The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power (by Emily Reed) novel Chapter 205

Chapter 205 Kazek Refuses to See Him

Cindy’s POV:

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The carriage rolled out through the towering palace gates, its wheels tapping rhythmically against the bluestone road.

The interior of the carriage was dim. Only a sliver of fading sunlight slipped through the curtain, barely illuminating Astra’s pale face.

He no longer leaned against the window to watch the scenery as he had on the way in.

Ever since I told him we were going to his maternal grandfather’s estate, he had fallen into an unusual silence.

He curled up in the deepest corner of the carriage, his posture closed and defensive, the stance of someone who felt profoundly unsafe.

His hands were tightly twisted together. One finger, washed nearly white with wear, kept worrying at the embroidery on his sleeve until loose threads began to fray.

My heart softened. I reached out and gently covered the back of his hand..

“Astra?” I called softly. “What’s wrong? Is your leg hurting?”

He startled and trembled, then looked up at me. Panic filled those silver-gray eyes.

He shook his head, then pulled my hand closer and began to trace words into my palm, stroke by stroke.

His fingers were cold and rough with calluses left by years of begging.

Are we going to Grandfather’s house?

I nodded and smiled. “Yes. Uncle Roger, Aunt Fiona, and your grandmother all miss you terribly. You used to love going there, remember?”

A brief spark lit his eyes, then faded just as quickly.

He continued writing in my palm, slower this time, as if hesitating.

I miss them.

After writing that single word, he paused for a long moment.

Then he drew a deep breath, as if gathering every scrap of courage he had left, and shakily wrote a line that cut straight through my heart.

Will they despise Astra?

As soon as he finished, he pulled his hand back and buried his face against his knees, unable to look at me.

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09:54 Wed, Jan 28

Chapter 205 Kazek Refuses to See Him.

In that instant, it felt as though someone had crushed my heart in their fist.

He had heard it.

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Yesterday, when the servant returned with the report, he had been asleep in the inner room, yet he had heard everything.

He had heard Roger say he didn’t believe it. He had heard him say not to bring some impostor to deceive them.

To a child who had once been heaven’s favorite and then reduced to a beggar, a mute, and a cripple, and treated like a monster for two years, that disbelief translated instinctively into rejection.

He thought he was filthy.

He thought he was broken.

He thought he no longer deserved to be the radiant Astra he once was.

“Poor little cub,” Diana’s voice murmured deep in my mind, unusually gentle and heavy with sorrow. “He’s afraid of being cast out. Wolf packs are cruel to the weak. Instinct tells him that in his current state, he will be abandoned by his own kind. That fear is written into his genes, Cindy. Words alone cannot soothe it.”

I swallowed my tears, reached out, and pulled him up from where he was hiding, forcing him to look at

“Look at me, Astra.” “Look

I met his gaze with absolute seriousness. “No one will despise you. No one, ever. The reason your uncle said those things is because he loves you too much. He buried the ‘you’ with his own hands. He is afraid to believe you’re alive because he’s terrified it’s a lie, terrified of hope turning back into despair. He isn’t rejecting you. He’s afraid of losing you all over again.

“The moment he sees you, he sees you alive and breathing, he’ll be so happy he won’t know what to do with himself.”

Astra looked at me, tears trembling in his eyes.

He nodded, half understanding, half unsure, but that deep-rooted sense of inferiority still hung over him like a dark cloud.

The carriage slowed to a stop.

Outside, Tom’s voice sounded. “My lady, we’ve arrived at Baron Kazek’s estate.”

I lifted a corner of the curtain.

Under the setting sun, the Kazek estate looked solemn and imposing.

The two gamma guards at the gate still stood tall and imposing.

2/4

09:54 Wed, Jan 28 GM

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Chapter 205 Kazek Refuses to See Him

It was early evening, when the adult wolves had all returned home, the busiest time of day.

“Come on, Astra,” I said, extending my hand.

But Astra shrank back.

He shook his head violently, pressing himself against the carriage wall.

He pointed at his voiceless throat, then at his deformed right leg. Tears finally spilled down his cheeks.

He was saying I’m mute. I’m crippled. Don’t take me out there to be humiliated.

My heart nearly shattered.

“Alright. Alright,” I said softly, lowering my hand. “If you don’t want to get out, your aunt will go first. I’ll explain everything to them and have them come to you, alright?”

Astra hesitated, then nodded, quickly retreating into the thickest shadow cast by the curtains.

I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and jumped down from the carriage.

The guards at the gate snapped to attention the moment they saw me

“Duchess of Silverpeak,” the captain saluted.

“Go inform Roger,” I said without preamble. “Tell him Cindy Spencer is here. And that I brought the person with me.”

The captain’s expression changed. Clearly, he had heard about the barón’s stance from yesterday.

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