The Rise Of The Betrayed Luna (Amorah and Holmes) novel Chapter 79

Chapter 79

AMORAH

The voices in the hallway faded after the visiting Alphas walked away, but their words stayed in my head long after the corridor became quiet again. I remained standing near my door while Conrad watched me carefully from a short distance

away.

“You heard them,” he observed quietly.

I folded my arms tightly against myself before looking toward him again. The tension inside my chest felt heavier now that the fear had finally taken shape in words I could not ignore anymore.

“They were talking about your instability like it’s only a matter of time before something happens,” I replied.

Conrad did not deny it.

“That possibility has always existed,” he answered calmly.

The honesty should have reassured me, but instead it unsettled me more. I suddenly hated how little I still understood about the position he carried and how deeply it affected every part of his life.

“And the heir changes that,” I muttered.

His silence lasted just long enough to answer me before he finally spoke.

“It strengthens succession protection,” he admitted. “That makes challenges less likely.”

I nodded slowly while looking away from him. My thoughts kept/circling back to the same question no matter how hard I tried to stop it.

If I could not give him that protection, would any of this still exist between us?

“I’m tired,” I murmured eventually.

Conrad studied me for another second before stepping back slightly. He looked like he wanted to say more, gave me the space I was silently asking for.

“Get some rest,” he replied quietly.

I entered my quarters without another word.

but instead he

The next morning felt different between us even though neither of us acknowledged it openly. Conrad remained close during meetings and patrol updates, but I noticed myself becoming more careful around him without meaning to.

That change did not escape his attention.

During the midday strategy review, I stayed focused on reports spread across the table while Conrad discussed border movement with his warriors. Every time I avoided looking directly at him, I could feel his eyes returning to me again..

“You skipped breakfast,” he remarked once the others left the room.

“I wasn’t hungry.” I answered while continuing through one of the reports.

Conrad walked around the table slowly before stopping beside my chair. His hand brushed lightly against the back of my neck before falling away again almost immediately.

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7:44 pm p p pp.

Chapter 79.

You’ve barely eaten since last night,” he replied.

The casual touch affected me more than it should have.

I hated that my emotions had become tangled enough for simple things like that to matter so much now. Conrad noticed my reaction instantly, but he did not push further when I pulled my attention back toward the documents.

Later that afternoon, we inspected patrol rotations near the southern routes together. Wolves moved around us preparing shifts while Conrad reviewed security changes with several unit leaders beside the training grounds.

I stayed close enough to follow the conversation without speaking much myself. Every few minutes, Conrad glanced toward me briefly like he was checking whether I was still there.

“You’re quiet today,” he observed once the others moved ahead of us.

“I’m thinking.” I replied.

“About me?”

1

I looked toward him carefully and noticed the slight tension in his posture now. Conrad rarely asked questions unless he already expected the answer.

2

“Partly,” I admitted honestly.

He nodded once but did not pressure me to explain more. Instead, he slowed his pace slightly until we were walking side by side through the quieter edge of the training grounds.

That evening, I visited the twins again at the deeper safe house. Kyra immediately wrapped herself around my arm once I entered the secured residence, while Zane tried pretending he had not been waiting near the main room for my arrival

“You came later again,” Kyra complained softly.

“I had territory inspections,” I answered while brushing my fingers through her hair.

Zane crossed his arms from where he leaned against the doorway. His irritation looked forced now, like he no longer knew how to hide concern properly.

“Conrad sent extra guards today,” he muttered. “Something happened?”

“Nothing happened,” I replied carefully. “Security is just tighter after Obsidian Hollow.”

Zane studied my face longer than usual.

“You look distracted,” he observed,

I almost laughed at how easily everyone around me seemed able to notice lately.

“Maybe I’m just tired,” I answered quietly.

The twins stayed close to me for the rest of the visit, especially Kyra. When I finally prepared to leave later that night, she hugged me tightly enough that it became difficult to ignore how attached she had become.

“You’ll come back tomorrow?” she asked.

“I will.” I promised softly

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7:44 pm P PPP.

Chapter 79

Conrad waited onside the secured residence once I stepped through the final checkpoint. His hands rested inside the pockets of his jacket while several guards remained positioned farther back to give us privacy,

“You stayed longer today,” he remarked as we started walking back toward the main territory.

“They needed reassurance,” I replied.

His eyes moved toward me briefly.

“And what about you?” he questioned.

I looked ahead instead of answering immediately.

That was the problem now.

I did not know what reassurance would even look like anymore.

The silence stretched between us until we reached the quieter inner paths near the residence grounds. The night air felt cool against my skin while distant patrol movement echoed faintly through the trees surrounding the territory.

I stopped walking first.

Conrad slowed immediately before turning toward me fully. His attention settled completely on me in a way that made it impossible to avoid the conversation any longer.

“If the contract never existed,” I began carefully, “would you still have looked at me this way?”

Conrad did not answer.

The pause lasted only seconds, but it felt longer than any response could have. Something painful settled heavily inside my chest before he finally exhaled quietly and looked away for the first time since I had spoken.

That hurt more than if he had lied.

“I should go inside,” I muttered before turning away from him.

“Amorah.”

I stopped but did not face him again.

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