Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 197

Chapter 197

LUMINA

I was folding the last of Ollie’s hospital gowns that he had worn during our long stay in the hospital into our overnight bag when I noticed Xenois had gone completely still across the room, which was odd because I had no idea what would make him stop.

He’d been packing Riley’s few belongings, that he had brought alongside the ride to Zade’s territory- a worn stuffed rabbit that had somehow survived his time with Sophia, his tablet, a couple of books the nurses had given him – but now he was just standing there, staring at nothing with that troubled expression on his face that made me realize that something was wrong somewhere.

The sound of our boys’ laughter echoed from the hallway, where they were running back and forth in the private corridor Zade had arranged for us. It was the first time I’d heard Riley laugh with such pure joy, and the sound made my heart both soar and break at the same time. Six years of his childhood had been stolen from us, but at least now we could give him the love and safety he deserved, without him having to wonder or fear if he was going to get punished for being a kid.

“Lumina, Xenois said suddenly, his voice sounding heavy like he wanted to tell me something bad which made me look up quickly

from the bag I was packing.

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He’d dropped Riley’s things onto the chair beside him and was walking toward me slowly, deliberately with a pace, he used when he

was about to say something important.

When he reached me, he gently took my hands in his, and I could feel the slight shaking in his fingers. I was beginning to get worried

too. Whatever it was, it had shook my mate this hard.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, searching his face for clues about what was troubling him. “Are you worried about the drive home? The boys will be fine, and the doctor said Riley is completely healthy despite everything he’s been through.”

Xenois shook his head, his grip on my hands tightening slightly as he said.

“It’s not about the drive home,’ he said quietly. “It’s about… us. About what I’ve done to you.”

Before I could ask what he meant by that, I felt the unmistakable weight of Alpha command settle over me as I immediately flinched,

closing my eyes shut as I waited with abated breath for what was coming.

But instead of the usual oppressive feeling of being forced into submission, this felt different lighter, like the invisible chains that

had been placed on me without my permission were being unlocked rather than tightened.

“By my authority as Alpha of Silver Creek Pack, Xenois said formally, his voice carrying the power that made every wolf in our

territory instinctively obey, ‘I hereby remove the territorial restriction placed on Lumina Blackwood. You are free to travel beyond pack

borders without Alpha permission or escort.”

The words hit me like a physical blow, and I gasped as something inside my chest seemed to uncoil and expand. For a moment, I

couldn’t breathe properly as I tried to suck in oxygen greedily, I couldn’t think about anything else, couldn’t process what had just

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Chapter 197

happened.

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The ban. The restriction that had kept me trapped in Silver Creek for six years, that had made me feel like a prisoner in my own

home, that had reminded me every single day that I was there by force rather than choice – it was gone.

‘I don’t understand,” I whispered, my voice barely audible as I opened my eyes and looked at him searching for answers that I wasn’t

sure I was going to get. “Why are you doing this?”

Xenois released my hands and stepped back, running his fingers through his hair in that gesture I recognized as his way of dealing

with overwhelming emotions.

I should have done this a long time ago,” he said, his voice thick with regret. “Hell, I should never have let my mum Silvia make me

put that restriction on you in the first place.”

I sank down onto the edge of the hospital bed, my legs suddenly too unsteady to support me. Six years. For six years, I hadn’t been able to leave Silver Creek without explicit permission from an Alpha. I couldn’t visit friends in other territories, couldn’t take Ollie to see

places beyond our borders, couldn’t even go grocery shopping in the neighboring town without filing a formal request and waiting for approval. It had been one of the major reasons while I sat still like a mute and let Sophia treat me like shit all this while.

It had made me feel like a slave, like property rather than a person.

Even after I’d been cleared of Xena’s murder, even after Xenois and I had been revealed as fated mates, the restriction had remained in place – a constant reminder that I was there under force, not by choice.

“The fact that you were desperate enough to call Zade, Xenois continued, his voice growing more pained, and I knew why. Zade and Xenois were enemies, the memory of him chasing after us in his wolf form and unable to cross the boundary because he didn’t want to

risk a war and had to watch me leave with my ex lover and our son, was a pain most Alphas don’t recover from and it was one I was

willing to let him suffer it.

“When you felt unsafe, when Sophia was threatening our family… that should never have happened. You should have been able to trust that I would protect you, that I would put our family first, that I would listen when you tried to warn me.”

Tears were already starting to fall, and I couldn’t seem to stop them. “Xenois-

“No, let me finish,’ he interrupted gently. “Yes, I was being mind-controlled by Sophia. Yes, she was manipulating my thoughts and emotions to turn me against you. But that doesn’t excuse everything I did wrong. It doesn’t excuse the way I treated you before the mind control started, the way I let Silvia force us into marriage, the way I made you feel like you had no choice in your own life.”

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Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart