The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon (Celine and Bastian) novel Chapter 186

Chapter 186

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remain under the water for a while, holding each other without needing to say anything else. The warmth slowly begins to restore my energy, and the constant sound of the water manages to drown out everything happening outside that room for a few minutes. But both of us know we have to leave. Our family is waiting for us, and above all, they want to meet the little girl who has just come into the world.

Bastian finally pulls away. He takes off his wet clothes and leaves them lying inside the shower without even bothering pick them up. He quickly washes himself and goes out in search of two robes.

When he returns, he lifts me into his arms with such ease that I smile and sets me down in the middle of the bathroom on a thick rug that absorbs the water still dripping from my body. He puts on his robe but makes no attempt to dry himself. All his attention is focused on me. He takes a towel and begins drying my arms, shoulders, and legs before taking care of my hair, carefully pressing the fabric against it to remove the excess water.

“I can do it myself,” I smile. “I had a baby, I didn’t undergo major surgery.”

The joke does not even earn a smile from him.

His black eyes remain fixed on me, serious, far too thoughtful.

I know exactly what is happening.

It is because of Johan.

I let him finish drying my hair without insisting. When he is done, he takes my hand, and we leave the bathroom together. To our absolute surprise, the room is practically empty. Only Sonia remains, sitting on the bed with our little girl in her

arms.

“Where is everyone?” I ask as I approach her.

Sonia slowly stands, careful not to wake Oana, who is sleeping peacefully against her chest. Then she brings her index finger to her lips.

“Downstairs. Everyone is preparing a little celebration for you and the baby.”

I nod with a smile.

The thought of finding our entire family waiting for us downstairs fills me with a warmth that has nothing to do with the shower. After everything that has happened, having them here, celebrating the arrival of my daughter, makes everything feel a little more real.

I enter the dressing room with Bastian. I am not looking for anything elegant. After giving birth in the middle of the forest. the last thing I want is an uncomfortable dress or shoes that make me walk as if I were made of glass.

I choose something simple, comfortable, and warm. Loose pants, a thick sweater, and flat shoes. I leave my hair loose, still slightly damp at the ends.

Bastian looks at what I have chosen and, to my surprise, does exactly the same. He puts on a shirt, dark pants, his favorite leather jacket, and simple shoes.

I glance at him and let out a sigh.

“Are you ready?”

I shake my head.

“No. And we need to talk.”

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The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon

“Not now, sweetheart. I’m not ready for this conversation.”

And when will you be?”

I stand up and stop in front of him. I take his hands in mine, but Bastian avoids my gaze.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for this.”

“Then listen to what I have to say.”

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He looks everywhere except at me. I gently squeeze his fingers and pull his hand, leading him out of the dressing room

Sonia has already taken Oana with her, leaving us completely alone in the room. The silence that follows her departure makes the tension between us even more obvious.

Bastian remains standing in front of me, his gaze fixed on the floor, while I patiently wait for him to find the courage to say what he truly feels.

We walk to the armchairs beside the fireplace and sit facing the fire, although neither of us seems to pay any attention to the flames.

“Listen, I never planned on having a second mate. I was only thinking about you and our daughter. A lot of things happened and I truly regret it, but Johan is now part of our lives. I’m tired, Bastian. Tired of fighting, of feeling like I’m betraying you, of carrying guilt hat doesn’t belong to me. I just need you to understand that I cannot reject him.”

He remains silent for a few seconds. His hands rest on his knees, and his fingers slowly curl into fists.

“Do you love him? Is that it?”

I shake my head.

“No. But I also cannot deny the mate bond that exists between him and me. It happened the same way it did with you. His scent, the attraction, that need to have him close… Everything appeared before any feelings. It is the same thing that happened to us when we decided to accept each other.”

Bastian lowers his gaze toward the fire.

“That is what I’m afraid of. That your heart will end up divided in two. That you will come to love him, that you will want to share the time that should belong to us with that… thing.”

“Don’t call him that. He is not a thing, Bastian. He is a person.”

His eyes return to me.

“Maybe in the human world, where you spent months, you learned things that are normal to them. But here, in Lemuria, in our kingdom, we are wolves. We have one mate, and we live and die for them.”

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“I know. I just…”

“That thing isn’t even a wolf. His nature is dominated by magic. He is a warlock who also has wolf and vampire blood. Doesn’t it scare you to think that one day he could lose control and hurt our people? That his wolf nature could awaken? That he could become thirsty for blood and end up attacking someone?”

I shake my head.

The truth is, I still have not had a real conversation with Johan, and I have no idea how he feels.

We have only spent a few days sharing the same castle. However, there is something inside me that does not need explanations to know.

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