Chapter 270 A Rejection Under Moonlight


    <b>Leslie’s </b>POV


    The air on deck froze solid. Even the waves below seemed to pause.


    Father’s hand, halfway into his pocket for a gift, stalled midair, his pinewood pheromones carrying a hint of awkwardness.


    I nced at Adler. His expression was thunderclouds, dark and dangerous.


    Still clinging to his leg, Eren piped up sweetly, “Daddy, I want to inherit


    now…”


    I pressed my lips together, struggling not tough, and studied Adler.


    your


    fortune right


    His eyes locked on his son, his inhale sharp. His tone was deep, steady–yet carried the growl of something barely leashed. “Right now?”


    Eren nodded with solemn conviction. “Only if I inherit your fortune can I be with Muse forever!”


    Adler’s eyes narrowed. His sandalwood pheromones iced over like frost.


    ““I’ll see what I can do to grant that wish sooner,” he murmured, each word ground out, Alphaposure stretched thin.


    Eren’s face lit with joy. “When?!”


    I bit down on augh.


    But Adler’s patience snapped. His gaze cut sharp as a de, pheromones dropping cold.


    He caught the back of Eren’s shirt, lifting him off the ground with effortless strength.


    The boy dangled, his fruity scent spilling panic–clearly, he hadn’t expected his father to really be angry.


    Father rushed to smooth things over. “He’s just a child–nonsense talk…”


    Adler’s face softened slightly. He dipped his head apologetically. “Alpha Lars, forgive me. I suddenly recalled urgent matters in the Pack. I’ll call tomorrow with my apologies.”


    And with that, he strode off, his son swinging in his grip.


    From midair, Eren iled, his voice high and intive. “Wait, I need to kiss Muse goodbye-!”


    I covered my mouth,ughing silently as I watched father and son retreat into the night.


    I was just turning back toward Father when Kirby’s hand mped around my wrist.


    “Don’t go. Think about what I said. Please?”


    His voice was low, weighted with something rare in him–hesitation, almost… humility. The contrast against his suffocatingly strong Alpha aura was jarring.


    Earlier, he’d spoken inly: Father wouldn’t leave my future unattended. And if it came to marriage, he wanted Father to choose him first. Power, rank, and that cursed mate–bond–no one else matched him.


    I met his eyes, loweredshes, then smiled.


    “Kirby, marriages aren’t about romance. They’re about what fits. But you?” My smile curved sharp. “No. I won’t trip over the same stone twice. Once was humiliating enough.”


    I let each word drop like shards of ice.


    “And besides… I’ve seen more of the world now. My taste has improved. What I used to like—” I lingered on the word-“is beneath me.”


    Kirby’s POV


    “Leslie!”


    The sound tore from my chest, rough, trembling.


    Her rejection stabbed straight through, wolf Lance howling inside me<i>. </i><i>She’s </i><i>pushing </i><i>you </i><i>away </i><i>again</i>.


    She paused, turned. Her lips curved, eyes cool, her pinewood pheromones steady and detached.


    She came closer, resting her slender hand on my chair, pushing me back toward the glittering hall.


    “Don’t worry. I’ll see you through recovery. I won’t forget you saved my life. But feelings?” Her voice softened with a smile. “They can’t be forced, right?”


    The hall lights spilled over us, so bright I squinted.


    I drew in a long breath, turning to her. My voice sank deep, weighted with iron. “That’s fine. I


    can wait.”


    She said nothing, only cast me a sidelong nce–dismissive, unmoved–her steps brisk and


    light, as though my words had been nothing at all.


    Lance growled in my chest. <i>Her </i><i>heart’s </i><i>harder </i><i>than </i><i>iron</i>.


    I stayed silent, my gaze locked on her back, mes burning hotter in my chest.


    I would not give her up.