Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 173

Chapter 173

XENOIS

I stood at the edge of the path, staring down at a scene that seemed to defile everything that I thought I knew about reality.

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My son Riley, who I’d been told was dead or dying somewhere in these woods – was lying on the rocks below, alive and breathing.

Beside him knelt Thorne and a woman I didn’t recognize, her hands still glowing with residual magical energy that made the hair on my

arms stand on end.

My legs gave out completely, and I found myself sliding down the rocky slope without any regard for the cuts and bruises I was accumulating along the way. All that mattered was reaching Riley, holding him, confirming that this wasn’t some cruel hallucination

brought on by grief and desperation.

When I finally reached the bottom, I immediately scooped Riley into my arms, feeling the solid weight of his small body against my chest. He was real. He was alive. But he was also clearly injured, his skin pale and cold, his breathing shallow and labored.

My relief was immediately filled with suspicion as I looked up at the woman who had been tending to him. She was obviously a witch – I could smell it on her, that distinctive scent that every werewolf learned to recognize from childhood. Everything about this situation screamed danger, and my protective instincts kicked into overdrive.

“What did you do to him?” I demanded, my voice rough with barely contained aggression. “If you’ve hurt him in any way…”

“Xenois, stop,” Thorne interrupted, placing a restraining hand on my arm. “She saved his life. Let me explain everything.”

For the next several minutes, I listened in growing horror as Thorne laid out the truth of what had happened. Sophia’s betrayal, her attempt to murder Riley by pushing him off this very cliff, the magical necklace that had somehow kept him alive, and Carol’s intervention that had prevented him from dying alone in the wilderness.

Every word felt like a physical blow. The woman I’d trusted with my child, had tried to kill him in cold blood. She’d looked me in the eye and lied about rogues, played the role of a grieving mother while secretly celebrating the fact that she thought she’d successfully

committed murder.

‘I don’t want to believe this,” I said weakly, but even as the words left my mouth, I knew they were true. The evidence was right here in front of me Riley’s injuries, the location where he’d been found, the magical residue that still clung to the air around us.

–

“Where is Sophia?” Thorne asked urgently. “I told you to keep an eye on her.”

I felt my stomach clench with new anxiety, as I looked at him and answered.

“My mother came to the hospital, after she heard the news..she was there for Sophia and to check up on her. She promised to look after Sophia while I went looking for answers.”

Thorne’s expression darkened immediately, not liking the answer that I gave him.

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Chapter 173

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“We need to go. Now. Your mother likes Sophia, doesn’t she? She’d probably protect her and try to deny Sophia did any of this, but

Sophia needs to answer for her crimes.”

I nodded, carefully lifting Riley as we prepared to leave this nightmare scene behind. Carol was already packing up her magical supplies, moving with the efficiency of someone who was used to making quick exits.

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“Where are you going?” I asked as she shouldered her pack.

She gave me a look that clearly suggested I was asking a stupid question. “I’m getting the hell out of here before someone realizes I was trespassing on werewolf territory and decides to make an example of me.”

I found myself speaking before I’d fully thought through what I was saying. “We need you. I give you my word that you’re under my

protection.”

Carol stopped moving, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Is this some kind of trick? Because if you think I’m stupid enough to walk into a pack house surrounded by werewolves who hate my kind…”

“You just performed a second Jesus-level miracle,” I said firmly, looking down at Riley’s face as he stirred slightly in my arms. “You brought my son back from the dead. As far as I’m concerned, pack laws can go fuck themselves.”

That got a surprised laugh out of her, and I saw some of the tension leave her shoulders. “Well, when you put it like that… I suppose I should stick around to make sure he pulls through completely. Breaking that magical connection was tricky work – there could be

complications.”

By the time we reached my car, I was holding Riley close to my chest while Thorne took the driver’s seat. My son drifted in and out of consciousness during the drive, occasionally mumbling words that sounded like “Ollie” before fading back into semi-awareness.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered against his hair, feeling tears I couldn’t control rolling down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t paying attention. I should have protected you better.”

I tried calling my mother’s phone, but it went straight to voicemail. Then I tried again, and again, each unanswered ring making my anxiety spike higher. Something was wrong. Silvia always answered her phone, especially when she knew I might need her.

The worry was eating at me from the inside. I needed to tell my mother the truth about Sophia, needed to warn her that she was harboring a murderer. But would she even believe me? She’d made it clear over the years that she preferred Sophia to Lumina, thought Sophia would make a better mate for me. Would her prejudices blind her to the evidence of Sophia’s crimes?

I pulled out my phone again and dialed Dr. Martinez, our family physician. She answered on the second ring, her professional voice immediately shifting to concern when she heard the strain in my tone.

“Dr. Martinez, I need you to assemble a team of medical professionals who are willing to work off the books,” I said quickly. “Discretion is absolutely essential, and you might be asked to overlook some… unconventional treatment methods.”

There was a pause before she responded. “How unconventional are we talking about, Xenois?”

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Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart