Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 392

Chapter 392

Jerome,” I said, letting recognition show. “I should have known you’d be behind this. How is your brother, by the way? Still imprisoned in Blackwood territory for his crimes against my pack?”

Jerome’s expression darkened. ‘Lazarus is being held illegally. He was vestigating supernatural activity that your son had no authority to

interfere with

“He was coordinating with a facility that tortured children,’ I corrected flatly. “He was part of a conspiracy that led to my grandson being kidnapped at birth and held captive for years. He’s lucky Xenois is showing restraint by merely imprisoning him instead of executing him

outright.

“Restraint.” Jerome repeated mockingly. “Yes, your son is famous for his restraint. Almost as famous as you were for yours during the

territorial wars.”

He moved closer to the cell, staying just out of reach but close enough to make his point.

“This is justice, Silvia. Long overdue justice for crimes you and your mate committed decades ago. You destroyed families, eliminated entire nests, terrorized the supernatural community into submission. And you did it while claiming moral superiority, while presenting yourselves as

civilized leaders bringing order to chaos.”

“We were bringing order,” I insisted. “The territorial wars were killing everyone. Different factions fighting constantly, borders shifting every week, innocents caught in the crossfire. Someone had to establish rules, create structure, force cooperation.”

“Through genocide,” Jerome said quietly. “Through systematic elimination of anyone who questioned Blackwood authority. You didn’t create

cooperation, Silvia. You created compliance through terror.”

He was right. God help me, he was right.

Samuel and I had told ourselves we were building peace. But we’d built it on foundations of fear and violence and the absolute certainty

that anyone who opposed us would be destroyed.

We’d been so sure we were different, better than the warlords before us. But we’d just been more effective monsters.

“So this is revenge,” I said. “For your families, for the people I killed during the wars.”

“Partly,” Jerome agreed. “But it’s also prevention. Because I’ve watched your son, Silvia. I’ve seen how he operates. He talks about

compassion and inclusion and breaking old cycles. But he’s your son. And when pushed, when his family is threatened, when he feels he has no

other choice-he’ll do exactly what you did. He’ll eliminate threats with overwhelming force and justify it by calling it protection.”

“Xenois is nothing like me,” I said fiercely. “He’s better. Kinder. More concerned with doing what’s right than what’s effective.”

“For now,” Jerome said. “Until something happens that makes kindness impossible. Until he has to choose between his progressive ideals and his family’s survival. And then we’ll see the Blood Luna’s son in action

He gestured to my chains, my cell, my helpless position.

“By taking you, we’re forcing that choice earlier than it might otherwil come. We’re creating a situation where Xenois has to decide-does he maintain his compassionate, inclusive policies, or does he revert to Blackwood traditions to save his mother? Does he negotiate and compromise, or does he unleash the kind of overwhelming force his parents were famous for?”

III

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Chapter 392

“You’re testing him, I realized. “Using me as bait to see what kind of pha he really is.”

“Exactly,” Jerome said. “And depending on what he does, we’ll know how to proceed. If he negotiates, if he shows he’s willing to compromise his ideals for family-we’ll use that weakness. If he attacks, if he proves he’s as ruthlessly protective as you were-we’ll have justification for organizing broader supernatural opposition.”

He smiled, cold and satisfied.

“Either way, we win. Either we expose your son as just another Blackwod tyrant in progressive clothing, or we force him to abandon the very policies that make him dangerous to the old order.”

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