Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 154

Chapter 154

XENOIS

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he?”

The hope in her voice broke something inside my chest. “We were hoping you could tell us,” I said gently. “What happened? Where is

Sophia’s face crumpled as the reality of the situation hit her. “They took him,” she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. “The rogues, they took my baby. I tried to fight them, I tried to protect him, but there were too many of them.”

“Riley!” she suddenly screamed, the sound echoing through the forest. “Riley, where are you? Mommy’s here!”

I pulled her against my chest, trying to offer what comfort I could while my own heart was breaking. “We’re going to find him,” I promised, though I wasn’t sure I believed it myself. “We’re going to bring him home.”

The search continued for hours. My warriors spread out in a grid pattern, covering every inch of forest we could reach. We found more signs of the struggle – broken branches, disturbed earth, a few more pieces of torn clothing – but no trace of Riley himself.

As the sun began to set, Thorne approached me where I stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking the stream below. I’d been staring down into the water, wondering if the rogues had… no. I couldn’t let myself think that way.

“Xenois,” he said quietly, “we’ve searched every accessible area within a five-mile radius. Marcus and his team have been tracking scent trails, but they all seem to lead to the main road and then disappear.”

“What are you saying?” I asked, though I already knew.

“I think we have to consider the possibility that the rogues took Riley with them when they left. That he’s not in these woods

anymore.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. If Riley had been taken, if he was somewhere else entirely, then we were wasting precious time searching an empty forest while he could be anywhere.

“But why?” I asked, frustration and fury building in my chest. “Why would rogues want Riley? He’s just a child. He doesn’t have any value that would be important to them, he doesn’t have any information they could use. It doesn’t make sense.”

‘Maybe it’s not about Riley specifically,” Thorne suggested.

“Maybe they were targeting you, and taking him was just a way to hurt you personally.”

The thought made my blood run cold. If Riley had been taken because of me, because of my position as Alpha, then his kidnapping was my fault. But how? Nobody aside from me, Sophia, Lumina, Thorne and my mum knew about Riley being my son?! Was there another reason why they were targeted?

I looked back toward where Sophia sat on the hood of Marcus’s truck, wrapped in a blanket and staring blankly into the forest. She

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Chapter 154

looked small and broken, nothing like the confident woman who always had a sharp tongue and chased after me for months.

“We should get Sophia to the hospital,” Thorne said, following my eyes as he seemed to have pity for her. Wow even Thorne can feel bad for a woman he constantly hates all the time.

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“She needs medical attention, and we can keep search parties out here through the night in case anything changes.”

I nodded reluctantly. As much as I wanted to keep searching personally, Thorne was right. Sophia needed care, and if Riley wasn’t in these woods, then we needed to start expanding our search to other areas.

The drive to the hospital was torture. Sophia sat in the backseat, occasionally letting out quiet sobs that made my heart clench with

guilt and grief. I kept glancing in the rearview mirror, wanting to offer comfort but not knowing what to say.

“Sophia,” I said finally, “can you tell me why you and Riley were in the woods today? What were you doing out there?”

She looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes. “It’s a tradition,” she said quietly. “Something my mother used to do with me when I was

Riley’s age. When I was feeling sad or overwhelmed, she’d take me somewhere peaceful in nature where we could talk and she could help

me feel better.”

“Riley was feeling sad?”

“He’s been upset since…” she trailed off, but I knew what she meant. Since I’d told her this morning that I was finding her a new

place to live. Since he’d realized that his life was about to change again.

“He was asking me about why his dad didn’t want him around. That he thought maybe with time, you would choose him as well just

like you always choose Ollie. He has watched you throw everything for them. Your health, your time. And he has been waiting for you, not

even calling you dad so you won’t hate him yet you still loved them more than him. I thought if we went somewhere quiet, I could help

him understand that he was wanted and loved too, that it has been two of us for years and it won’t change no matter what.”

The guilt crashed over me in waves. If I hadn’t been so focused on my own problems, if I’d taken more time to explain things to Riley

properly, maybe he wouldn’t have been feeling sad.

Maybe Sophia wouldn’t have felt the need to take him on this trip.

“This wouldn’t have happened if you’d paid us more attention,” Sophia said suddenly, her voice gaining strength.

“If you’d been here for Riley instead of obsessing over the family that left you, he wouldn’t have needed comfort from anyone else.”

“Sophia,” Thorne warned from the front seat, “don’t put blame on anyone right now. What’s done is done. All that matters is finding

Riley.”

But Sophia shook her head, fresh tears streaming down her face.

“They’ve probably killed my sweet baby by now,” she sobbed. “He didn’t do anything wrong. He was just an innocent little boy who

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Chapter 154

wanted to feel loved.”

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The words hit me like bullets. She was right – Riley was innocent in all of this. Whatever complicated relationship that I was having

in my life right now, none of it was his fault.

“We’re going to find him,” I said firmly, meeting her eyes in the mirror.

“I don’t care what it takes or how long it takes. We’re going to bring Riley home.”

But even as I said the words, doubt was creeping into my heart. Rogues who took children didn’t usually keep them alive for long,

especially if their goal was to send a message or inflict psychological damage on their targets.

As we pulled into the hospital parking lot, I made a silent promise to the boy who’d somehow become my son despite the complicated

past that had brought him into my life.

And if anyone had hurt him, I would make them pay for it with their lives.

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Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart