Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 471

Chapter 471

XENOIS

I stared at the tactical map spread across my desk, trying to concentrate on Jerome’s likely next moves, when my office door opened without warning.

Again.

For the third time in an hour.

“Thorne, I swear to god if you’re sneaking off to use the portal again- I started, then stopped when I realized it wasn’t Thorne.

It was Lumina, and her expression suggested this conversation was going to be more complicated than tracking down my second-in-

command.

“We need to talk about Shawn,” she said, closing the door behind her.

I sat back in my chair, abandoning the map entirely. “What happened?”

“He got bullied at school today,” Lumina said, settling into the chair across from my desk. “Some alpha kids from traditionalist families. They shoved him, questioned his place in our family, made it clear he’s not welcome among ‘real’ pack members.”

I felt my wolf surge with protective anger. “Did he tell you this?”

“No, he specifically tried to downplay it,” Lumina said. “But your mother has sources at the school. Apparently Shawn almost lost control of his plasma abilities in the hallway. Came close to vaporizing half the junior class before some other kids intervened with liquid nitrogen.”

“Liquid nitrogen,” I repeated.

“Science club, apparently. The point is, your new stepbrother is being targeted, and it’s only his first day.”

I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the familiar weight of too many responsibilities and not enough hours to address them all. “Did

he want me to intervene?”

“He specifically said he wanted to handle it himself,” Lumina said. “But Xenois, he’s seventeen. He’s been living on the run for six months. He’s still learning to control abilities that could kill people if he loses focus. And he’s being harassed by kids whose parents probably sent them to school with explicit instructions to make the adopted werewitch’s life miserable.”

“So what do you want me to do?” I asked. “I can’t protect him from high school social dynamics. That would undermine his independence and make things worse.”

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Chapter 471

I

Thant you to be aware,” Lumina said. “And I want you to have a plan for when-not if, when-this escalates. Because it will escalate.

traditionalist families aren’t going to stop at verbal harassment.”

She was right, of course. The same families who’d opposed my reforms, who’d questioned accepting Lake and Riley, who’d made it clear they thought my progressive policies were destroying pack tradition-they’d see Shawn as a perfect target.

If they could prove that adopting a werewitch was dangerous, that plasma abilities were too unstable for civilized society, that non-

traditional pack members were threats rather than assets-they’d use it to undermine everything we’d built.

I’ll talk to him,’ I said. “Make sure he knows he has options if things get bad. And I’ll have security keep closer watch on the school.

Subtle surveillance, nothing obvious.

“Good,” Lumina said. Then, more gently: “How are you handling all of this? Your parents being kidnapped, the coalition politics, now

your new brother being targeted?

“I’m handling it,” I said automatically.

“Xenois.”

I looked at her—my mate, my Luna, the person who could see through every defensive wall I tried to build—and felt exhaustion hit

me like a physical weight.

“I’m barely holding it together,” I admitted. “Jerome is still out there planning something. The coalition is stable but fragile. My parents are recovering but traumatized. Shawn is struggling with integration. The kids are dealing with their own school challenges. And I

can’t find Thorne half the time because he and Rivers are using the permanent portal as their personal romantic getaway.”

“That last part bothers you more than you’re admitting,” Lumina observed.

“It doesn’t bother me that Thorne found someone, I clarified. “It bothers me that I have a permanent dimensional gateway

connecting two pack territories and instead of using it for strategic coordination, my second-in-command is using it for sex.”

“You’re jealous,” Lumina said, a smile tugging at her lips.

‘I’m not jealous-

“You’re absolutely jealous,” she interrupted. “Thorne and Rivers can disappear into another territory whenever they want for private

time while you’re stuck here managing crises.”

“That’s not,” I stopped, considering. “Okay, maybe I’m a little jealous. Is that so wrong? I’d love to be able to just grab you and

disappear through a portal for a few hours of uninterrupted time together.”

“So do it,” Lumina suggested.

*I can’t just abandon my responsibilities for sex,’ I protested.

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“Why not?” she challenged. “Zade does. He and Lyn disappear regularly. Your parents definitely did when they were active leaders-

I’ve heard stories. The only person stopping you from taking breaks is you.”

I wanted to argue. Wanted to explain that being alpha meant constant availability, that I couldn’t afford to be unreachable, that

people depended on me.

But looking at Lumina, seeing the invitation in her eyes, feeling the mate bond pull with want and need and the desperate desire for

connection that had nothing to do with pack leadership-1 realized she was right.

I was punishing myself with constant work while everyone else found balance.

*Tonight, I decided. “After the kids are in bed, after I’ve checked in with security one more time-we’re going through that portal and

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