Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 285

Chapter 285

LUMINA

But it was also where Riley and Ollie belonged. Where their future lay, where they would grow up and find their place in the world. And despite everything that had happened between us, I couldn’t abandon my sons to face that future without their mother.

“Lumina?” Xenois’s voice was carefully neutral, but I could hear the underlying tension in it. He was asking a question that went far beyond simple logistics – he was asking whether I was willing to return to a life that had nearly destroyed me once before.

I looked at Riley, who had finished his meal and was now waiting with the patient resignation of someone who understood that cooperation led to rewards. My complicated, traumatized, brilliant son who needed stability and consistency more than he needed anything else in the world. Then I thought of Ollie, probably playing with his toys in the living room, trusting that the adults in his life

would make decisions that kept him safe and loved.

“I’ll come back,” I said finally, the words feeling both inevitable and terrifying. “For Riley and Ollie. They need their mother, and I won’t traumatize Ollie again by taking him away from everything familiar.”

The relief in Xenois’s expression was visible, but he was careful not to push for more than I was offering.

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“What about us?” he asked quietly. “What about our marriage?”

I turned to face him fully, seeing in his eyes the same uncertainty and hope that had been there since the night he’d set me free. The night he’d told me I could leave, could choose my own path, could finally have the agency that had been denied to me for so long.

“When we’ve settled back in, when Riley is stable and Ollie feels secure, then we’ll talk,” I said, my voice steady despite the emotional turmoil the conversation was causing. “We’ll figure out whether we’re fighting for our marriage or ending it completely.”

It wasn’t the answer either of us wanted, but it was the only honest response I could give. Too much had happened, too many wounds had been opened and left untreated, for us to simply pick up where we’d left off before Andy’s war had torn our family apart.

Xenois nodded, accepting the conditional nature of my commitment with the grace of someone who understood he had no right to

demand more.

“What do we tell the pack about our relationship status?” he asked.

“The truth,” I replied. “That we’re working together as co-parents and co-leaders while we sort through our personal issues. That our marriage is complicated but our commitment to the pack and our children isn’t.”

Thome cleared his throat, reminding us that he was still waiting for practical instructions about our return.

“I’ll need at least forty-eight hours to arrange secure transport for Lake,” he said. “The medical equipment alone is going to require special handling, and Dr. Martinez wants to accompany him to ensure continuity of care.”

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Chapter 285

“Do it,’ Xenois said immediately. ‘Whatever it takes, whatever it costs. Lake comes with us.”

The decision to bring Lake back to Silver Creek was both practically necessary and emotionally crucial. Riley’s cooperation was

entirely dependent on his ability to stay close to his friend, and separating them now would undo all the fragile progress we’d made.

“What about Andy?” I asked, the question I’d been avoiding finally forcing its way out. “She’s still in Zade’s custody. Are we just

leaving her here?”

Thorne and Xenois exchanged a look that told me they’d already discussed this issue.

“Zade’s people are better equipped to hold her,” Thorne explained. “Their facility is more secure, and frankly, I’m not sure our pack is ready to learn the full extent of what Andy did to our family. The fewer people who know about Riley’s conditioning, the better.”

I understood the logic, but leaving Andy behind felt like leaving unfinished business. She’d torn our family apart, traumatized our son, and manipulated our lives for years. The idea of simply walking away while she remained alive and potentially dangerous didn’t sit

well with me.

“She’ll be contained, Xenois said, reading my expression correctly. “Zade’s given me his word that she won’t escape or cause any more harm. And honestly, keeping her away from Riley is probably the kindest thing we can do for him right now.”

I nodded reluctantly, accepting the wisdom of their decision even as it frustrated me. Riley’s healing was more important than my desire for revenge, and exposing him to further contact with Andy would only set back his recovery.

A soft knock at the door interrupted our planning session, and Ollie peered around the frame with his characteristic cautious

curiosity.

“Are we going home soon?” he asked, his small voice carrying a hopeful note that made my heart clench. “I miss my room. And my friends. And Mrs. Patterson said she’d teach me how to make cookies when we got back.”

The simple innocence of his request highlighted the stark contrast between his experience of our exile and Riley’s trauma-filled ordeal. For Ollie, this had been an adventure, a temporary disruption that would end with a return to familiar comforts. For Riley, it had been a descent into psychological hell that would take years to fully recover from.

“Yes, sweetheart,” I said, kneeling down to his level. ‘We’re going home very soon. Riley needs to come with us, and we need to make sure Lake can come too, but then we’ll all go back to Silver Creek together.”

Ollie’s face lit up with genuine joy, and he threw his small arms around my neck in an enthusiastic hug that reminded me why I was making this choice. My children needed stability, needed the security of knowing their family was intact even if it was complicated.

As I held my youngest son and watched my eldest mechanically prepare for another hospital visit, I felt the familiar weight of maternal responsibility settling over me like armor. Whatever personal reservations I had about returning to Silver Creek, whatever unresolved issues existed between Xenois and me, my children’s wellbeing had to come first.

We were going home, ready or not.

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Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart