Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 347

Chapter 347

OLLIE

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The classroom went quiet, all eyes turning to Lake. I felt anger flash through me-hot and protective and fierce. How dare Derek try

to make Lake feel bad about what he was?

“Derek, that’s not an appropriate question,” Mrs. Patty said firmly. “We don’t interrogate our classmates about their heritage.”

“But it’s true, right?” Derek pressed, ignoring the teacher’s warning. “My dad said werewitches aren’t real pack members. That they’re

not as strong as pure werewolves. That they’re basically just-”

“Derek Johnson, principal’s office, now!” Mrs. Patty’s voice cracked like a whip, startling everyone. Her eyes had gone hard, all warmth

replaced with steely authority.

“We do not tolerate discrimination in this classroom. Pack law explicitly protects all supernatural beings regardless of heritage, and

you will show your classmates respect or you will face consequences. Go. Now.”

Derek slouched toward the door, shooting Lake a nasty look as he passed. I was already planning how I was going to corner him at

recess and make it very clear that Lake was under my protection, that anyone who messed with my brother was going to answer to me.

“I apologize for that,” Mrs. Patty said once Derek had left, her voice gentle again as she looked at Lake. “What Derek said was wrong

and based on outdated prejudices that have no place in modern pack society. Lake, you are absolutely a full member of this pack and this

classroom, and anyone who says otherwise will deal with me. Understood?”

There were murmurs of agreement from most of the class, though I noticed a few kids exchanging uncomfortable glances. Great. So

Derek wasn’t the only one with issues about werewitches.

“Now then,” Mrs. Patty continued briskly, clearly determined to move past the incident. “Let’s begin with our morning reading.

Everyone please take out your current book and-”

The rest of the morning passed in the usual blur of lessons and activities. We did reading comprehension, worked on multiplication

tables, started a new unit on local history. Riley and Lake both seemed to handle the academic work easily-probably too easily, since

they’d been given advanced education in the facility. I caught Riley finishing a math worksheet in about thirty seconds that was supposed

to take fifteen minutes.

When recess finally arrived, I was more than ready to burn off some energy. We all flooded out onto the playground, kids scattering toward different activities-the swings, the jungle gym, the open field where games of tag and kickball were already forming.

“Come on,” I said to Riley and Lake. “I’ll show you the best spots. There’s this tree on the far side that’s perfect for climbing, and if

you go behind the equipment shed there’s a place where-”

“Ollie!” Troy called out, jogging over with a soccer ball under his arm. “We’re getting a game together. You in?”

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Chapter 347

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I glanced at Riley and Lake, torn between wanting to play and wanting to make sure my brothers were okay. Riley seemed to sense my

dilemma and gave me a small smile.

“Go play,” he said. “We’ll be fine. We can explore on our own.”

“You sure?” I asked uncertainly.

“Positive,” Lake confirmed. “We’re used to navigating new environments. We’ll figure it out.”

I hesitated for another moment, then nodded. “Okay. But if anyone gives you trouble, you come find me immediately. Got it?”

“Got it,” Riley agreed.

I ran off to join Troy and the others forming teams for soccer, though I kept glancing over toward where Riley and Lake had wandered off toward the edge of the playground. They were talking quietly to each other, observing everything with that careful alertness that spoke

of people who’d learned to always be aware of their surroundings.

The soccer game was intense and fun, exactly the kind of physical activity my wolf craved. We were evenly matched teams, and the score kept going back and forth. I managed to score two goals, which made me feel excellent about my athletic abilities.

But halfway through the game, I noticed a cluster of kids gathering near the equipment shed-and Riley and Lake were in the middle of it. My protective instincts immediately flared, and I abandoned the soccer game without explanation, running across the playground.

“-just saying, werewitches aren’t the same as werewolves,” I heard Derek saying as I got closer. He’d apparently returned from the principal’s office and immediately sought out my brothers. “My dad says they’re weaker. That their magic makes them unstable. That real

packs don’t usually accept them.”

“Your dad’s wrong,” Lake said flatly, though I could see tension in his shoulders. “And outdated. Werewitches have been part of pack

society for generations.”

“Yeah, but usually as like, consultants or whatever,” Derek’s friend Tyler chimed in. “Not as actual pack members. Not living in the

pack house and going to pack schools and stuff.”

“That’s changing,” Riley said quietly. “The old prejudices don’t serve anyone. They just create divisions that make packs weaker.”

“Or maybe they kept packs pure,” Derek countered. “Kept them strong. My dad says-”

“Your dad says a lot of stupid things,” I interrupted loudly, shouldering my way into the circle. “And you should probably stop

repeating them before everyone realizes how dumb you sound.”

Derek spun to face me, his expression hostile. “Stay out of this, Ollie. This doesn’t concern you.”

“Lake is my brother,” I said, my voice dropping into something darker, something that carried the weight of my father’s alpha blood. “Riley is my brother. Anything that concerns them concerns me. And if you have a problem with Lake being a werewitch, then you have a

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Chapter 347

problem with me.”

“I don’t have a problem with you,” Derek said, though his posture had become more defensive. “Just with your parents accepting

werewitches into our pack. It’s not natural.”

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“It’s perfectly natural,” Sarah Martinez said, stepping forward to stand beside me. I hadn’t even noticed her approach. “My mom is a historian, and she says werewitches used to be super common in packs before people got all weird and prejudiced about them. Lake being

here is actually going back to how things used to be.”

“Thank you,” I said gratefully.

“Besides,” Emma Thompson added, joining our growing group, “even if werewitches were different, so what? Different doesn’t mean bad. My cousin is a were-bear and he’s awesome, even though he’s not a werewolf.”

More kids were gathering now, and I realized we were creating a scene. Some looked supportive, nodding along with what Sarah and Emma were saying. Others looked uncertain, probably repeating prejudices they’d heard from their parents without really understanding them. A few-Derek’s usual friends-looked openly hostile.

“This is stupid,” Troy declared. “Lake and Riley just got here. They haven’t done anything to anyone. Why are we even arguing about

this?”

“Because it matters,” Derek insisted. “Because letting werewitches into the pack changes things. Makes us weaker. My dad says-”

“Your dad isn’t the Alpha,” I interrupted. “My dad is. And he accepted Lake into our pack, into our family. So unless your dad wants to challenge my dad for leadership, he should probably keep his opinions to himself

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Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart