The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon (Celine and Bastian) novel Chapter 127

Chapter 127

Human World, Montana

Two Months After Leaving Lemuria

Celine Miller

I slowly open my eyes. My entire body aches. Every muscle protests at the slightest attempt to move, and a constant throbbing pounds behind my temples. The only thing I remember is stepping through a portal with a bad-tempered warlock. After that… nothing.

I blink several times until my vision finally comes into focus. I’m not home. I’m lying in a spacious room where glass an steel dominate the décor. Beyond the rain-streaked windows, I can make out a gray sky beginning to brighten with the first light of dawn. The air smells of wet earth and an herbal infusion I can’t identify.

I turn my head slightly and discover a pregnant woman sitting beside me. Her belly is so large it looks as though the baby could arrive at any moment. With a gentleness I wasn’t expecting, she wipes my face with a warm, damp cloth while watching me closely, as though she’d been waiting a long time for me to wake up.

“Hello. My name is Valeria, and you’re in my home.”

I try to sit up, but the pain forces me to give up. My throat is completely dry, my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, and my lips are cracked.

“W… water.”

The woman, whom I now know is named Valeria, pours a generous glass of cold water from a pitcher resting on a glass table in front of us. I’m lying on a comfortable sofa covered with a very warm blanket.

“Here. Slowly. I’ll help you sit up.”

I raise a hand to stop her before she can come any closer.

I don’t want her exerting herself in her condition.

As best I can, I slowly push myself upright. Every movement is immediately met with aching muscles, but I manage to sit without help. I take the glass in both hands and drink every last drop. The cold water soothes the dryness in my throat, and for the first time since waking up, I feel as though I can breathe normally again.

“Thank you. I’m Celine Miller.” I hand her back the empty glass and lean my head against the back of the sofa, still dazed. “Where am I?”

“Montana, on the outskirts of the Black Moon Pack. Who brought you here?”

I close my eyes for a moment and try to piece together the memories of the last two months, but it’s like trying to see through a thick fog. There are scattered images, voices, flashes… nothing I can connect.

“A warlock named Johan. I don’t remember his last name.”

Before Valeria can answer, a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark brown hair walks into the room carrying a mug of herbal tea. His eyes linger on my face for only a moment before settling on the pregnant woman.

“Vladimir’s on his way. Apparently I interrupted one of his orgies.”

Valeria lets out a smile filled with resignation.

“Again. I’m not surprised. That warlock is never going to change.”

The name sparks something in my memory.

“Vladimir… Rusterholtz?” I ask, remembering the name of the warlock who was supposed to send me back home, to Lemuria, to Bastian.

“You know him?”

I instinctively shake my head and regret it immediately. A sharp pain shoots through my temples, forcing me to close my eyes as I press a hand against my forehead.

“No. I only know his name. You brought me here, didn’t you? I can smell your scent on my clothes.”

“Yes. You were left about three hundred yards from the house, at the edge of the forest. Your sword had to stay there. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lift it. By the way, I’m Darien. Valeria’s mate.”

I smile faintly.

“I’ll go get it later. I don’t think anyone can move it, much less steal it. I’m the only one who can lift it. And… congratulations to both of you on the baby.”

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