Rise Of A Shattered Luna (Natalie) by Kave Derry novel Chapter 283

Chapter 283 The Limits Of The Deri

Natalie’s POV

The submission of the King of the North still echoed in the tight space of the SUV.

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Baron’s low, effortless “Yes, madam” lingered like a warm aftershock in the air, and my inner wolf, Nyx, practically lifted her head in triumphant satisfaction.

A soft laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it.

Up front, Jayden caught it through the rearview mirror and grinned, his posture loosening as if the entire tension from the emergency room had finally burned away.

The moment the vehicle stopped, Baron opened the heavy door for me, his large hand sliding naturally back into mine as we stepped onto the porch.

The sterile scent of the hospital vanished almost instantly, replaced by roasted meat, herbs, and the grounding warmth of home.

Flynn had already taken control of the kitchen.

The massive spread Baron had prepared earlier had been reheated and laid out with military precision.

Game meat.

Root vegetables.

Thick broths.

A full restoration meal.

But the real chaos was outside.

The twins had discovered the pond.

Behind the villa, the land opened into a wide, wild stretch of cattails and river stones where a flock of ducks floated like careless

intruders.

That was all it took.

The children had exploded into motion.

Small, fast shapes darting through grass and mud, laughter cutting through the air like bells.

Quacking followed.

Then splashing.

Then chaos.

I stood at the wide glass doors of the rear veranda, my hand resting against the frame as I watched the two small shapes darting through the bush.

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Chapter 283 The Limits Of The Den

After everything in that hospital, this… this felt like breathing again.

Baron stood beside me, arms crossed.

He looked like a warlord forced into childcare negotiations.

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“Seriously,” he muttered, watching the scene like it personally offended his discipline. “Do they think that kind of noise is acceptable stealth training?”

I glanced up at him.

“They’re children.”

“They’re future trackers,” he corrected immediately.

I smiled. “They’re also allowed to be children.”

That alone made his expression twitch.

Then I added, softer, “You’ve let them roam half your territory. You’re surprised they’re curious about ducks?”

“Don’t you even joke about that, Natalie!” he gasped out, his voice a hoarse, panicked whisper.

“With those two little terrors raising a flock of ducks inside our main den? The poor omegas servants would never survive the structural chaos of the cleanup. I’ve thoroughly figured it out tonight… you’re totally, completely biased when it comes to the actions of those pups. Sweetheart, let me tell you plainly, neither Susie nor Sean are nearly as innocent or as helpless as they look when they’re clutching your skirt.”

“Don’t talk absolute nonsense!” I laughed, giving him a firm nudge with my shoulder as I stepped closer to the edge of the glass.

“My kids are just fine. They carry the finest discipline of both our lines.”

I swatted his arm to silence his dramatic complaints, but the playful words died in my throat the exact moment I noticed Susie had tripped from running too fast across the loose river stones.

Her small frame tumbled forward into the tall grass, her face disappearing for a second beneath the reeds.

“Susie!”

My heart instantly lurched inside my chest as I took a sudden, frantic step toward the veranda door, ready to scoop the girl up into my arms and check her for any structural damage.

But she was already up.

Mud on her knees.

Chin lifted.

Unbothered.

“We said the big one is mine!” she shouted, pointing at the ducks like she was negotiating territory rights.

I froze.

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Chapter 283 The Limits Of The Den

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Baron went still beside me.

Even Flynn, somewhere out in the field, visibly paused.

Then Susie added brightly, “Uncle Flynn can roast it later!”

Silence.

I turned slowly toward Baron.

I stared at the two small children running ahead through the mud.

They weren’t looking at the birds as innocent childhood playmates; they were actively evaluating the flock as a potential meat ration for the pack’s evening meal.

I stood there, utterly dumbfounded by the sheer calculations of my five–year–old pups, before I heard the deep, resonant vibration of Baron’s low laughter rising behind me.

He stepped up until his broad chest pressed completely against my back, his large hands sliding around my waist to pull me secure against his warmth.

“Come on, sweetheart,” he murmured, his breath hot and soothing against the sensitive skin of my neck as he looked out at the lawn.

“Let them play their little hunting games. Worst case scenario, your brother is out there with them to handle any boundary issues. You’ve been through entirely enough emotional chaos today with the hospital investigation… let’s go eat our own dinner.”

His voice dropped lower.

“Let them run,” he murmured. “The perimeter is secure.”

And just like that, I noticed it.

The Blackridge shadow cells moving through the treeline.

Silent.

Watching every angle without being seen.

Only then did my shoulders finally ease.

We enjoyed our meal in a rare, peaceful quiet.

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The hot game meat and rich broths slowly restored the physical reserves my wolf had spent during the confrontation with the Summers parents.

Flynn had taken the twins back out again after refusing to trust them near “avian civilians,” as he called it.

Baron sat across from me, his chin resting in his palm as his dark eyes tracked the movement of my hands.

With a mischievous smirk suddenly playing across his handsome features, he leaned across the polished table, his gold irises flashing.

3/4 “Sweetheart,” he rumbled, his voice dropping into a low, purr that carried the unmistakable frequency of our afternoon ride in the

Chapter 283 The Limits Of The Den

SUV

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“The rural scenery is really not bad out here under the full moon… Now that your brother is fully occupied with the duck patrol.. how about the two of us sneak off into the deep brush for a little roll in the grass?”

I nearly choked on my hot vegetable soup, a sharp gasp escaping my throat as the liquid threatened to flood my lungs.

My cheeks turned a deep crimson in a fraction of a second, the vivid memory of how completely he had undone me in the backseat of the transport making my skin burn with a ferocious heat.

I reached down beneath the heavy mahogany table and delivered a sharp, warning kick directly against his shin.

“Shut up, Baron!” I hissed.

“You keep that shameless behavior up in front of the enforcers, and you can officially forget about sharing a bed with me for an entire month.”

He opened his mouth, his features shifting into a soft expression when suddenly, the sharp ringing of his personal encrypted phone shattered the domestic silence of the dining room.

One single glance down at the screen of the terminal resting beside his plate, and the playful indulgence on his face vanished.

His expression darkened instantly.

“What is it, Baron?” I asked, my fingers tightening around my linen napkin as I leaned forward across the table.

“Has something happened along the provincial border line? Is it the shadow cell from the hospital?”

Baron didn’t answer with words immediately.

He extended his large hand, his fingers completely silencing the active call token with a single press of the key before sliding the dark device back into his inner coat pocket.

He stood up from the ironwood chair, his massive frame completely blocking out the light from the hearth as his shadow stretched across the dining room floor.

“You stay here and finish eating your dinner, Natalie,” he said quietly.

He stepped around the edge of the table, his large hand coming down to rest securely against my shoulder for a brief, heavy

second.

“I need to step out to the perimeter line and take care of an administrative disruption immediately. Don’t leave the lodge lines until my trackers report back.”

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