Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 194

Chapter 194

LYN

68

I shook my head, feeling that familiar ache in my chest that came whenever I thought about Zade’s reaction to what had happened

between us. “Not once. I keep waiting for him to come back, to explain what happened or at least acknowledge it, but nothing. It’s like it

never happened.”

Lynn reached out and took my hand, her expression softening with sympathy. “I’m sorry, Lyn. That must be really confusing and

painful.”

“I keep wondering if I did something wrong,” I admitted quietly. “Maybe I shouldn’t have kissed him back. Maybe I should have

stopped him before he did something he was going to regret.”

“Don’t you dare,” Lynn said sharply, squeezing my hand. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for this. If anyone is at fault here, it’s Zade.”

I looked at her in confusion. “How is Zade at fault? He was probably just confused, or maybe the magical stress of everything that’s

been happening made him act impulsively.”

“Lyn, listen to me,” Lynn said, her voice intense. “Do you know what Zade did to get you released from the elders’ custody?”

I shook my head, realizing that I’d never actually gotten the full story of how I’d ended up free and in the hospital instead of in a cell

awaiting trial.

“He broke pack law,” Lynn continued. “He interfered with a formal judicial proceeding, threatened the elders, framed someone for

being a witch and basically staged a one-man revolution to get you out of there. That’s not the behavior of someone who’s just being impulsive or confused.”

I felt my heart skip a beat as I processed what she was telling me. “He did all that for me?”

‘He risked everything for you,” Lynn confirmed. “His position, his authority, probably his life if the elders had decided to make an

example of him. That’s not something you do for someone you don’t have feelings for.”

I wanted to believe her, and wanted to think that Zade’s actions meant something deeper than just a moment of weakness or confusion. But the memory of how he’d looked at me after the kiss, the horror and regret in his eyes, made it hard to hold onto hope.

If he has feelings for me, then why did he run away?” I asked. “Why hasn’t he come back to talk to me?”

Lynn was quiet for a moment, clearly thinking through her answer carefully. “Because he’s terrified,” she said finally. “Think about it, Lyn. This is a man who’s spent his entire adult life building his identity around being the strong, traditional alpha who upholds conventional values. Discovering that he has feelings for another man probably feels like his entire world is falling apart.”

I hadn’t thought about it from that perspective, but it made sense. Zade’s homophobia hadn’t just been casual prejudice – it had been

a cornerstone of his public persona for years. Having feelings for a man would challenge everything he believed about himself.

1/3

19:59 Mon, Jan 26

Chapter 194

68

‘So what am I supposed to do?” I asked helplessly. “Just wait around hoping he figures himself out? What if he decides these feelings are wrong and tries to suppress them? What if he goes back to treating me like I’m some kind of abomination?”

“I don’t know,” Lynn admitted. “This is uncharted territory for both of you. But I do know that you can’t control how he processes this,

and you can’t fix his internalized homophobia for him. All you can do is decide what you’re willing to accept from him.”

I leaned back against my pillows, feeling exhausted by the emotional weight of everything that had happened. Part of me wanted to

believe that Zade’s kiss had been the beginning of something real, something that could grow into the relationship I’d always dreamed of

But another part of me was terrified that it had been nothing more than a moment of weakness that he was already regretting.

“I’ve loved him for so long,” I said quietly. “Even when he was saying horrible things about people like me, even when he made it clear

that he saw me as less than human, I couldn’t stop loving him. I kept hoping that maybe someday he’d change, that maybe he’d see me as

something more than just the weird omega who practices magic.”

“And now maybe he does,” Lynn pointed out gently. “Maybe breaking pack law to save you was his way of showing that you matter to

him. Maybe the kiss was him finally admitting feelings he’s been fighting for years.”

“Or maybe he was just caught up in the moment and now he’s horrified by what he did,” I countered.

Lynn sighed, recognizing that we were going in circles. “You know what I think you should do?”

“What?”

“I think you should give him some space to figure himself out, but also set some boundaries about what you’re willing to tolerate. You

can’t spend the rest of your life waiting for him to decide whether you’re worth loving. If he wants to explore whatever this is between

you, he needs to do it honestly and respectfully. And if he decides he can’t handle it, then he needs to leave you alone so you can move

on.”

I knew she was right, but the thought of actually losing Zade forever made my chest hurt with a lot of grief I wasn’t sure I could

survive.

“What if he chooses to walk away?” I whispered, scared that this might be a certainty more than him staying and trying to make it

work between us.

Lynn squeezed my hand again, her eyes soft with understanding as she knew where I was coming from.

“Then at least you’ll know where you stand. And you can start focusing on finding someone who isn’t ashamed to love you.”

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, both lost in our own thoughts. Outside my hospital room window, I could see the sun beginning to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink that reminded me of better times.

Finally, Lynn stood up and began arranging the fruit in the basket again, her movements gentle.

“For what it’s worth,” she said without looking up, “I think he’ll come back. The Zade I saw when he was fighting the elders for you isn’t the same man who used to make cruel jokes about same-sex couples. People can change, Lyn. Sometimes love is what finally makes

2/3

20:00 Mon Jan 25

Chapter 154

Then willing to the

2

I hoped she was nigh Bun wil ek wakes finough that four and pres di nás to no wat at wy is prose spat

The warling was going to be the hardest part