When The Luna Broke Her Chains novel Chapter 31

Finished

Chapter 31 The Night I Chose Her

[XENA]

I don’t have to wait long.

That night–the very night of the funeral–Kasumi is smoothing fresh sheets over my bed while I sit before the mirror, dragging a comb through my hair without seeing my reflection at all. Every pull catches on knots I don’t remember making. My mind is elsewhere.

On the fire… the black blood that spilled from Morrin’s chest. The way Morrin’s voice broke off mid-

sentence…

The Guild must know-

I blink hard, and the image shifts again. The shadow forms arms where there should be none. The sound Morrin makes when it pierces her chest echoes in my mind.

A knock lands at my door–three sharp raps–pulling me out of my thoughts.

Kasumi freezes, hands stilling on a pillow. I put my comb back on the desk.

The door opens before either of us can speak. Two gamma guards stand there, faces blank, eyes finding mine. “The wolf will be inspected at dawn,” one of them says.

That’s all I’m told before the door shuts again. The sound echoes far too loudly in the room.

Kasumi stares at me, the pillow still frozen in her hands. I feel cold all at once. My fingers tremble as I rise and cross the room. I lift the tapestry hiding the fortress of chests and folded cloaks.

Vera looks up at me. She barely fits there anymore.

Her black fur spills over my arms as I gather her close. She’s grown in just a week–longer limbs, heavier warmth, more presence. She presses her head beneath my chin like she knows. Like she understands.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper into her fur. “I’m so sorry.” I sink onto the edge of the bed with her cradled against my chest. I hold her tighter than I should.

You would have been safer in the wild, I think bitterly. Safer than in a keep full of heartless creatures who fear anything they don’t control.

Kasumi sets the pillow down and kneels beside me. “Please don’t be upset, Luna,” she says gently. “Your knew this was coming.”

I swallow. “Knowing doesn’t make it easier.”

She hesitates, then continues, “Things have become… strange since the wolf arrived. Not everything is superstition. Some traditions exist because they’re rooted in truth.”

I sniff, brushing my fingers through Vera’s fur. “I know.”

Kasumi watches me carefully before she glances at Vera again. “Luna,” she says softly, “what aren’t you

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Chapter 31 The Night I Chose Her

telling me?”

I close my eyes. “She healed me,” I reveal quietly.

Kasumi stutters. “What?”

“Vera,” I repeat. “The pup. She healed me. The burns. The bruises. Everything. Overnight.”

Kasumi’s eyes widen. “That’s–Luna, that’s not possible.”

Finishet

“I know,” I whisper. “But it’s true. She’s the reason I returned to Frostfang so quickly. And… she might be the reason for what happened to Lady Mara. And Oriel’s clothes.”

Kasumi gasps and recoils half a step, staring at the pup like it might leap at her. “Goddess preserve us…”

“Not like that,” I rush to say. “She didn’t attack them. I don’t think she even meant to do anything at all.”

“Then what does it mean?” Kasumi asks, voice barely audible now.

I shake my head. “I don’t understand it myself. But somehow… she understands me. My emotions. My fear. My anger. It’s like she channels it. She’s my protector, Kasumi. In a way I can’t explain.”

Kasumi presses her lips together, thinking hard. Her eyes dart to the door, then the window, then back to me. “And Chief Healer Morrin?” she asks carefully. “Was that… was that the wolf’s doing?”

“NO!” I gasp. “No. Of course not.”

Kasumi flinches. “I–I didn’t mean-”

“She isn’t evil,” I say firmly. “Vera isn’t cursed. She would never-”

Kasumi nods quickly. “Then… then what were you doing there?” she asks. “Outside Mistress Morrin’s chambers. At that hour.”

My grip on Vera tightens. I look down at her, noticing how calm she is in my arms. “She led me there.” I admit. “She knew something was wrong. She tried to warn me.”

Kasumi goes still. “She knew?” she repeats.

“Yes.” I inhale slowly, looking at Kasumi. “If I tell you something,” I say, “will you swear by the Goddess that you won’t tell another soul?”

Kasumi hesitates, gulping. “I swear,” she says finally. “By the Goddess.”

I touch my chest. My voice drops to a trepid whisper, “I saw it.”

“Saw what?”

“The thing that killed Morrin.” My throat tightens. “It wasn’t the fire. It was… a shadow. It formed behind her. It had arms. And it… pierced her chest.”

Kasumi pales. “A shadow?”

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Chapter 31 The Night I Chose Her

“And the blood,” I continue. “It was black. Not red. Black.”

She brings a hand to her mouth, eyes wide. “That’s not–Luna, that’s not natural.”

“I know!”

Finished

Kasumi’s gaze sharpens with sudden realization. “I’ve heard of this,” she whispers. “Changelings. Some can conjure shadows to do their bidding. It’s forbidden magic.”

My stomach twists. “No.”

“Luna, listen-” she presses on. “Did you see that man from the temple again? Or anything like him? Sometimes curses take familiar shapes.”

“No,” I say quickly. “It wasn’t him.”

“Are you sure?” Kasumi asks. “If a changeling has marked you-”

“He isn’t a changeling,” I snap, rising to my feet with Vera still in my arms.

Kasumi startles. “I only meant-”

“I know what I saw,” I say, more firmly now. “And it wasn’t him.”

The stranger’s face flashes through my mind. His calm and his warmth. He saved me from the hydralith. He was kind and patient.

This shadow felt nothing like him.

Kasumi watches me carefully. “Then what should we do?” she asks. “Should I call the lunar priestess? She could-”

“No,” I say. “Absolutely not.”

I pace, my heart pounding.

Everything feels connected. Vera’s appearance. My dreams. The strange manifestation of my anger. But the shadow wasn’t the stranger’s doing.

I know whose it was: Cassian. Davina.

Kasumi frowns, studying my face. “Luna… you’re certain?”

“Yes,” I say softly. I don’t tell her how I know. I don’t tell her what Morrin suspected. Or what Davina stands to lose. I look down at Vera. She gazes back at me, golden eyes soft and innocent.

“They’re afraid,” I murmur. “That’s why they want to inspect you.” Vera’s ears twitch. “I won’t let them hurt you,” I whisper into her fur. “I promise.”

Kasumi swallows. “Dawn isn’t far.”

“I know.”

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Chapter 31 The Night I Chose Her

Finished

I hold Vera closer, heart aching with fear and resolve all at once. Whatever she is–whatever she can do- they are about to find out.

And so are we.

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