Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 465

Chapter 465

SHAWN

I stood outside the massive school complex, staring up at the building that seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction, and seriously considered just portaling back home.

Except I couldn’t portal. That was Lake’s ability. I could only disintegrate things, which wasn’t exactly useful for escaping uncomfortable social situations.

“You’re going to be fine, Ollie said beside me, somehow managing to sound confident despite being five years old and facing his own first day back at school after everything that had happened.

“You don’t know that,” I muttered.

“I do know that,” Ollie insisted. “Because Grandma said anyone who’s mean to you will answer to her, and everyone’s terrified of Grandma.

That was probably true. The adoption ceremony three days ago had been very public, very official, and very much witnessed by everyone in the pack. Silvia and Samuel had made it clear that I was now officially their son, that I carried the Blackwood name, and that anyone who had a problem with that could take it up with them personally.

Nobody had been brave enough to voice objections during the ceremony.

But I knew there would be opinions. Lots of opinions. About the legendary Blackwood elders adopting a random werewitch teenager. About whether I was worthy of their family name. About whether I was trying to replace Xena.

All I wanted was to keep my head down, stay quiet, and somehow survive high school without incident.

Which was probably an unrealistic goal given my track record.

“Come on,” Riley said, grabbing my hand with surprising authority for a five-year-old. “We’re going to be late for orientation. And being late on the first day sets a bad precedent for teacher perceptions.”

“You’re five,” I pointed out. “You shouldn’t know words like ‘precedent’ and ‘perceptions.””

“I read a lot,” Riley said matter-of-factly. “Now move.”

The school was enormous. Like, genuinely enormous. The complex sprawled across what had to be dozens of acres, with multiple buildings connected by covered walkways. There was a daycare section for the really young kids, elementary buildings, middle school, high school, and even college facilities for people who wanted to continue their education locally.

Silver Creek City was a massive metropolitan area where the supernatural community thrived openly. This school served the enti population, from toddlers to young adults pursuing degrees.

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Which meant there were a lot of people. A lot of potential witnesses to my inevitable social failure.

The boys peeled off toward the elementary section with Carol, who’d volunteered to help them settle in. I watched them go, feeling oddly abandoned despite the fact that I was seventeen and they were five.

“You’ll do great,” Lumina said, appearing beside me. “And if anyone gives you trouble, you have my permission to inform them that their Luna will be very displeased.”

“I can’t threaten people with Luna authority,” I protested. “I’m not even pack born. I’m adopted.”

‘Adoption is just as valid as blood,” Lumina said firmly. “You’re Blackwood now. That means something in this territory. Use it if you need to.”

She left to handle whatever Luna business she had scheduled, and I was alone.

Well. Alone in a crowd of hundreds of students all moving toward their respective buildings.

I made my way to the high school section, following signs and trying not to look as lost as I felt. The hallways were packed with teenagers-some I recognized from pack gatherings, most I didn’t. They moved in clusters, greeting friends, comparing schedules, doing all the normal first-day-of-school things that I had no context for.

I’d never had a normal school experience. Had spent most of my childhood hiding what I was, moving frequently, staying off

everyone’s radar. The few times I’d attended actual school, it had bo brief and forgettable.

This felt overwhelming.

I found my locker-number 247, third floor, west wing-and started working on the combination. Behind me, I could hear conversations, snippets of gossip, the normal social dynamics

cs of high school playing out.

-heard the Blackwoods adopted him-”

“-werewitch, can you believe-”

-probably trying to replace their dead daughter-”

I gripped the locker door harder, trying to ignore the whispers. They weren’t wrong to question it. I questioned it myself constantly.

“Hey, new kid.”

I turned to find three guys standing behind me. Alphas, based on their posture and the way they carried themselves. Probably from prominent families, used to being at the top of the social hierarchy.

“Hi,” I said carefully.

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“Shawn, right?” the tallest one said. He had the kind of casual confidence that came from never being told no. “The werewitch the Blackwoods took pity on?’

“I’m Shawn,” I confirmed, not taking the bait.

“We were just curious, another one said, moving closer. “About what it’s like being adopted into a pack when you’re not really one of them. Must be weird, pretending to be Blackwood when everyone knows you’re just some stray they picked up.”

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