The night deepened, draping the city in an icy shroud. Luna sat outside the hotel, the cold air biting through her thin pants and sweatshirt, her breath rising in visible puffs as she shivered.
She had thought the outfit would suffice for a brief outing, but now she regretted not packing warmer clothes. A sleeping bag and thick wool blanket would have made the chill more bearable, but all she had was the bone-deep cold that seeped into her bones.
She glanced down at her hands, now red from the frost, and rubbed them together in a futile attempt to generate warmth. Her gaze traveled to her thigh, which had healed from earlier injuries but now throbbed painfully, the cold exacerbating the discomfort. She winced, shifting her weight in an attempt to find a position that relieved the pressure. It felt like the night was conspiring against her.
Across the entrance, two guards stationed at the door watched her, their expressions a mix of concern and confusion. She smiled brightly at them, a defiant beacon of warmth amidst the biting air. The older guard, a mid-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair, whispered something to his partner, but she couldn't catch the words through the heavy glass door.
Suddenly, he vanished into the hotel, and before she could wonder at his absence, he returned, holding a steaming cup of coffee. As he stepped outside, he shivered, the cold air striking him with a vengeance. He approached her, curiosity etched on his face.
"How on earth are you still sitting out here?" he asked, handing her the warm cup. "It's freezing!"
Luna accepted it gratefully, the warmth radiating from the mug almost magical against her numb fingers. "It's okay," she said, forcing a cheerful tone despite her chattering teeth. "It's bearable. My husband will come back for me."
"Husband?" He raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "The guy you were with earlier? He's left you out here alone?"
She nodded, the warmth of the coffee soothing her. "He's not ruthless! He just... he's upset with me right now . I did something wrong, and he needs time to cool off. So he left home to live in hotel in anger - We live nearby "
The guard crossed his arms. "What kind of misunderstanding leads to him leaving you outside like this?"
Luna bit her lip, thinking fast. "Well, it's... complicated. I might have, um, accidentally wrecked something important to him."
"Important?" The guard leaned in, intrigued.
"Yeah, his car." She winced, hamming it up. "I mean, who knew that trying to back it out of the garage without checking for obstacles would lead to... well, crashing it into a tree. It's just a tree! But his mother—" she rolled her eyes dramatically, "—oh, she's already on my case, telling him I'm 'irresponsible' and 'bad news.' You know how mothers are." She paused, leaning in like they were co-conspirators. "So, he's mad, she's feeding the fire, and now I'm just here trying to make sure he doesn't file for divorce or something."
The guard's expression softened as he scratched his chin. "Divorce? Just because of a car accident?"
"Well, it wasn't just the car. I might have also... misplaced his mother's jewelry. It wasn't my fault! The cat knocked it over, and then the vacuum..." She trailed off, looking sheepish. "You see where this is going, right?"
The guard chuckled, shaking his head. "That's rough. Still, he shouldn't leave you out here. It's too cold for this. You should head inside or go home and come back in the morning."
Luna waved it off, flashing a bright smile. "Oh, no! I have to wait. If I don't stay, he'll think I'm not taking this seriously. His mother's already convinced I'm a menace—if I disappear now, she'll make sure he's even angrier by sunrise."
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HEARTS OF DIVINE RUIN (The MoonGoddess and The AlphaKing)
WerewolfBANTER "Damn right, I'm pretty," Luna said with a confident smirk. Her mischievous pride faltered at his response. "I said petty," Alexander's voice was cold but amused, arms crossed over his chest. Her smile sharpened, daring, as she leaned into th...
