Chapter 114

Ava

“You two aren’t romantically involved?” Elder Elise’s gaze slid back and forth between us, clearly not believing Chris’s statement. I sat utterly frozen in my chair, wondering where Chris was going with this.

Chris merely shook his head. “No. We’re not,” he explained. “You can thank that picture on the paparazzi—they’re like vultures.”

“But you’re clearly kissing in the photograph,” Elder Bradley said as he slid the picture—which had been printed out—across the table.

“Yes, we were. But it’s not what you would think,” Chris retorted calmly.

The Elders exchanged wary glances before Elise gestured for him to continue.

“You see,” Chris continued, his voice smooth, “in the human world, it’s not uncommon for public figures to be photographed in compromising situations. The paparazzi are relentless, always seeking to create false narratives and stir up drama.”

He gestured towards the photo that was now sitting in the middle of the table and let out a small chuckle.

“That photograph was staged. The paparazzi were chanting for us to kiss, and when I saw a particularly troublesome photographer in the crowd, I decided it would be easier to give them what they wanted rather than risk them fabricating an even more scandalous story.”

I didn’t know what to do or where to look. Chris was lying so easily, and the Elders were nodding along, seemingly buying every word. And yet I was sitting there, frozen, feeling like every tiny move would give away the truth of the situation.

Thankfully, the Elders were fully focused on Chris, nodding and murmuring in response to his words. Only Degas remained utterly still and silent like me; I glanced over at him worriedly, wondering if he would call Chris out on his lie, but he merely shot me a knowing wink.

Was Degas… approving of this lie?

“So you were trying to control the narrative,” Elder Claire said slowly, pursing her lips.

“Yes.” Chris nodded. “During my time as a celebrity in the human world, I’ve come to recognize certain paparazzi; some of them are more aggressive than the others. I knew that if Ava and I rushed inside and hid from the cameras, then the paparazzi would make up their own stories—that Ava is my secret mistress, perhaps.”

He paused, licking his lips. “As you well know, with my search for a Luna beginning soon, that could be disastrous.”

Fatima scoffed. “I’ll say.”

“Besides…” Chris continued, then paused, glancing over at me with an empathetic look in his eyes. “...I wouldn’t want Ava to face any unnecessary scrutiny, either.”

The Elders hummed in agreement. Only Elise stared unblinkingly at me as though she were trying to look straight into my soul. I pretended to be wholly interested in the hem of my shirt.

“So perhaps my instinct in the moment may not have been the wisest decision, but I only had moments to act,” Chris said. “And I figured that it would be received much better if Ava and I were painted as a brief fling rather than a sordid affair.”

The Elders grumbled amongst themselves before Elise waved her hand. “What of the other pictures?” she asked, glancing over at me again. “The two of you at that event, perhaps? It certainly seemed like a date.”

“Right. Those,” Chris said, pulling out his own phone and swiping through a few images. “Ava and I did pose closely for photographs at the event. But I also posed with other friends of mine.”

He showed the Elders a new set of pictures: this time with his arm draped around Ophelia’s waist, their bodies pressed together in a way that would be considered highly inappropriate in our world.

“Who is that?” Elder Bradley asked, leaning in.

“A good friend,” I chimed in. “A friend to both of us.”

Chris nodded and scrolled to a picture of me and Ophelia to prove it. “She is a friend. And as you can see, it’s not uncommon to stand close with one’s friends in the human world—their standards of what’s appropriate or not are different than ours.”

As he spoke, he scrolled through more photos from the event—other people posing and hugging, smiling and holding hands. Men and women, men and men, women and women; it didn’t matter who was in the picture. The Elders bristled a bit at the displays of affection, but realization was beginning to dawn on their faces.

“You see?” Chris said, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “There was nothing untoward going on at the event. And there is nothing untoward going on between me and Ava, other than a very uncomfortable situation with the feral paparazzi.”

For several long moments, the room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. The Elders exchanged glances, clearly trying to decide whether to believe Chris or not. Elder Elise waved to the others and gestured for them to lean closer, and they briefly murmured amongst themselves.

Finally, they pulled apart with matching nods of approval.

“We see,” Elise said slowly, her brow furrowed as she leaned forward on her elbows. “And do you have proof that you and Ava were not, in fact, romantically involved?”

Chris nodded without missing a beat and pulled a stack of papers out of his bag. “These are our separate hotel room receipts,” he said, sliding them across the table toward the Elders. “As you can see, we stayed in separate rooms throughout our time in the human world.”

The Elders leaned in, scrutinizing the documents before nodding in approval.

“The receipts do have separate cleaning fees,” Elder Claire said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “It seems that both rooms were used.”

“It does seem that you were indeed simply playing the part for the human media,” Elder Bradley said. “A wise move, Alpha Chris.”

“However,” Elder Elise spoke up before anyone else could move or utter a word, her gaze piercing, “we must remind you, Alpha, that you will need to select a suitable Luna in the near future. Especially in the wake of this scandal.”

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. I was relieved that the Elders—except for Degas, of course—believed us, but also immeasurably disappointed. Of course I knew that we were done with our short-lived romance, but…

Still. It wasn’t pleasant to consider the idea of Chris with another woman.

Chris nodded solemnly. “Of course, Elder Elise. In fact, I have already compiled the list that you requested.” He reached into his bag once more and produced a folded piece of paper, handing it to Elise. “I would like to invite these ten bachelorettes to Moonstone within the next month for a selection event.”

The Elders murmured their approval and leaned in to examine the list.

“I was thinking we could do a ball,” Chris suggested. “It would allow me to interact with the candidates in a more casual setting and better assess their suitability.”

“That’s an excellent idea,” Elder Fatima said, her earlier disapproval seemingly forgotten in light of Chris’s apparent commitment to finding a Luna.

As the Elders continued to discuss the details of the upcoming event, I sat in stunned silence, my mind reeling from everything that had just happened. I felt a bit bashful, honestly, for scolding Chris like that in the village square—but I was also shocked, terrified, confused, hurt.

And most of all, I was heartbroken.

Finally, the meeting drew to a close, and the Elders and Leonard began to file out of the chamber, their minds seemingly put at ease by Chris’s explanations. As Elder Degas passed by, he met my gaze, and for a brief moment, I saw the smallest smile tug at the corners of his lips as if to say: “Good work.”

And then they were gone, leaving Chris and me alone in the chamber.

Chris turned to me as soon as they had left, that cocky grin of his spreading across his face.

“Still think that I’m too brazen?” he asked.