Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 498

Chapter 498

‘You can’t protect them from everything, Samuel said gently. “No alpha can. That’s the hardest lesson of leadership-accepting that despite all your power and resources, you can’t guarantee anyone’s safety.”

“That doesn’t make it easier,” I said.

“It’s not supposed to, Silvia said. “It’s supposed to drive you to be better, smarter, more strategic about eliminating threats before

they can reach your family.”

“Which brings us back to Jerome, Zade said. “He’s proven he’ll attack anywhere, target anyone, use any method. The only way to

actually protect your family is to remove him as a threat.”

“Kill him,” I said flatly.

“Yes, Zade agreed without hesitation. “Not capture, not imprison, not negotiate. Kill him. Permanently. Because as long as he’s alive,

he’s going to keep coming for you and yours.”

I’d known this was coming. Had probably known since the moment Jerome tortured my parents. But hearing it stated so baldly-the

acknowledgment that we needed to assassinate someone, that capture wasn’t sufficient-it still made me flinch.

“That’s a line I haven’t crossed yet, I said quietly.

“You’ve killed in combat,” Silvia pointed out. “During this attack, during the rescue operation, probably dozens of times in your

leadership career.

“That’s different, I protested. Combat is reactive, self-defense, immediate threat response. Assassination is-

“Proactive threat elimination,” Samuel interrupted. ‘It’s making the tactical decision that someone is too dangerous to allow continued existence. And yes, it’s different from combat. It’s also sometimes necessary.”

“We’re not asking you to do it yourself, Zade said. “You don’t have to be the one to pull the trigger or deliver the killing blow. But you do need to authorize it. Give permission for specialized operatives to hunt Jerome specifically with lethal intent.”

“That makes me responsible for his death,’ I said.

‘You’re already responsible for everything that happens in your territory, Silvia said. “Every decision, every casualty, every victory. That’s what being alpha means. The question isn’t whether you’re responsible-it’s whether you re willing to make the hard choice to

protect your people.

They were all watching me, waiting for the decision that would define what kind of alpha 1 really was

Progressive reformer who believed in rehabilitation and mercy? Or traditional leader willing to eliminate threats permanently?

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