Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 321

Chapter 321

XENOIS

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“Lake is under our protection,” Lumina said firmly. “We made that clear when we agreed to bring him with us. Anyone who has a

problem with that will have to go through both of us.”

Her certainty steadied me somewhat. Lumina had always been the stronger one emotionally, the one who could face difficult

situations with grace and determination while I floundered. It was one of the many reasons I’d fallen in love with her, even if it had taken

magical intervention to make me remember that love.

“What if they challenge us?” I asked, voicing my deepest fear. “What if the elders decide we’ve been gone too long, that we’ve failed in

our duties as alpha and luna?”

“Then we deal with it,” Lumina said simply. “Together. The way we should have been dealing with everything from the beginning.”

She was right, of course. The years under Sophia’s spell, when I’d believed I was in love with her while neglecting my actual mate and

son, had created fractures in our pack’s foundation. Fractures that my prolonged absence had only widened. But running from those

problems wouldn’t solve them. We had to face them head-on, acknowledge our failures, and work to rebuild what had been broken.

“I don’t deserve you,” I said, bringing her hand to my lips and pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

“You’re right,” she agreed with a small smile. “You don’t. Lucky for you, I’m stuck with you anyway.”

The casual affection in her words, the easy intimacy we’d rebuilt in the aftermath of Sophia’s spell, made some of the knots in my

chest loosen. Whatever we faced in Silver Creek, we’d face it together. That had to count for something.

“-not how physics works,” Riley was saying from the back seat, his tone taking on that lecturing quality that suggested he was about

to launch into a detailed explanation.

“It’s a movie about superheroes,” Ollie protested. “Physics doesn’t apply.”

“Physics always applies. That’s literally the entire point of physics. It’s universal laws, not universal suggestions.”

“Okay, Professor Buzzkill,” Ollie said with exaggerated eye-rolling. “Next you’re going to tell me that magic isn’t real.”

“Magic follows different rules than physics, but it still has rules,” Riley argued. “Lake, back me up here.”

Lake made a noncommittal sound. “I’m not getting involved in this. You two can argue about fictional physics without me.”

“Coward, Riley accused, but there was warmth in his voice.

“Strategic neutrality,” Lake corrected. “There’s a difference.”

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Chapter 321

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Their banter continued as we drove, filling the car with sound that felt almost normal. Almost like a regular family on a road trip,

rather than a fractured pack limping home with newly discovered trauma and impossible choices ahead.

I tried to focus on that-on the sound of laughter from the back seat, on Lumina’s steady presence beside me, on the familiar

landscape rolling past. Tried not to think about the ninety-four children Lake and Riley had buried, about the experiments that had been

conducted on who knew how many kids, about the enhanced abilities Riley had developed that we still didn’t fully understand.

There would be time to deal with all of that later. Right now, I needed to focus on getting us home safely. On preparing myself

mentally for the confrontation I knew was coming. On being the alpha my pack needed, even if I had no idea how to be that person

anymore.

“We’re approaching the border,” Lumina said, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts.

I could feel it too-that subtle shift in the air that marked the edge of Silver Creek territory. My territory. The place I was supposed to protect and lead, the pack I was responsible for. The weight of that responsibility, which I’d been avoiding for two months, came crashing

back down on my shoulders.

“Boys,” I called back, waiting until the movie paused and I had their attention.

“We’re about to cross into Silver Creek. I need you all to be on your best behavior when we arrive. No matter what happens, no matter what anyone says, you stay calm and let me handle it. Understood?”

“What’s going to happen?” Ollie asked, and I heard the thread of anxiety in his voice.

“Nothing bad,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “The pack’s just going to be curious about where we’ve been and who we’ve brought home. There might be some questions, some challenges. But as long as we present a united front, everything will be fine.”

Riley’s expression had gone carefully blank, and I recognized that look-it was the same mask he wore whenever he was preparing for potential conflict. Lake’s eyes had sharpened, his body language shifting into something more alert. Even Ollie had straightened in his seat, clearly picking up on the tension.

“Riley, Lake, Lumina said, turning in her seat to look at them directly. “You’re both under our protection. No one in Silver Creek will harm you or question your right to be there. If anyone tries, they’ll answer to both of us.”

“And me,” Ollie added quickly. “If anyone messes with Riley or Lake, they mess with me too.”

The fierce loyalty in my younger son’s voice made my chest tight. After everything-after being sidelined and excluded and treated like he didn’t matter-Ollie was still willing to stand up for his brother. That was the kind of person we’d raised, the kind of pack member who prioritized loyalty over personal grievances.

“Thank you, Ollie,” Riley said quietly, and I caught the brief flash of something in his expression that might have been gratitude.

We crossed the border, and I felt the familiar tug of pack bonds settling back into place. The sensation of being connected to dozens of minds, of feeling the general emotional state of my pack members, had been muted during our time away. Now it came flooding back,

and what I felt made my stomach clench.

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Chapter 321

Anxiety. Anger. Confusion. Relief at our return mixed with resentment over our absence. The pack’s emotional state was turbulent, unsettled in a way that spoke of extended uncertainty and lack of clear leadership.

“They’re not happy,” Lumina murmured, and I knew she was feeling the same thing through her luna bonds.

“No,” I agreed. “They’re not.”

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The pack house came into view, and I saw the crowd that had gathered in the main courtyard. Not the entire pack-that would have been hundreds of people-but enough to make our return feel like an event. The elders stood at the front, their expressions grave. Marcus was there too, looking harried and exhausted in a way that told me the last two months had been just as hard on him as they’d been on

I parked the SUV but didn’t immediately get out, taking a moment to steel myself. This was it. The moment of truth where we’d find out if the pack still trusted us to lead, or if our extended absence had irreparably damaged our authority.

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12:56 Thu, Jan 29 M…

Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart