Rise Of A Shattered Luna (Natalie) by Kave Derry novel Chapter 76

Chapter 76 The Lead

Jensen’s POV

I sat in the center of the wreckage, my hands steady as I slotted a new SIM card into a fresh device.

The screen flickered to life, the glow reflected in my bloodshot eyes. I hadn’t slept… I couldn’t.

Suddenly, the new phone buzzed. A message from an unsaved, anonymous number.

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“Heard you’re digging into Natalie’s missing ashes. Do you really think the person who died was Natalie? If it was, and Natalie has no family left in this world, who would risk stealing her ashes?”

The air in the room seemed to freeze. I sat bolt upright, gripping the phone so tightly the casing creaked.

My heart ached with the sudden movement, sparking with a frantic, agonizing hope.

The logic was flawless.

Natalie was truly an orphan, she had no one but me.

If she were truly dead, her ashes would be of no value to anyone else.

They wouldn’t be stolen; they would be forgotten. But someone had taken them.

‘Yeah… right.‘ Cairn snickered.

Shut up, Cairn.

I understand he doesn’t want to get his hopes up that Natalie is still alive, and I can still feel his hatred and anger towards me concerning the fire.

But he knows deep down that there was a probability that she was alive.

“Who are you?” I typed back, my fingers flying.

I didn’t even wait for a reply as I hit the call button; the phone pressed so hard against my ear it hurt.

Ring.

Ring.

Then, a flat, mechanical tone.

[The number you have dialed is no longer in service.]

It was a virtual number.

My gaze turned dark as I scanned the room frantically, trying to search for a camera or something

“You’re watching me. I whispered to the empty room. “You’re going to regret this.”

“Hansel !rgared

חסהסה.

10:28 am PPP.

Chapter 76 The Lead

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The door opened almost instantly as Hansel stepped in, his face filled with concern, though I could see the way his eyes flickered toward the shattered glass on the floor.

“Alpha.” He broke the silence.

“Any updates on the ashes?” I demanded, standing up.

My shadow loomed against the city skyline outside the window.

Hansel bowed slightly, his voice steady.

“Our scouts have been working the underground channels in the pack. We have confirmation from a low–level pack member. Someone saw Natalie’s urn being moved through the black market three nights ago… It wasn’t headed for a grave. It was headed for the free hall.”

I felt a jolt of electricity.

The Free Hall?

“Then why aren’t we there?”

“Our people can’t get inside, sir,” Hansel explained, his brow furrowing. “The First Hall is like the management agency of the black market. It’s a neutral zone governed by its own laws; only those with high–level authority, some specific alphas, or a direct invitation can enter. If we force our way in, we lose the lead forever.”

“Then find out what it takes to get into black market management,” I snarled, stepping into his personal space. I could smell the scent of his mate–Sharon–on him, the scent of heat.

I nearly slammed it against the wall… but just stared him down.

“I don’t care what it costs; buy a seat, buy a person, or even bribe an Alpha. I want into that hall. I don’t care if I have to burn half my assets to get a foot in that door. If her ashes are there, I’m taking them back.”

“Yes, sir.” Hansel nodded.

“AND MAKE SURE YOU GET YOURSELF CLEANED UP BEFORE COMING BACK IN HERE AGAIN,” I screamed right in his face before walking back to my chair.

His eyes narrowed as he understood what I meant.

He had clearly been with his mate before coming here… he smelled like heat and sex.

He bowed, turning to leave, but then he hesitated. “Alpha… things on Sharon’s side don’t seem good.”

My mind was still in the First Hall, calculating the variables of an underground raid.

I didn’t even turn around.

“Is she dying?” My tone was neutral, as if i were asking about the weather.

Hansel paused, and for a second, the silence in the room was deafening

Not long ago, I would have burned the city down for Sharon Summers. I had ignored Nutale’s very existence her pum, and ner all to ensure Sharon was smiling

10:28 am

ppp.

Chapter 76 The Lead

Now, the sound of her name felt like a dull irritation.

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Hansel sighed inwardly, though his face remained blank. “No, she’s just ill and in pain. A persistent fever and her inability to get anything done without her wolf. She’s been calling for you all morning.”

“Then get her a doctor,” I snapped, the annoyance finally flickering in my eyes as I finally turned to look at him. “Why are you telling me? Do I look like a physician to you?”

The cruelty in my own voice didn’t even faze me.

I had given Sharon everything–my name, my protection, and the title. If she couldn’t manage a common fever without pulling me away from Natalie, she was useless to me.

Hansel’s jaw tightened. “Understood. I’ll arrange a doctor right away.”

He turned and walked out, his footsteps sounding hollow.

I knew what he was thinking.

Everyone knew.

When Sharon was the star in my sky, I would have nearly killed myself if she so much as said “ow.” I would have cleared out the best hospitals in the country for her.

But people only treasure what they’ve lost.

I checked the new phone.

Twenty missed calls from Sharon. Countless unread messages on WhatsApp, more via text.

‘Jensen, please… it hurts.‘

‘Are you coming home?‘

I’m scared, Jensen.’

It was because of her–because of my blind, stupid loyalty to a girl who saved me years ago—that I had lost the woman who actually loved the man I had become.

If Sharon hadn’t been there, Natalie wouldn’t have felt the need to disappear.

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