Luna Forsaken (Arya and James) novel Chapter 63

63 The Bracelet Comes Off 2

Arya’s POV

The servant’s fingers closed around the handle and took it from my hand.

Then they gathered the remaining cutlery with hurried movements, as if my fingers were poison.

lifted my gaze then, slow, cold.

The servant flinched.

They backed away, clutching the knife like they’d rescued the pack from a monster.

The door shut.

The lock clicked.

I exhaled once through my nose.

So.

They were paying attention.

That meant I couldn’t take my time.

It meant my window would be narrower.

It meant I had to come up with a plan quick.

I couldn’t sit in this room waiting for James to figure out what to do with me.

Because James didn’t “figure out” anything.

He drifted.

He stalled.

He negotiated with other men while the people he claimed to love bled.

If I waited for James, I would die in here.

Slowly.

Or violently.

12:34

29.58%

Or both.

I stood again and walked the length of the room, testing the boundaries, counting steps like a fighter measures a ring.

The door.

The window.

The lock.

The sound outside.

The routine.

I listened.

Guards. Two.

Shift. Pause. Murmur. Shift again.

The door clicked again.

I turned sharply, expecting another servant, maybe a guard sent to warn me.

Instead, Lesley walked in.

She didn’t come in with fear.

She didn’t come in with smug authority.

She came in with that same quiet heaviness she’d worn since the day she told me my

baby was gone.

She held a small tray of medication.

Her expression was controlled.

But her eyes looked sad.

And tired.

The kind of tired that came from watching the world grind someone down and being

unable to stop it.

I didn’t greet her.

12:34

29.58%

Get 5>

Menu

I didn’t soften.

I didn’t need comfort.

Lesley closed the door behind her, then glanced briefly toward it, as if reminding herself the walls had ears.

She didn’t tell me to be quiet this time.

She didn’t make the “they are listening” gesture.

She simply moved closer and placed the tray down.

She worked efficiently, preparing the dose.

I watched her hands.

Steady.

Careful.

Then Lesley spoke, volunteering information without me asking.

“James is gone,” she said quietly.

My face didn’t change.

Lesley continued anyway.

“He left with Leah,” she added, voice clipped with restrained disdain. “I doubt they’ll be back tonight.”

1 stared at her for a beat.

Then I shrugged slightly.

“I don’t care,” I said,

Lesley’s mouth tightened like she believed me and also knew that every mention of his

name still had the power to sharpen my rage.

She didn’t argue.

She simply nodded once,

“Good,” she said softly. “Then you’ll move faster.

12:34

29.23%

Get 5>

Menu

The words made my eyes narrow.

Lesley reached into the pocket of her dress.

For a heartbeat, I thought she was reaching for paperwork.

Or another dose.

Instead, she pulled out something small and metal.

Pliers.

My stomach tightened.

My gaze snapped from the tool to her face.

Lesley held the pliers out to me like she was handing me a key.

“This will help you,” she said.

My voice came out low and sharp.

“Lesley,” I warned.

Because this wasn’t harmless.

This wasn’t minor.

This wasn’t a healer quietly slipping extra bandages.

This was treason.

This was choosing a side.

Lesley’s expression didn’t flinch.

She pushed the pliers closer,

“You can cut through the silver bracelet with it,” she said, voice steady. “You’ll need two

to three days to heal before you do what you must.”

My breath stalled,

Not because I didn’t understand.

Because I did.

12:34

29.38%

Because the risk hit immediately.

If James found out,

If Marcel found out,

If anyone in this pack found out Lesley helped me escape,

They wouldn’t just punish her.

They would destroy her.

They would make an

ample of her.

And James… James wouldn’t go easy on her, not with Leah whispering and Marcel watching.

James would do what he always did when cornered.

He would choose the path of least resistance.

He would sacrifice again.

Lesley saw the hesitation in my eyes and spoke faster, more fiercely.

“I know what I’m risking,” she said.

My jaw tightened.

“Why?” I asked, voice hard.

Lesley’s eyes flicked briefly to the door, then back to me.

“Because I can’t bear to see you waste away in this pack,” she said. “Simply because

James can’t let go of the woman he has broken.”

The words hit like a clean slap.

Truth.

Ugly truth,

Lesley continued, voice tightening with emotion she refused to let spill.

“He broke you,” she said quietly. “And then he kept you. Like he thought breaking you meant you’d never leave.”

12:34

29.38%

I didn’t speak.

Lesley shook her head slightly.

“There is a good life waiting for you out there,” she said.

Then she reached into her pocket again and pulled out folded cash.

She placed it on the tray beside the medication like it was nothing.

Like it didn’t matter.

Like she wasn’t handing me survival.

My throat tightened.

I stared at the cash, then at the pliers, then at her.

“This, “I began.

Lesley cut me off with a small shake of her head.

“Don’t argue with me,” she said. “Don’t ask me if I’m sure. Just take it.”

I swallowed hard.

My hands lifted slowly, and I took the pliers.

The metal was cold.

Heavy enough.

Solid enough.

Real.

A real tool.

A real chance,

Lesley watched my fingers close around it, and her shoulders relaxed slightly, as if she’d

been holding her breath for days waiting to do this.

My eyes burned, not with tears, but with something close.

Something unfamiliar in the middle of rage.

12:34

29.45%

Kindness still existed.

Somewhere.

Even here.

Lesley leaned forward and lowered her voice again, urgent now.

“Leave,” she pleaded. “Just leave and move on with

your

life.”

I stared at her, my grip tightening on the pliers.

Move on.

As if what they did could be moved past.

As if my child could be replaced with “another baby.”

As if my humiliation could be washed off like blood after battle.

My face stayed calm.

But my voice, when it came, was cold.

“I won’t waste away here,” I said.

Lesley nodded quickly, like she latched onto that part.

“Yes,” she said. “Good. That’s what I need to hear.”

I didn’t give her what she wanted fully.

I didn’t promise I’d forgive.

I didn’t promise I’d forget.

I didn’t promise I’d run and never look back.

I wasn’t going to let what they did go,

That much was sure.

But I also wasn’t going to die here.

12:34

29.51%