The Alpha King's Virgin Luna

Claire's POV

He was coming back today.

The moment I heard the news, my heart wouldn’t stop pounding.

My mate. My Alpha. Damian was finally returning from the war.

The entire pack was alive with whispers of warriors arriving after months of bloodshed. But I didn’t care about them. I only cared about him.

I had waited for him through every long, lonely night, letting desperation carve itself into my bones. I counted every moon, sat at our favorite spot beneath the sycamore tree, and clung to every memory like it was air.

I missed him. His voice. His breath on my skin. I missed us.

Tonight, I would finally give myself to him.

I knew I’d held back before—shy, unsure, afraid. But not anymore. I was ready.

The room was soft with candlelight, the flames casting gold across the silk sheets I’d chosen just for him. Jasmine and rose water lingered in the air, curling around me like a promise.

I stood before the mirror in a white nightgown, nearly transparent. The satin clung to my hips, my back bare, skin glowing. He always loved to look at me like this.

I smiled to myself. No more hesitation. No more fear. Tonight, I would be his in every way.

I rubbed scented oil into my thighs, letting the warmth of the moment settle into my skin.

Then, the door creaked open.

My heart leapt as I turned, breath caught in my throat, eyes locking with Damian’s.

He looked taller and more handsome but covered in blood and battle grime. His silver eyes dimmed with something unreadable.

I threw myself into his arms without thinking. “Damian!”

He caught me, but he didn’t hold me as I expected—not the way he used to hold me tightly and sink his nose into my neck.

His arms didn’t wrap around me tightly. His body didn’t relax into mine. He stiffened.

Like a stranger.

I stepped back slowly, a little frown etched in my brow. “What’s wrong?”

His jaw was clenched, eyes darting around the room before settling cold and distant on me.

“There’s something we need to talk about,” he said in a low voice.

My smile returned; it must be the details of how the battle went. But that could be discussed tomorrow. This night should be for us alone.

“Come on, Damian, we will talk about that tomorrow.” I stepped into his arms again, kissing his eyes, down to his neck, and then back to his lips—when he jerked me off him.

A strange chill went down my spine as I stumbled back. Was it that serious? I swallowed slowly and folded my arms, suddenly self-conscious in my nightwear.

“Talk about what?”

“Claire,” he said, voice steady, “Evelyn will be joining the pack. Not as a subordinate. As my equal.”

I blinked once, slowly. “Evelyn… the warrior she-wolf?”

His jaw twitched. “Yes.”

“She’s to be your second mate?”

“She will stand beside me. As Luna. She has earned that.”

A bitter taste coated my tongue. “So you’ve chosen to reject me then?” I asked, though my voice remained calm. “Or are you hoping I will do dirty work for you?”

Damian’s gaze hardened. “I didn’t say I was rejecting you. You’re still my mate. But Evelyn and I… what we have is not something I can walk away from. It started on the battlefield. We bled together. Fought for survival. The bond between us runs deep.”

I swallowed hard. “And the bond between you and me? What is that to you now?”

He looked away. What a coward.

“You promised me,” I reminded him, a bitter laugh escaping. “Right before you left for war. You held me close, your hands still warm from the claiming, and said, ‘I will never take another. You are all I need.’”

“That was before I understood what I wanted,” he defended, and my heart felt like a huge blow had landed on it.

“When I chose you,” he continued, “I thought I needed peace. A Luna who would care for the pack, be steady… safe. But Evelyn… she wakes something in me; she makes me feel alive.”

His voice softened as he spoke of her. My heart cracked in slow, splintering silence.

“Is she here?”

“Yes, in her quarters.”

“Then I would like to speak to her.”

“No!” His tone shifted instantly.

I raised an eyebrow. “Why not? Afraid she won’t like me?”

“She is a warrior, Claire. She doesn’t play nice. She’s not like the other women you know.”

I smiled coldly. “And what kind of woman do you think I am, Damian?”

“Did you forget that my six brothers and father died on the southern border defending this pack? I wasn’t raised to be delicate. I was raised to survive.”

He gulped slowly as regret flashed in his eyes but disappeared in seconds.

“Still,” he said. “Evelyn might say things you don’t want to hear. She’s not interested in your approval.”

I stepped closer until we were nearly touching, chin lifted, my voice tightened with pain.

“That’s right,” I said with a sly smile. “If she says something I don’t like, I will pretend I didn’t hear. After all, that’s what a real Luna does, isn’t it?”