Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 340

Chapter 340

XENOIS

“Riley and Lake have been forced into situations where they had to develop these skills,” I explained gently, kneeling beside Ollie’s

chair.

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“That’s not something to be jealous of, buddy. That’s trauma. That’s survival. You get to be a normal kid because we can protect you.

They didn’t have that choice.”

“But I want to be useful,” Ollie insisted, tears spilling over now. “I don’t want to just hide while everyone else fights. I want to help

protect people too.”

Riley was watching this exchange with that unnerving focus, his expression difficult to read. Then he spoke, his voice softer than I’d

heard it.

“You are helping,” he said to Ollie. “You’re helping by being normal. By reminding everyone what they’re fighting for. Warriors don’t fight to protect weapons or tools. They fight to protect kids like you-kids who laugh and play and get to have actual childhoods. You’re

more important than you realize.”

The wisdom in those words, coming from a five-year-old’s mouth, made my throat tight. Riley understood something fundamental

about innocence and protection that most adults struggled to articulate.

Ollie sniffled, processing this. “Really?”

“Really,” Lake confirmed. “Besides, someone needs to make sure the safe rooms have enough snacks and entertainment. That’s a

crucial job. Can’t have people panicking from boredom during a lockdown.”

That got a watery laugh from Ollie, and I silently thanked Lake for the deflection. Crisis averted, at least for the moment.

“Is it really worth it? Putting everyone and their families at risk?” Lake asked, looking at me, as Riley reached for his hand and

squeezed.

“Riley and I can be in the North Pole in the blink of an eye. Without us here, the nightwalker leaves, there are no casualties, your

family wouldn’t go through this.”

“That’s not how family works,” I said, putting as much alpha authority and paternal warmth into my voice as I could. “You don’t run away to protect us. We stand together, we fight together, we survive together. That’s what pack means. That’s what family means.”

“Even if it gets people killed?” Riley asked, his blank mask cracking to show genuine fear underneath. “Even if the nightwalkers come

and they hurt someone-hurt Ollie-because we’re here?”

“They won’t hurt Ollie,” I said with more confidence than I felt. “They won’t hurt anyone. Because we’re going to be ready for them. We’re going to use everything you’ve taught us, every piece of knowledge you have, and we’re going to protect this pack. Together.”

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Chapter 340

“You made me memorize all those nightwalker facts, Ollie piped up suddenly, his young voice cutting through the tension. “About

temperature drops and weird shadows and stuff. So I can help protect Riley and Lake too. Right?”

He looked at me hopefully, and I saw Riley’s expression shift-that mask cracking further to show something that might have been

guilt or gratitude or both.

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“Right,” I confirmed. “Everyone helps protect everyone. That’s the deal.”

Lake was staring into his cereal bowl like it held answers to questions he was afraid to ask. “What about the volcano thing?” he said

finally, not looking up. “Are you going to ask about that?”

I glanced at Lumina, who gave me a slight nod.

“Only if you want to tell us,” I said carefully. “But Lake, I need you to understand something. Nothing you did to survive-nothing you did to protect yourself or Riley or any other child in that facility-is something you need to be ashamed of. Whatever happened, whoever you had to hurt or kill to stay alive, that’s not on you. That’s on the adults who put you in that situation.”

Lake’s hands were shaking slightly, and I saw Riley shift closer to him in silent support.

“There was a guard,” Lake said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. “He liked to hurt the younger kids. Andy didn’t care as long as he didn’t damage us too badly. He came after Riley one day when Riley was already injured from testing. I opened a portal and shoved him through before I really thought about where I was sending him.”

“An active volcano,” I supplied gently.

Lake nodded. “I’d seen a documentary once, before Andy took me. About volcanoes and lava flows and geological formation. The image stuck in my head. So when I needed to send him somewhere fast, somewhere he couldn’t come back from…” He trailed off, but the

implication was clear.

The guard had fallen into lava. Had burned alive, probably instantly. And Lake had been what-three years old at the time? four? Old enough to protect his friend but young enough that the trauma of killing someone would shape him for the rest of his life.

“You saved Riley,” I said firmly. “You protected someone who couldn’t protect himself. That makes you a hero, Lake. Not a murderer. A

hero.”

“I killed someone,” Lake said, finally looking up at me with eyes that held far too much pain for such a young face. “I watched him

burn. That doesn’t feel very heroic.”

“It feels terrible,” I agreed. “Because you’re a good person who didn’t want to hurt anyone. But Lake, you need to understand-what you did was justified. It was self-defense, defense of another person. Any court in any civilized territory would call that justified homicide

at worst.”

“Andy called it initiative,” Riley said quietly. “She praised Lake for it. Said he was showing proper survival instincts and combat

readiness.”

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Of course she had. Andy would have seen a traumatized child protecting his friend and thought ‘useful soldier’ instead of ‘victim who

needs help.’

“Andy was wrong,” Lumina said, moving to stand beside Lake’s stool. She didn’t touch him-Lake was still wary of unexpected physical

contact-but her presence was warm and steady. “What she called initiative was actually sacrifice. You took on that burden, that trauma,

to save Riley. That’s not something to be praised or weaponized. That’s something to be mourned, because no child should ever have to

make that choice.”

Lake’s eyes were shining now, tears he was fighting hard not to shed. “I see him sometimes,” he whispered. “When I close my eyes.

The guard. Burning. Screaming. I hear it in my nightmares.”

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“I know,” I said, my own voice thick. “And I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry that you carry that. But Lake, you’re safe now. You’re with people

who understand, who won’t judge you, who will help you work through those nightmares. You don’t have to carry this alone anymore.”

“Promise?” Lake asked, sounding for the first time like the five-year-old he actually was.

“Promise,” I said firmly.

Ollie had abandoned his cereal and was staring at Lake with wide eyes. “You’re really brave,” he said finally. “Braver than superheroes.

They don’t have to have nightmares about the bad guys they fight.”

It was such a purely Ollie observation-earnest and honest and somehow exactly right-that it made everyone pause.

“Ollie’s right,” Riley said, the ghost of a smile on his face. “You are brave, Lake. Even if you don’t feel like it.”

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13:00 Thu, Jan 29 M…

Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart