Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 301

Chapter 301

ZADE

Andy was dead or soon to be good as dead. The words hit me with unexpected force, even though I’d known it was coming. Lumina,

Lyn, and Lynn had gone to handle that particular loose end days ago, and none of them had shown any signs of regret when they’d

returned.

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I hadn’t asked for details, hadn’t wanted to know exactly how they’d ensured Andy would never hurt anyone again.

“That makes sense,” Lyn said quietly, his fingers tightening slightly on my shoulder. “It might be both in a way. Curse magic is tied to

the caster’s life force. When Andy died, any active curses she’d placed would have started breaking down.”

Xenois cleared his throat. “There’s something else. Lake’s being discharged tonight. The doctors want to keep monitoring him, but there’s no medical reason to keep him in the hospital now that he’s conscious and stable. And Riley…” He paused again, and I could hear

the careful neutrality in his voice.

“Riley’s refusing to leave the hospital without Lake. He’s making it very clear that if Lake goes home, he goes home. And if Lake has

to stay, he stays.”

I closed my eyes, already seeing where this was going. “So you’re bringing them both to my house.”

“I don’t have much choice,” Xenois replied. “Riley’s been cooperative these past few days because we promised him time with Lake. Taking that away now, when Lake is finally awake, would undo all the progress we’ve made. And honestly, after watching them together just now… I think having Lake around might be the best thing for Riley’s recovery.”

Lyn shifted on my lap, his expression thoughtful. “Lake did torture me under Andy’s orders,” he said carefully, his voice carrying none

of the anger I might have expected.

“But he also risked his life to save everyone during that explosion. And he’s been Riley’s anchor through all of this. Whatever he did

before, he’s clearly important to Riley’s healing.”

I knew he was right, but the protective part of me that had spent weeks dealing with Lyn’s nightmares and trauma responses bristled

at the idea of Lake being rewarded with comfort and safety.

The kid had participated in my mate’s torture, had helped Andy carry out her sadistic plans, even if he’d been manipulated into it.

“He was saving Riley back then, I pointed out, unable to keep the edge from my voice. “The fact that it helped the rest of you was

incidental.”

“Maybe,” Lyn agreed. “But he still made a choice to act against Andy’s interests when it mattered most. That has to count for

something.”

Xenois’s sigh crackled through the speakerphone. “I’m not asking you to forgive him, Zade. I’m just letting you know that he’ll be

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Chapter 301

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staying at the house for the foreseeable future. Riley won’t come home otherwise, and I’m not prepared to leave my son sleeping in a

hospital chair when there’s a viable alternative.”

The unspoken implication was clear – if I had a problem with this arrangement, I could keep it to myself. Xenois was doing what he

thought was best for Riley, and my complicated feelings about Lake’s past actions didn’t factor into that equation.

“Fine,” I said, though the word tasted bitter. “But if he does anything to hurt Lyn again—*

“He won’t, Xenois interrupted firmly.

“Andy’s dead, her influence is gone, and Lake’s got no reason to follow orders that no longer exist. Plus, Riley would never forgive him

if he hurt anyone in his family again. That includes you and Lyn, whether Riley consciously acknowledges it or not.”

I wasn’t entirely convinced, but I also recognized that this wasn’t my decision to make. Lake was Xenois’s problem now, another

complicated piece in the increasingly chaotic puzzle of Riley’s recovery and their family’s reconstruction.

“When are you bringing them over?” I asked, resigned to this new development.

“Tonight, probably in a few hours once they finish the discharge paperwork. I wanted to give you advance notice in case you wanted

to… prepare.”

Prepare for what, exactly? The possibility of seeing the kid who’d helped torture my mate? The uncomfortable reality that Riley’s

healing depended on someone I wasn’t sure I could trust? The fact that our neat little plan to rebuild pack stability was about to get

significantly more complicated?

“Thanks for the warning,” I said, not bothering to hide my lack of enthusiasm.

Lyn reached over and ended the call, then turned to face me fully. His expression was serious, stripped of the playful desire that had

defined our interaction before Liana’s interruption.

“You can’t punish Lake for what Andy made him do,” he said quietly. “I know you want to protect me, and I love you for that. But

holding onto anger at a kid who was being manipulated isn’t going to help anyone heal.*

“He’s not just a kid,” I argued, even though I knew it was a weak position.

“He’s a werewolf with power who made choices that hurt you.”

‘He’s Riley’s age, Lyn countered.

“Barely older than Ollie. And he was being controlled by someone who spent years perfecting psychological warfare. Yes, what happened to me was horrible. Yes, Lake participated in it. But he also broke free from that control when it mattered most, and he’s been

paying for his choices ever since.”

I pulled him closer, burying my face against his neck. “I just want you to be safe. I want everyone who hurt you to face consequences.”

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“Andy faced consequences,” Lyn reminded me, his fingers threading through my hair. “The worst kind. And Lake’s been unconscious for

days after nearly dying to save people he barely knew. That feels like consequence enough.”

He was right, of course. Lyn had always been more forgiving than I was, more willing to see the complexity in people’s actions rather

than reducing them to simple categories of good and evil. It was one of the things I loved about him, even when it frustrated my more

straightforward desire for justice.

“I’ll try,” I promised, lifting my head to meet his eyes. “I’ll try to be civil to Lake when they arrive. But if he does anything-

“Then we’ll deal with it,” Lyn finished.

“Together. Like we deal with everything.”

I kissed him then, a slower and more deliberate kiss than the heated passion that had led to Liana’s unfortunate discovery. This was about reconnection and reassurance, about reminding myself that Lyn was here and safe and choosing to build a future with me despite

everything we’d been through.

When we finally broke apart, Lyn was smiling. “We should probably get back to work. Or at least put our shirts back on before

someone else walks in.”

I glanced at his bare chest, at the marks I’d left on his skin during our earlier enthusiasm, and felt heat rise in my face again. “Right. Work. That thing I’m supposed to be doing instead of making out with my mate in my office.”

“To be fair,” Lyn said as he climbed off my lap and reached for his discarded shirt, “you’ve been working non-stop for weeks. A little making out is probably good for your mental health.”

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Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart