Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 276

Chapter 276

ANDY

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The humming echoed off the stone walls of my cell, a cheerful tune that seemed obscenely out of place in the dungeon’s oppressive atmosphere. I picked at the lead-lined cuffs around my wrists, not because I thought I could escape them – Carol’s work was too thorough for that – but because the rhythmic motion helped me focus on the beautiful chaos I’d just unleashed.

My original plan had been so much simpler. Lake was supposed to rescue me, his devotion to Riley making him the perfect tool for my escape. The boy would do anything Riley asked of him, his obsession disguised as loyalty but really just another form of the control I’d taught him to crave. One word from Riley, and Lake would have torn open a portal right through these dungeon walls.

But Riley had ruined that plan when he’d told me about Lake’s coma. The boy was unconscious, unreachable, useless to me in his current state. For a moment, I’d felt genuine disappointment – not at the failure of my escape plan, but at the waste of such a perfectly

crafted weapon.

Still, every setback was an opportunity if you looked at it correctly. And Riley’s desperate need to save Marcus and Zade had given me the perfect chance to plant my final gift in his mind.

The memory I’d forced into his consciousness wasn’t just a simple recollection – it was a living thing, designed to burrow deep into his psyche like a parasite. Every night when he closed his eyes, he would see Sophia’s death again. Every time he looked at Lumina or Xenois, he would hear her screams echoing in his ears. The image would grow stronger with each repetition, more vivid, more emotionally

devastating.

Eventually, the constant replay would drive him to madness. The grief would transform into rage, the helplessness into a need for vengeance. And when that moment came, Riley would turn on the people who’d destroyed his beloved Mama Sophia.

It was perfect, really. Even if they killed me today, even if I never left this cell alive, my victory was assured. Riley would be mine forever, shaped by my final lesson into the weapon Sophia and I had always intended him to become.

The sound of footsteps on the stone stairs made me smile wider. They were coming back, just as I’d expected they would. Riley’s broken state would have alarmed them, and they’d want answers about what I’d done to their precious boy.

But they would never get those answers. Not the ones that mattered, anyway.

The heavy door swung open with a groan of metal hinges. Lumina entered first, her face set in lines of cold fury that would have been intimidating if I hadn’t seen her son’s face crumble under the weight of my revelations. Behind her came Lynn, carrying a medical bag that I suspected didn’t contain healing supplies, and Carol, whose magical abilities would ensure our conversation remained private.

“What did you do to him?” Lumina demanded without preamble, her voice carrying the authority of a Luna who was done with games.

I tilted my head, studying her face with genuine interest. “I gave him the truth. Isn’t that what good parents do? Tell their children the truth about the world?”

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Chapter 276

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“Cut the shit, Andy,” Lynn snarled, her usual professional composure cracking. “Riley came out of that cell broken. What kind of magic

did you use on him?”

“Magic?” I laughed, the sound bouncing off the stone walls. “Oh, my dear girl, you’re thinking too small. What I used was much more

powerful than magic. I used love.”

Lumina’s hands clenched into fists. “You used manipulation. You used psychological torture on a traumatized child.*

“I used the truth,” I repeated, my voice taking on the patient tone of a teacher correcting a slow student. “I showed him exactly what you did to his mother. Every detail, every moment of her suffering. I made sure he understood precisely what kind of people he’s been

living with.”

The color drained from Lumina’s face, and I felt a warm glow of satisfaction in my chest. They were beginning to understand the

scope of what I’d done.

“You made him relive Sophia’s death,” Carol said, her magical senses probably picking up the residual traces of my work. “You forced

those memories into his mind.”

“Not just forced,” I corrected proudly. “Engraved. Carved so deeply into his consciousness that they’ll never fade. Every night for the rest of his life, Riley will watch his beloved Mama Sophia burn. He’ll hear her screams, feel her terror, experience every second of her

agony as if it were his own.”

Lynn’s face had gone pale with horror and rage. “You sick, twisted-”

“Truthful,” I finished for her. “I’m truthful. Riley needed to see what his new family is capable of. He needed to understand that the people who claim to love him are monsters who burn innocents alive.”

“Sophia wasn’t innocent,” Lumina said, her voice shaking with barely contained emotion. “She kidnapped children, murdered pack members, destroyed families-”

“She was his mother!” I screamed, rising from the bench with sudden violence. “The only mother he’s ever known! The woman who raised him, who loved him, who would have died for him! And you burned her alive while he was helpless to save her!”

The silence that followed was heavy with the weight of their guilt. They knew I was right, knew that whatever Sophia’s crimes, the method of her execution had been monstrous. They’d let their anger and grief override their humanity, and Riley had paid the price.

“The first thing we’re going to do,” Lumina said, her voice now deadly calm, ‘is cut out your tongue. Then we’re going to find out exactly what you’ve done to our son, and we’re going to make you undo it.”

She pulled a knife from her belt, the blade gleaming in the dim light. But I just smiled wider.

“Go ahead,” I said conversationally. “Torture me. Mutilate me. Kill me if it makes you feel better. It won’t change what I’ve done to Riley’s mind. It won’t stop the memories from playing every time he closes his eyes.”

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Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart