Luna Forsaken (Arya and James) novel Chapter 26

26 The Healer’s Door

Arya’s POV

Two days after the full moon dinner, the packhouse didn’t feel like home.

It felt like a place that had moved on without me.

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I saw it in the way the compound buzzed with activity. In the way people carried tables and rolled out long white cloths like they were preparing for royalty. In the way extra guards appeared at the gates, and patrols doubled, walking with stiff backs like they’d been drilled.

A signing.

That was what the whispers said.

A Union signing.

I didn’t ask anyone. I didn’t need to. The air told me everything.

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As I walked across the yar

de respectful kind.

The cold kind.

The kind that watched to see if you

would shrink.

Two young warriors stood near the water point. They were talking until I got close. Then

they stopped. Not politely. Not with that careful pause people take when they don’t want to

offend.

They stopped like I had walked into a room that wasn’t mine.

Their gaze swept over me, then away.

One of them muttered something under his breath.

The other snorted.

I kept walking.

A woman carrying folded linens walked past me on the path. When she saw me, she

tightened her grip, stared through me, and stepped aside as if I was the inconvenience.

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No greeting.

No “Luna.”

No “Arya.”

Nothing.

I didn’t slow.

I didn’t let it show on my face.

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Ahead, near the main hall entrance, Leah walked by with two maids trailing behind her, both

holding garment bags like she was going somewhere important.

ction was immediate.

ads turned.

People straightened.

A pair of guards lowered their heads and placed fists to their chests.

“Luna,” one of them said.

“Good morning, Luna Leah,” another added, almost eager.

A woman who had ignored me ten seconds ago suddenly smiled. A full smile.

“Luna,” she greeted Leah brightly.

Leah didn’t even stop. She only lifted her chin and gave a small nod like she was granting them permission to keep breathing.

Her maids giggled softly, eyes darting in my direction like they wanted to see if I would

react.

I didn’t.

I kept walking.

Because if I stopped, if I turned, if I gave even one inch of attention to their performance,

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they would feed on it.

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The healer’s hut sat slightly away from the busiest part of the compound, tucked behind the storage building and the small herb garden Lesley had guarded like a kingdom. The closer I got, the more the noise of the packhouse faded behind me.

For a moment, it almost felt like peace.

Almost.

I pushed open the hut door.

The scent of herbs and antiseptic hit me immediately. Clean. Sharp. Familiar.

Lesley looked up from her table, where she was grinding something in a stone mortar. Her

eyes moved over me quickly, fast, professional, like she was checking if I had been

harmed.

“You’re early,” she said.

“I walked fast,” I replied.

Lesley set the mortar down. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” I said.

Lesley’s mouth tightened. “That’s not an answer.”

I stepped further in and closed the door behind me. “I’m breathing.”

Lesley gave me a look. “Sit.”

I sat on the narrow bed near the wall.

Lesley washed her hands, then came over, reaching for a notebook on the shelf.

“We’ll do your check,” she said, voice clipped. “And before you tell me you’re fine again, I’ll

remind you that ‘fine’ doesn’t mean anything to me.”

“I’m fine,” I said again, flat.

Lesley’s eyes narrowed.

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I met her gaze.

Lesley let out a slow breath and pointed at my stomach. “Any cramps?”

“No.”

“Dizziness?”

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“No.”

“Bleeding?”

“No.”

“Sleep?”

I hesitated half a second.

Lesley’s brows lifted. “Sleep, Arya.”

“Not much,” I admitted.

Lesley’s lips pressed together. “You need rest.”

“I’ve heard,” I said.

Lesley reached for a small instrument, then paused, her head tilting slightly.

Footsteps outside.

More than one person.

Lesley’s face changed. Not fear. Annoyance. The kind that comes when someone walks

into your space like they own it.

The hut door opened without a knock.

Leah stepped inside like she was entering her personal suite.

Two maids came in behind her. One of them shut the door quietly, her eyes sparkling with

amusement.

Leah’s gaze swept the room, landing on me on the bed.

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She smiled. Bright. Polite. Fake.

“Oh,” she said. “You’re here.”

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Lesley’s jaw tightened.

“Leah,” Lesley greeted stiffly.

Leah turned her attention to Lesley with the calm of someone who expected obedience.

“I’m here for my check-up,” Leah announced.

Lesley didn’t respond immediately.

Leah’s smile held.

One of her maids shifted, looking me up and down, then smirked.

Lesley’s voice came out controlled. “I already have a patient.”

Leah’s eyes flickered to me again. “Yes. I can see that.”

Lesley placed the instrument down carefully, as if setting it down too hard would make it

snap.

“Come back later,” Lesley told Leah.

Leah’s brows lifted. Just slightly.

“Later?” she repeated, like she’d never heard the word in her life.

Lesley nodded. “Later.”

Leah’s maids exchanged looks.

The one with the smirk let out a small laugh under her breath, like the idea of Leah being told “later” was comedy.

Leah stepped closer, her voice still pleasant. “Lesley, I don’t think you understand the

situation.”

Lesley’s eyes hardened. “I understand that my job is to treat who I’m treating.”

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Leah tilted her head. “And I understand that the pack is preparing for Union leaders. My health matters.”

Lesley’s voice remained flat. “So does hers.”

Leah’s smile sharpened.

She turned her head slightly toward her maids. “Do you hear that?”

The maid with the smug face giggled. “Yes, Luna.”

Leah looked back at Lesley. “I’m sure Arya won’t mind waiting. She’s… used to it now.”

The maid giggled again, louder this time.

I didn’t move.

Lesley’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Leah.”

Leah ignored her tone and turned to me, smiling like she was being generous.

“Arya,” she said, sweetly, “would you mind coming back later?”

Lesley snapped, “Leah, I didn’t,”

Leah raised one hand, palm up, stopping Lesley mid-sentence like she was silencing a

servant.

I looked at Leah.

I didn’t give her anger.

I didn’t give her tears.

I didn’t give her the satisfaction.

I slid off the bed calmly.

Lesley’s eyes flashed at me.

“Arya,”

“It’s fine,” I said, voice even.

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Lesley’s jaw flexed. “It’s not fine.”

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I picked up the small shawl I’d placed on the chair earlier. “I’ll come later.”

Leah’s smile widened. “See? Easy.”

One of the maids let out a little “tsk” like she was enjoying the victory.

I moved toward the door.

Lesley stepped forward, as if she wanted to stop me, but Leah shifted slightly, blocking her.

“I’ll be quick,” Leah told Lesley. “It won’t take long.”

Lesley’s gaze flicked between us, then back to me. Her face softened for half a second.

“Come back,” she said firmly to me.

“I will,” I answered.

My hand reached for the door.

Leah’s voice floated behind me, soft and deliberate.

“You know,” she said, “I admire your calm.”

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