The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power (by Emily Reed) novel Chapter 87

Tue,

Chapter 87 Regret

Chapter 87 Regret

James’s POV:

The command tent glowed with candlelight.

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Adam had summoned every officer ranked captain of a thousand or above for one final walkthrough of the siege plan.

On the massive map table, the layout of Bloodmoor Castle was recreated in perfect detail.

This time, we were facing the main force of the vampire-hyena coalition.

The gear was already decided, defenders with shields and short daggers, attackers with long spears and claw gloves.

Adam said the siege would begin in a day or two. Cindy’s Gamma Guard would be the vanguard, and they needed every assault plan locked in.

When it started, I would back them up, lead ten thousand to raise ladders and push the catapults. So during the two or three days before the battle, Cindy and I had to pin down how we moved together.

Adam laid out the big picture. There wasn’t much to argue about. We ran it once on the map table, flagged every problem we could think of, and fixed it.

I thought she was just strong. But as we wargamed, she kept surprising me. She knew tactics inside and out, and whenever something small slipped through, she snapped to a solution, filling the gaps so the siege would be airtight.

More than once, I drifted off, simply watching her arrange everything with that razor-sharp focus.

That look was even more striking than the first time I saw her-eyes bright as stars, with a pull that could steal your breath.

Regret kept slamming into me, again and again.

She was no longer the wife who only brought me tea and lived quietly and unseen at home.

Right now, she was a general who planned three steps ahead. A marshal blazing with light.

I stared at her, and a storm tore through my chest.

Was this really Cindy?

The woman I once thought was soft, dull, and only able to cling to me?

It turned out she had always been this strong,

It turned out she had always hidden her edge.

And I had been foolish enough to throw a jewel into the dirt and grab a flawed, cracked stone instead.

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09:34 Tue, Jan 13 G *

Chapter 87 Regret

“James, had enough staring?”

The meeting ended, and everyone slowly filed out.

I had been zoning out, still standing there, locked on Cindy.

She was collecting the small flags from the map table and spoke without looking up.

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I snapped back, coughed, and said awkwardly, “General, your tactics were brilliant. I really respect that.”

“Respect?” Cindy lifted her head, a faint smile on her lips. “James, didn’t you say women belong in the back house having kids, and that the battlefield is a man’s world?”

I had no words.

That was something Evelyn had once said, and I had agreed with her completely.

“People change,” I said.

“No. People do not change.” Cindy put away the long pointer and turned to leave. “You were blind before. Now you can see a little. That’s all.”

Watching her walk away, a wave of defeat and loss hit me harder than anything before.

I went after her.

Cindy’s POV:

The winter wind struck my face, cooling the heat in my head.

Back at the map table, I had felt James’ intense stare.

It held shock, admiration, and regret.

All I gave him was a cold smile.

Love that came too late was lighter than grass.

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