When The Luna Broke Her Chains novel Chapter 29

Chapter 29 A Death Too Convenient

[XENA]

The funeral takes place two days after the accident.

That’s what everyone calls it.

An accident.

I stand among the pack, hands folded at my waist, breathing shallowly. The courtyard smells of smoke, resin, and crushed petals.

My body is healed. That’s the cruelest part.

Every bruise, blister, burn wound is gone. Every ache erased. Vera saw to that the very first night, pressing her small, warm body against me until the pain faded like it had never existed. I don’t doubt it anymore. It vas her. It has always been her.

She isn’t cursed. She’s something else.

Something that senses danger before it arrives. Something that heals not like a healer, but like a wolf does n the mindscape–except she exists outside of me, separate and watchful.

My body is whole, but my mind is not.

can still hear Morrin’s voice. Her confusion. The way her breath hitched when that shadow pierced her hest. The way the black blood spilled, wrong and thick, across her robes.

The Guild must know-

She never finished the sentence.

Now all that remains of her lies on the pyre before us. The body is charred beyond recognition, reduced to I shape that barely resembles the woman she once was. A woman who was feared. Respected. Powerful.

f someone like Morrin could be silenced so easily, what chance do I have?

Without my wolf, I am barely more than human.

Cassian stands a few paces away, unflinching. His posture is perfect. His expression solemn. He looks like in Alpha should at a moment like this–grave, composed, unshaken.

Two days ago, he came to the healer’s quarters himself. He stood at my bedside and asked, softly. “Are you alright, Xena?”

I knew what I had to do.

I kept my voice weak and my eyes unfocused. I let my hands tremble.

*I… I don’t remember much,” I told him, “I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

10:56 am PPXX.

Chapter 29 A Death Too Convenient

He nodded, touched my arm, and comforted me.

He has never done that before.

I didn’t look up. I was afraid if I did, I’d see something in his eyes that would finish me.

Morrin died because she found out the truth. I am certain of it.

Finished

She confronted someone. Cassian. Or Davina. Or both. Morrin was not the type to sit on knowledge. And Davina–Davina would have smiled, pretended innocence, bowed her head like the devoted Guild daughter she plays so well.

And then, behind Morrin’s back, they planned it.

A demonic shadow capable of killing. An explosion. An accident.

A tragedy that ensured the Guild would never receive Morrin’s petition.

The silence deepens as Cassian steps forward.

The healers gather closer together–trainees, elders, those who worked under Morrin for years. Their grief is raw and unhidden. Morrin was respected. And feared. She kept order. She kept truth.

My throat tightens.

Cassian’s gaze sweeps the courtyard and stops on me.

For a heartbeat, a small, reassuring smile touches his face.

I force myself to return it. Weakly.

He turns back to the crowd. “Today,” he begins, his voice carrying easily, “we mourn the loss of Chief Healer Morrin. She served Frostfang faithfully for two decades. Her knowledge, discipline, and dedication were unparalleled.”

A murmur of agreement ripples through the crowd.

“She saved countless lives,” he continues. “And her absence will be deeply felt.”

He pauses, then lifts a sealed scroll.

“We have received a message from the Moon Guild,” he says.

My breath stutters upon recognising the true seal. He’s breaking it now.

Cassian reads aloud, his tone solemn. It contains condolences, respect and praise for Morrin’s years of

service.

Nothing else.

No accusations. No inquiries. No mention of petitions or oaths or Guild law.

My knees weaken slightly.

10:56 am P

Chapter 29 A Death Too Convenient

Finished

“So skilled,” Cassian says, rolling the scroll closed, “that replacing her will be no easy task. Perhaps an impossible one.”

I almost believe him. Almost.

“Nevertheless,” he continues, “the pack cannot remain without leadership in healing. As Alpha, it is my duty to ensure continuity.” He gestures to his side. “I hereby appoint Master Healer Varek as the new Chief Healer of Frostfang.”

A man steps forward. There’s an obvious wave of shock that passes among the healers. Which changes to anger and then disapproval sharpen the air. Morrin’s apprentices lower their heads. Some clench their fists. This is disrespect. He found a replacement too soon.

But no one speaks because Cassian is Alpha. Because speaking would mean defiance.

The pyre is lit. Flames curl upward, hungry and bright, devouring what remains of Morrin’s body. The heat presses against my skin, making my hands shake.

One by one, pack members step forward to offer dried irises. When my turn comes, my feet feel heavy. I place the flower gently at the edge of the fire.

‘I’m sorry,” I whisper, though I don’t know if I’m apologizing for surviving or for staying silent.

step back.

Astrid approaches last. She looks… broken. Her shoulders shake openly. Tears streak her face unchecked. When she kneels to place her offering, her hands tremble so violently she nearly drops it.

‘I should have—” she chokes, then stops herself. Only I notice her words.

Her sob echoes too loudly in the quiet. When she rises, her eyes lift and find mine.

And in that instant, I know.

She blames herself. And she knows something. Her lips part like she wants to speak right there, right now. I shake my head almost imperceptibly. Not here. Not yet.

Her mouth closes, but her gaze doesn’t leave mine.

The flames roar higher, drowning out the last of the murmurs.

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