Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 472

Chapter 472

XENOIS

My phone buzzed. A message from Marcus: Security reports suspicious activity near the school. Nothing concrete, but guards are on alert.

Perfect. Because apparently even planning a romantic evening required navigating potential threats.

I was responding when my door opened again. This time it was Thorne, looking slightly disheveled and very satisfied.

“Before you say anything,” he started, “Rivers and I were conducting important cross-territory coordination meetings.”

“Is that what we’re calling it?” I asked dryly.

“It’s a perfectly legitimate use of diplomatic resources,” Thorne defended.

“Diplomatic resources,” I repeated.

“The portal was established for cross-territory cooperation,” he pointed out. “Rivers and I are cooperating. Very thoroughly.”

Despite everything, I felt a laugh bubble up. “I’m not judging you for having a relationship. I’m annoyed that you’re impossible to find

when I need you because you’re off ‘cooperating’ with Zade’s second-in-command.”

“Fair criticism,” Thorne admitted. “I’ll be more available. But in my defense, Rivers and I spent three months with territories between

us after we got together. Now that distance isn’t an issue, we’re… making up for lost time.”

“I get it,” I said. “Just maybe keep your phone on you? In case of emergencies?”

“Deal,” Thorne agreed. Then, studying my face: “You look exhausted. When’s the last time you took a break?”

“I’m taking one tonight,” I said. “Lumina and I are going through the portal. Somewhere private. Definitely not for diplomatic coordination meetings.”

“About time,” Thorne said. “You’ve been running on caffeine and stubbornness for weeks. It’s not sustainable.”

“Says the man who was just having sex in another territory,” I pointed out.

“I’m supporting my relationship and my mental health,” Thorne said with dignity. “You should try it.”

“I plan to,” I assured him. “Now, catch me up. What did I miss while you were… coordinating?”

Thorne pulled up a chair and launched into a briefing about pack security, coalition updates, and the various mundane crises that

required alpha attention. Most of it was manageable-territory disputes, resource allocation, scheduling conflicts.

1/3

But one thing caught my attention.

“The school reported increased surveillance around the perimeter, Thorne said. “Nothing aggressive, but definitely more attention than usual. Marcus thinks it might be related to Shawn’s first day and the traditionalist families’ opposition to his adoption.”

“Or it’s Jerome,” I said grimly. “Watching our vulnerabilities. Identifying targets.

“That’s Marcus’s secondary theory,” Thorne agreed. “He’s increased security presence but trying to keep it subtle. Don’t want to scare

the kids or alert whoever’s watching that we’ve noticed them.”

“Good,” I approved. “And Shawn? How’s he handling the attention?”

“According to your mother’s sources, he made friends with some underground group of supernatural kids who’ve been hiding in plain

sight, Thorne said. “Apparently they have some kind of support network for non-traditional pack members.”

“Underground group,” I repeated. “Should I be concerned about secret organizations operating in my territory?”

“Probably not, Thorne said. “From what I can tell, they’re just teenagers who don’t fit traditional molds helping each other survive high school. More social support than conspiracy.”

“Still, look into it,” I said. “Not to shut it down, but to understand what’s happening. If there are supernatural beings living in our territory who feel they need to hide despite our reforms, that’s information we need.”

‘On it,” Thorne confirmed.

We spent another hour coordinating various pack matters. By the time Thorne left, my head was pounding and I’d completely lost focus on Jerome’s tactical analysis.

Maybe Lumina was right. Maybe I did need to step back occasionally, trust others to handle things, take breaks before I burned out

completely.

The thought was both terrifying and appealing.

My phone buzzed again. This time it was a message from Shawn: Is it normal for school to be this exhausting? Asking for a friend who might be me.

I smiled and typed back: Completely normal. Especially on the first day. How are you really doing?

Survived. Made some friends. Didn’t kill anyone. Calling it a win.

That’s a very low bar for success, I responded.

Yeah well, my bar is currently underground. Give me time to raise it.

2/3

Fair enough. Lamina told me about the bullies. You okay?

Handling it. Don’t want to make it a big thing.

It’s already a big thing if you almost lost control of your plasma abilities. Talk to me if you need backup.

I will Promise. Thanks for checking in.

Il set the phone down, feeling marginally better about the Shawn situation. He was communicating, making friends, setting boundaries

ahnitt wanting to handle things himself. That was healthy, even if it made my protective instincts scream.

The rest of the afternoon passed in administrative tedium. Budget reviews, schedule coordination, responding to about fifty emails

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