Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 196

Chapter 196

ZADE

“I don’t have a mate,” I said through gritted teeth. “And I certainly don’t care about Lyn.”

The lie tasted bitter on my tongue, and my wolf’s reaction was immediate and vicious.

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Is that why you falsified information to frame Amaya for attempted murder? Because you don’t care about Lyn? Is that why you broke pack law

and defied the council of elders? Because he means nothing to you?

The reminder of what I’d done to protect Lyn sent a fresh wave of guilt and confusion through my system. I had committed crimes to keep him safe, had risked everything I’d built just to ensure he wouldn’t be punished for something he hadn’t done.

That wasn’t the behavior of someone who didn’t care.

We’ve stayed away from our mate long enough, my wolf continued relentlessly. The question is: do you actually hate Lyn, or do you just hate the idea of people seeing you differently because you’re sleeping with a man you care about?

–

Before I could formulate an answer to that devastating question, the door to my office opened. Rivers stepped inside, his expression immediately shifting from casual to concerned as he took in the scene the shattered window, the glass scattered across the floor, my

disheveled appearance.

“Alpha,” he said carefully, “are you alright?”

I looked at my second-in-command, this man who had been by my side for years, who had never judged me or questioned my decisions even when they made no sense. If I couldn’t be honest with Rivers, I couldn’t be honest with anyone.

‘I kissed Lyn,” I said bluntly, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.

Rivers went very still, his eyes widening with shock. For a moment, I thought he might react with the disgust and disappointment I’d been expecting from everyone else. Instead, he started coughing, a nervous habit he’d had since we were teenagers.

‘I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” he asked, his voice slightly strangled.

“I kissed Lyn,” I repeated, the confession somehow easier the second time. “In his hospital room. And then I ran away like a coward

when Xenois walked in on us.”

Rivers stared at me for a long moment, processing this information. Then, to my complete surprise, his expression softened into

something that looked almost like relief.

“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” he said quietly. “This kind of attraction… it’s more common than you think, Alpha. It’s normal.”

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20:01 Mon, Jan 26

Chapter 196

I felt my anger flare again at his casual acceptance. “It’s not normal,” I snarled. “It’s disgusting and wrong and completely

inappropriate for someone in my position.”

Rivers took a step back, but his expression remained steady. “Why? Because he’s a man? Because it doesn’t fit with the image you

think you need to project?”

“Because I shouldn’t be fantasizing about him!” I exploded, the words pouring out in a torrent of self-loathing. “I shouldn’t be

imagining what he’d look like beneath me, shouldn’t be wondering what sounds he’d make when I-”

I cut myself off, horrified by what I’d almost revealed. But Rivers just nodded like he understood perfectly.

“You care about him,” he said simply. “There’s nothing disgusting about that.”

“He’s weak,” I continued desperately, as if listing Lyn’s perceived flaws could somehow diminish what I felt for him. “He’s too

emotional, too sensitive. He uses magic instead of physical strength, and he—”

The door burst open again, cutting off my litany of criticisms. Lynn stood in the doorway, her face flushed with fury and her eyes

blazing with protective rage.

“How dare you!” she snarled, taking a step into the room. “How dare you say those things about my brother!”

I opened my mouth to explain, to somehow justify the horrible things I’d been saying, but before I could form a single word,

something went terribly wrong.

67

A wave of agony crashed through my system, starting in my chest and radiating outward like liquid fire in my veins. I doubled over, my hands clutching at my shirt as pain unlike anything I’d ever experienced tore through my body.

“What- I started to say, but the words were cut off as blood filled my mouth.

I spat crimson onto my office floor, staring at it in horror and confusion. This wasn’t normal pain from an injury or illness – this was something else entirely, something that felt foreign and malevolent.

Another wave hit me, this one strong enough to drive me to my knees, More blood poured from my mouth as I gasped for air that

wouldn’t come, my vision starting to blur around the edges.

“Alpha!” Rivers shouted, rushing to my side as I collapsed completely.

Through the haze of pain, I was dimly aware of Lynn kneeling beside me, her earlier anger replaced by panic. “What’s happening to

him?” she demanded.

Rivers was pulling at my shirt, exposing my chest, and I heard him curse viciously. “Look at his skin,” he said urgently. “Those

markings weren’t there before.”

I managed to focus enough to look down at myself, and what I saw sent ice through my veins. Dark lines were spreading across my

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Chapter 196

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torso like living tattoos, twisting and writhing beneath my skin in patterns that hurt to look at directly.

“Witchcraft,” Lynn breathed, her voice filled with horror. “Someone’s cursed him. This is killing magic – it’s designed to destroy him slowly from the inside out.”

The revelation hit me like another physical blow. Someone wanted me dead, and they were using dark magic to accomplish it. But who? And why now?

67

Another spasm of agony tore through me, and this time I couldn’t hold back the scream that erupted from my throat. The curse was getting stronger, the pain more intense with each passing moment.

him.”

“We need to get him help,” Rivers said, his voice tight with panic. “We need to find someone who can break this curse before it kills

Lynn was already on her feet, her earlier fury replaced by grim determination. “I know someone who might be able to help,” she said. “But we need to move fast. Magic like this… it won’t take long to finish what it started.”

As consciousness began to slip away from me, one thought echoed through my dying mind: I was going to die without ever telling

Lyn how I really felt about him.

The irony was almost enough to make me laugh, if I’d had the strength left to do it.

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20:01 Mon, Jan 26

Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart