HEARTS OF DIVINE RUIN (The MoonGoddess and The AlphaKing)

Chapter 25 : Veiled Vulnerabilities

The morning sunlight streamed through the car's windshield, casting a soft golden hue over everything inside. Neither of them spoke anything since last night confrontation, and the silence stretched out, fragile and delicate, like a thin thread that might snap if either dared to utter a word. Luna's gaze flickered sideways now and then, tracing the lines of Alex's profile, watching the way the light fell on his face.

Despite the exhaustion etched into his features, there was something achingly beautiful about him. His normally sharp grey eyes were rimmed with red, tired and haunted, yet still carrying a glimmer of intensity that refused to dim. Strands of his midnight hair—usually perfectly in place—were now a tousled mess, spilling across his forehead and falling haphazardly over his brow. Yet even in disarray, it only seemed to add to his allure, giving him a rugged, untamed look that made her breath hitch for reasons she didn't want to acknowledge.

His jaw was set, a stubborn line beneath the shadow of faint stubble that only highlighted the strong contours of his face. His high cheekbones and straight nose gave him a regal, almost fierce appearance, but it was softened by the vulnerability lingering in the curve of his lips, the tension in his brow. She noticed his hands gripping the steering wheel, knuckles pale, as if the mere act of driving required all of his focus to keep himself steady.

Luna's eyes drifted away reluctantly, catching a glimpse of herself in the side mirror. Her silver hair, usually a shimmering cascade of moonlit strands, was pulled into a messy bun at the nape of her neck, a few loose tendrils framing her face. Here and there, smudges of dried mud clung stubbornly to her skin, a physical reminder of everything that had transpired the night before. It was real. Every broken moment, every tear, every whispered word. She rubbed at one of the marks absently, feeling the weight of unspoken emotions settling over them like a heavy blanket.

Her mind wandered, slipping back to that fateful night in front of the hotel—the stranger in the shadows. Could it have been Alex? Her heart skipped a beat at the thought, confusion swirling inside her chest. Why would he have been there, watching her, only to turn into the very person who helped her?

She bit her lip, hesitating. Then, almost against her will, the question spilled out, shattering the silence.

"I understand... why you're angry with me," she murmured quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "But if you hated me so much, why did you agree to my request when you could leave me knowing very well if you had left i as a human couldn't have followed you ? Why sneak up on me... from the shadows ?" Her eyes remained on him, searching his face for any sign of understanding.

Alex's hands tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles white as bone. He glanced at her briefly, his expression torn between confusion and something darker, something she couldn't quite name. For a moment, it seemed like he wouldn't answer her at all, the tension between them crackling like a live wire.

But then he shifted slightly, his jaw working as if wrestling with the right words. "I—" he began, then stopped, shaking his head. "I don't—" He faltered again, his gaze darting towards her and then away, as if he couldn't bear to look at her directly.

"Were you... that stranger that night ?" she asked softly, her tone cautious yet insistent. "The one who were sneaking on me from shadows ?" The question seemed to hang in the air, sharp and heavy, as if the very universe was holding its breath.

The reaction was immediate. Alex's foot slammed down on the brake, the car lurching to a sudden halt in the middle of the empty road. Luna was jerked forward, her heart pounding wildly as she turned to him, eyes wide.

Alex stared at her, shock and something akin to panic flickering in his stormy gaze. "Don't—don't say that," he rasped, his voice low and strained. He was breathing hard, as if she had struck him physically. "I did once, Luna. I did hated you— But... I don't anymore." His gaze dropped, his cheeks flushed, and to her surprise, his ears turned a deep shade of red.

For a long, agonizing moment, neither of them moved. Then, slowly, he shook his head, letting out a rough breath. "No," he said finally, his voice quieter, steadier. "It wasn't me. I wasn't... there that night. why would i sneak up on you from shadows to only save you at the end ?"

Luna's brow furrowed, confusion and disbelief warring in her eyes. "But—"

"I wasn't," he interrupted softly, lifting a hand as if to stop her words. His expression was a mixture of regret and something else—something raw and painful. "I... I was already on the wrong side that wedding day . I didn't know what was going to happen . I was... dragged into that room with the others."

His voice dropped lower, almost a whisper. "When I saw you, all I wanted was to ask why. Why did you turn your back on your people, Luna? Why did you ignore their pleas? As gods, we were supposed to listen to their prayers and bring justice. But you... you stayed silent." He swallowed hard, his gaze distant, as if reliving that night all over again. "And somehow, it all... it all spiraled out of control. I was angry at you ? Yes but I didn't want... I didn't want that. Not for you."

He closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly. "When I saw you in the town again, alive... I was—" He stopped himself abruptly, his lips pressing into a thin line. His gaze flickered to hers, then away again, and she could see the struggle in his eyes, the war between what he wanted to say and what he was willing to admit.

"I was relieved," he finished softly. "So relieved that I didn't want to leave your side. I couldn't—"

He broke off again, his frustration palpable. His fingers twitched on the steering wheel, his jaw clenched tight. "I never wanted to hurt you, Luna. Not again. All I wanted was to protect you since that day ."

Silence fell between them, thick and suffocating. Luna stared at him, her mind racing. She had asked for answers, but his confession left her more confused than ever. She could feel the sincerity in his voice, could see it in the way he refused to meet her gaze, as if afraid of what she might see in his eyes. And yet...

"Then why did you leave my side?" she whispered, the words escaping before she could stop them.

Alex stiffened, his shoulders going rigid. His gaze remained fixed on the windshield, and for a long time, he said nothing. But in the silence, Luna could almost hear his unspoken answer, could feel it in the way his breath hitched, the way his grip tightened on the wheel.

I didn't deserve to stay.

The realization hit her like a punch to the gut, stealing the air from her lungs. She looked away, her own emotions a tangled mess. Neither of them spoke as Alex started the car again, easing it back onto the road with a careful, almost mechanical precision.

The miles stretched out before them, empty and endless, and for a while, the only sound was the hum of the engine and the soft whisper of the wind through the open windows. But the silence between them was no longer suffocating. It was... different. Tentative. Fragile.

Maybe, she thought, as she watched the sunlight play over his face, they were both still lost, still broken. But for the first time, in that fragile, dawning silence, it felt like they were no longer lost alone.

And that, she realized with a pang of something she couldn't quite name, was a start.