Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 369

Chapter 369

XENOIS

“Can be both,” I said. “So here’s what I’m thinking for next steps. You reach out to the alphas you think might be receptive-Chen,

Rodriguez, whoever else you trust. Feel them out about a regional summit, but frame it as information sharing rather than asking for commitment. Meanwhile, I’ll make contact with the leadership in Shadow City, see if they’re open to formal recognition and coordination.”

“And the nightwalkers?” Lumina asked.

“We interrogate the one we have more aggressively,” I said. “Find out what they know about their organization’s structure and plans. And we share that information with every alpha who’ll listen, proof that this threat is real and immediate.”

“What about your Elder Council?” Zade asked. “Are they going to let you do any of this?”

I felt my jaw tighten. That was the real question, wasn’t it? I was alpha, which meant I had significant authority over pack decisions. But the Elder Council represented tradition, wisdom, and-most importantly-the collective power of Silver Creek’s oldest and most influential families. Ignoring them completely would destabilize my leadership. But letting them veto every necessary change would make

us vulnerable to threats they didn’t understand.

“I’ll handle the elders,” I said, with more confidence than I felt. “They’re not happy about Lake, but they haven’t openly challenged my authority yet. As long as I can frame these changes as protecting the pack rather than dismantling tradition, I might be able to bring

them along.”

“Might being the operative word,” Zade said dryly.

‘Might is all we’ve got right now,” I replied. “That and the certainty that doing nothing will get people killed.”

‘Fair enough. I’ll start making calls tonight, set up preliminary conversations with the alphas I think we can work with. You focus on your local situation and the Shadow City contact. We’ll reconvene in a few days, compare notes, and figure out next steps.”

“Agreed,’ I said. “And Zade? Thank you. For the heads up about the nightwalkers, for being willing to stick your neck out on this coalition idea, for… all of it.”

‘Don’t get sentimental on me, honey,” Zade said, but I could hear the warmth underneath the sarcasm. “We’re just two alphas trying not to let ancient shadow monsters murder everyone we care about. That’s standard friendship stuff.”

“If you say so,” I replied, smiling despite the weight of everything we’d just discussed.

“Take care of your family, Xenois. And call me if anything changes.

“Same to you. Tell Lyn I said hi.”

‘Will do. And Xenois? About that tropical island backup plan-I’m not entirely joking. Keep it in mind as a contingency.”

He ended the call before I could respond, leaving me staring at the phone and processing everything we’d just discussed. Lumina was

already moving, pulling up maps and contact lists on her tablet, her mind clearly working through logistics and strategy.

“This is going to be complicated,’ she said quietly.

We returned to the living room to find all three kids exactly where we’d left them, though they were clearly vibrating with curiosity about what the emergency call had been about. Ollie opened his mouth to ask, but I held up a hand.

‘Later,’ I said. ‘Right now, we need to finish the conversation we were having before Zade called. About robotics club.”

Their expressions lit up with renewed hope, and I realized that despite everything-despite nightwalkers and political upheaval and the weight of trying to reshape supernatural society-this moment mattered too. These kids deserved normal experiences, deserved

friends and clubs and the chance to just be children.

“You can join,’ I said, watching their faces transform with joy. “Under the conditions we discussed. Supervised activities only, phones always on, immediate notification if anything feels wrong. And Lake- I looked at the werewitch child who’d somehow become mine to protect, you’re going to be amazing. Anyone who gets to know you will see that you belong here, that you’re part of this pack. Show them who you are, not what people fear you might be.”

Lake’s eyes went suspiciously shiny, and he nodded rapidly, clearly not trusting his voice. Ollie whooped with excitement, already

chattering about all the robots they were going to build. Riley smiled-a genuine, unguarded expression that made him look like the five-

year-old he actually was instead of the tactical genius trauma had shaped him into.

And for just a moment, despite everything waiting for us-the nightwalkers and the politics and the impossible task of building coalition out of chaos-I let myself feel hope.

We were going to survive this. All of us, together.

We just had to be smart enough, brave enough, and stubborn enough to make it happen.

Fortunately, being stubborn was something I excelled at.