HEARTS OF DIVINE RUIN (The MoonGoddess and The AlphaKing)

Chapter 26 : A Tempting Darkness

The air thickened with a sense of foreboding as the car continued down the winding path, and Luna felt her heart constrict painfully. They were close now—so close she could almost feel it in her bones. A dark unease settled between them, mingling with the anxiety that had lingered unspoken since morning. The realization hit them both at once as they exchanged a brief, tense look. They were near their destination: Davina and Lucifer's place.

The sky outside had shifted from the warm hues of sunset to the deep indigo of night. Stars were nowhere to be seen, shrouded by an ever-growing fog that seemed to seep from the very earth, twisting and coiling around their car like ethereal fingers. The road was quickly becoming invisible, swallowed by the thick mist that stretched out endlessly in every direction, making it almost impossible to see anything beyond a few feet.

Luna leaned forward slightly, squinting through the windshield, but there was nothing to see except the oppressive white veil that smothered the road. She glanced at Alex, his face set in tense concentration as he guided the car slowly through the dense fog. Her heart clenched painfully as the sinking weight of inevitability settled over her. 

Their journey was almost over. 

And then, as if responding to their unspoken dread, the car came to a sudden, shuddering stop.

"What the—?" Alex muttered, his voice tight with tension. He twisted the key, but the engine refused to respond. There was no sputter, no hum—just silence. He cursed softly under his breath, throwing a wary glance outside. The fog seemed to pulse, almost as if it were alive, shimmering faintly in the darkness.

Luna's heart sank. "We're here."

"Stay inside ," he ordered, his voice low but firm as he reached for the door handle. The words left no room for argument, but Luna, already unbuckling her seatbelt, ignored him.

"Alex, I—"

"No, Luna. I'm serious," he interrupted sharply, giving her a hard look. "I'll check it out. Just... stay put." Without waiting for a response, he pushed open the door and stepped out into the swirling mist.

Luna watched him for a moment, her mind churning. Stay in the car? Like hell. Without a second thought, she slipped out after him, ignoring the way the damp chill of the fog clung to her skin. Alex turned sharply, his eyes narrowing in question.

"What part of 'stay in the car' didn't you understand?" he growled, his voice a rough whisper.

Luna lifted a brow, a wry smile tugging at her lips. "Oh, I understood perfectly. I just didn't care."

He glared at her, jaw clenched, but she could see the flash of something else in his eyes—something deeper, more conflicted. A muscle ticked in his cheek as he struggled for control, and for a heartbeat. Despite the tense situation between them, Luna didnt wanted their farewell to be on bad terms , So she pushed her resentment , anger aside and masking a smile - she felt the urge to tease him, to say something that would shatter this tense silence between them

But when she spoke, her voice was softer, laced with an unspoken farewell. "Besides, if this is the last time I get to ignore your orders, I might as well make it count."

His expression tightened, the words hitting him harder than she'd expected. He opened his mouth, as if to argue, but then his gaze shifted past her, into the darkness beyond, and his eyes widened.

"Luna, get back—"

Before she could react, the fog seemed to thicken, a cold, suffocating presence wrapping around them. And then, faint at first, a whisper drifted through the air.

"What are you hiding from him, Luna?"

The voice was soft, seductive, and unmistakably male. Luna stiffened, her eyes widening as she glanced around wildly. But there was no one there. Just the fog, whispering around them like a living thing.