The Rise Of The Betrayed Luna (Amorah and Holmes) novel Chapter 24

Chapter 24

AMORAH

The guards closed in around us, their steps measured and deliberate, but I could feel the tension in their wolves. They were not here for routine control. They were here because Holmes had given an order, and no one in Silvercrest questioned him openly.

I stood still, not because I was afraid, but because I needed to think before I moved. My wolf was fully awake now, pacing beneath my skin with sharp awareness.

“Don’t let them take you,” she said.

“I won’t.” I answered.

Holmes’s grip remained firm on my arm, and I could feel the authority behind it. He was not using force yet, but the message was clear.

“You’re coming with me,” he said.

“No,” I replied.

His eyes darkened slightly, and the nearest guard slowed, waiting for instruction. Bethany watched from the side, her expression calm, but her attention fixed on me in a way that told me she understood exactly what I was trying to do.

“You don’t get to refuse anymore,” Holmes said.

“I just did.” I answered.

The air between us tightened again, and for a moment, no one moved. Then Holmes turned slightly toward the guards.

“Take her back to her room,” he instructed.

My wolf surged immediately.

“Now.” she snapped.

I moved before the guards could reach me.

I twisted my arm sharply, using the moment his grip shifted to pull free, and stepped back just enough to create space. The nearest guard lunged forward, but I turned quickly, my movement faster than he expected.

“I said don’t touch me.” I snapped.

My wolf pushed through it, not fully released, but enough that the guards hesitated.

Holmes did not.

He stepped forward again, closing the distance with ease, his presence pressing down harder this time. “You’re making this worse,” he said.

“And you’re making it obvious.” I replied.

“What?”

“That you’re hiding something.” I said

His expression didn’t change, but I felt the shift in him.

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Chapter 21

Behind him. Bethany’s voice came again, softer but more urgent. “Holmes, this is drawing attention.

“I don’t care.” he said.

“I do.” she replied quietly.

That made him pause.

Only for a second, but it was enough.

I used that moment.

“I heard you,” I said, my voice steady. “You’re moving the twins tonight.”

The guards shifted again, exchanging brief looks. Even if they didn’t understand everything, they understood enough to know something was wrong.

Holmes’s gaze sharpened. “You don’t know what you heard.”

“I know exactly what I heard.” I replied.

Bethany stepped forward quickly, “She’s trying to create confusion. That’s all this is.”

“No,” I said, turning to face her fully. “This is me finally saying it where people can hear it.”

“This isn’t the council hall,” she said.

“It doesn’t need to be,” I replied.

Holmes’s patience was thinning. I could feel it in the way his wolf pressed harder against mine, testing, pushing for control.

“You’re done,” he said.

“I’m just getting started,” I answered.

His hand caught my arm again, faster this time, and he pulled me closer without warning. The movement forced me off balance for a second, and I had to steady myself against him.

The contact made my stomach churn.

His scent, his presence, everything about him felt wrong now. There was nothing familiar left in it for me.

“Let go.” I said quietly.

“No,” he replied.

I lifted my head and met his eyes. “You don’t get to touch me like this anymore.”

“I can do whatever I want,” he said.

“Not for long,” I answered.

That made something shift in lus expression again, but before he could respond, another voice cut through the corridor.

Release her.”

The command was calm, but it carried authority that did not belong to Silvercrest.

Every head turned.

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Chapter 24

Conrad stood at the far end of the corridor.

I hadn’t heard him approach.

His posture was relaxed, but his presence filled the space immediately. The guards nearest to him stepped back without being told, their wolves reacting before their minds caught up.

Holmes did not release me immediately.

“This is Silvercrest territory,” he said. “You don’t give orders here.”

Conrad didn’t move closer yet, but his gaze settled on Holmes’s hand where it held my arm.

“I don’t repeat myself.” he said.

My wolf stilled for a second, then spoke.

“He’s stronger.”

“I know.” I answered.

Holmes’s grip tightened once more, as if he was deciding whether to push further. Then, slowly, he let go.

I stepped back immediately, creating distance between us.

Conrad’s gaze moved to me briefly, checking, assessing, before returning to Holmes.

“You’re crossing a line,” Holmes said.

“You crossed it first,” Conrad replied

“This is a private matter.”

“Not anymore,” Conrad said.

Bethany stepped forward carefully, placing herself beside Holmes. “You’re interfering in something you don’t understand.”

“I understand enough,” Conrad replied.

Her eyes flickered briefly, then steadied. “Then you should know this isn’t your concern.”

Conrad didn’t answer her.

Instead, he looked at me again.

“You’re staying,” he said.

It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” I replied.

His jaw tightened slightly, but he nodded once.

“Then you move under my protection,” he said.

Holmes let out a short breath. “You think I’ll allow that?”

“You don’t decide that,” Conrad replied.

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Chapter 24

“This is my pack,” Holmes said.

“And she is no longer under your control,” Conrad answered.

The guards looked between them, unsure where to stand, and for the first time. I saw uncertainty in the structure Holmes relied on.

He noticed it too. His gaze hardened as he looked at me again.

“You’re making a mistake.” he said.

“I already made one,” I replied. “I married you.”

That landed exactly where I intended it to.

Bethany’s composure slipped for a second before returning, but Holmes’s expression changed more noticeably this time

“You’ll regret this,” he said.

“No.” I answered. “You will.”

Another pause followed, heavier than before.

“We’re done here.”

He stepped forward this time, closing the distance between us without hesitation. When he reached my side, he didn’t touch me immediately, but his presence alone changed everything.

“Come,” he said.

I didn’t move right away.

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