference today, followed by a festival to help raise funds for the shelter we were building, the park was bustling with activity as our pack members worked hard
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 564: One Step
NathanI leaned back in my chair with a weary sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose in a futile attempt to stave off the encroaching headache. Spread out on my desk was an array of file folders, legal pads scrawled with notes, and printed transcripts—a minefield of information that would need to be carefully navigated on the day of the upcoming press conference.It had been two weeks since Dan and Montgomery’s bodies were found in the confinement pit, and it had been a dizzyin
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 563: The End of an Era
OliviaMy hands shook uncontrollably as I stepped up to the edge of the pit, clutching the metal grating until my knuckles turned white. A thick, cloying stench wafted up from the darkness below—the unmistakable reek of death and decay.Despite the waves of nausea already roiling in my gut, I leaned forward for a closer look.
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 562: The Rise & The Fall
OliviaThe air coming through the open windows smelled like the fresh sea breeze as we made our way from room to room, touring every nook and cranny of the newly completed cottage. It was perfect—cozy and quaint, while still boasting all the modern amenities one could want. But more than that, it was a sanctuary, a haven.A fresh start.
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 561: Spring Air
OliviaThe sound of power tools outside streamed in through the window while I folded the laundry, a distant backdrop to my swirling thoughts. I had grown used to the sound, and actually kind of enjoyed it. It was a reminder that life went on, that our family was growing.It had been a couple of weeks since I had made the decision to take a temporary leave from work in order to really focus on my family—on rebuilding that long-severed bond with my mother—and I was glad I did.
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 560: Rage
NathanI couldn’t stop the rage from simmering just beneath the surface as I made my way through the darkened forest toward the confinement pit. No one knew I was here—I was coming under the cover of night, my hair and face concealed by a hood.But I had to come. I couldn’t stop thinking about Dan and Montgomery, and I needed to see them.
