The Alpha's Untamed Luna

Charlotte's POV

"We have a lot in common in that case," he let out softly, turning his head to look at me. His eyes locked onto mine, and for a brief second, the entire world seemed to pause. There was something in the way he looked at me—something that told me he truly understood my pain, not just heard it.

"You think so?" I asked, my voice lower than before, almost as if I didn't want to disrupt the quiet moment between us. He nodded slowly, a faint smile playing at his lips. Without another word, he gently led us toward a wooden bench by the edge of the lake, the peaceful ripple of the water drawing us in like a warm embrace.

"That's the same with me," he said, his voice thoughtful, even distant. He helped me sit on the bench first, his hand briefly brushing my back before he sat beside me. His presence was calm and familiar—safe in a way I hadn't felt in a long time.

"She was the first lady I ever dated," he began, his eyes fixed on the lake as though it held all the answers he had been searching for. "I loved her, I cherished her… I invested my time and resources in her. But then…" He paused, shaking his head as if the memory still stung freshly.

"Because she knew every single thing about me," he continued, his jaw tightening, "she went behind my back and told my boss that I was about to open my own business. He fired me… and hired her instead."

My lips parted in shock. I could barely believe what I was hearing.

"I didn't put much into that," he added quickly, like someone who'd trained himself not to dwell on betrayal. "But after a while, she had the audacity to give me an invitation card… for her wedding—with my boss."

I widened my eyes in disbelief. I could feel my chest tightening at the thought. Some people were just so cruel.

"While still in a relationship with you… and under your roof, she was forming a solid relationship with your former boss?" I asked, barely able to keep the disgust from my voice. He smiled weakly, the corners of his mouth trembling slightly before he nodded and turned his eyes back to the lake.

"Yes. After giving me the card, she didn't even give me a chance to question her behavior. She packed her things and left my house—without a word. She didn't even tell me where I went wrong. To me, I did everything I could. I tried my best to make her happy… I just… I don't know where I failed."

His voice cracked faintly at the end, and I watched him go still. He was lost in that memory, and the bitterness was written all over his face. It was in the way he stared at the water—blank but hurting.

"That's so unfair," I said, softly. I didn't even know the right words to say. No sentence could erase that kind of pain.

"I was hospitalized after that incident," he said after a while, his tone so hollow it chilled me. "I spent months in the hospital. My parents came and took me back home. I stayed with them for six months… before I came back to my senses. It was a horrible, horrible episode of my life."

He inhaled deeply, forcing a little laughter that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Right now, I'm just so afraid of having anything to do with a lady again. To be honest… I'm afraid of women."

I felt a pang in my chest. "I understand you really well. At least you had people who stood by you during that period of your life," I said gently. He nodded, then suddenly turned to face me, his brows knitting together slightly like he had just picked up on something buried in my voice.

"What do you mean by that? You still got your parents, right?" he asked, his concern clear.

I smiled faintly and nodded. "I don't know about my father… but I have a mother. A mother who would rather step on me than disobey her husband."

I swallowed hard, the words like bitter fruit on my tongue. I picked up a small pebble and tossed it into the lake, watching it skip once, twice, then sink.

"As a child, I once didn't have a father. Then all of a sudden, I did. That was the biggest blessing I received at the time. But after a year, my father changed towards me. When he got his first child, I became a second-class citizen in his eyes."

I let out a bitter smirk and bent to pick another pebble, tossing it absently into the lake. The splash echoed slightly, breaking the stillness.

"I decided to fight my way into his heart. I did everything I could to please him—to make him recognize me as his daughter again. But it was all in vain. Then one day, he looked me in the eyes and said I was only the Alpha's daughter by chance."

My chest tightened, the words still feeling fresh despite how many years had passed. "After that very day, I learned to stop proving anything to him. But… there's still that part of me that involuntarily wants to prove to people that I'm good—that my background doesn't define me. That I am better than the world says I am."

My voice quivered slightly as I continued. "I didn't have time to fall in love. I realized early that if I wanted anything in this world, I had to push through and take it myself. I fought to become the Commander of the Lotus Pack's armies. I nearly died that day. But what kept me going wasn't pride—it was the desire to make a name for myself. I would rather be called the chief of the army than a bastard."

I paused and looked at JK. He said nothing. And I appreciated that more than anything else at that moment. His silence was comforting.

"My father's bitter words helped me fight through the toughest times of my life—those moments when I could've just given up. I needed to prove him wrong. I can't be what he says I am."

I took a shaky breath and looked down at my hands. "He would hit my mom whenever I disobeyed his orders. And he had the audacity to threaten me—he'd say he'd lock his wife in the dungeon if I didn't obey. And when I dared disobey… he really would. He made me watch the dungeon soldiers beat her. That's the kind of life I faced."

I stopped there, afraid that if I said one more word, I'd collapse under the weight of it all. I didn't want to cry. Not here. Not now.

"Come here," he said gently, his voice like a balm to a raw wound. He reached out and pulled me into a warm hug, one that wasn't just made of arms but of unspoken promises. It wrapped around me like safety. Like understanding. It didn't require explanation. It didn't need words. It said everything it needed to say through the comfort it offered.

For a moment, I melted into it. I closed my eyes and let myself feel something I hadn't in a long time—peace.

Just when I was melting into the hug, I felt JK's arms forcefully unwrapped from my body. I snapped my eyes open immediately and saw him panting on the floor.

"What!" I was about to run towards him when I felt a hand drag me backwards.

"Don't you dare."