When The Luna Broke Her Chains novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42 Alone With The Prince

[XENA]

It’s the day of the Bloodwake Hunt.

I drink the bitter medicine Astrid brings me to strengthen my lunar energy, and follow it with soft bread still warm from the hearth. My hands don’t shake as I dress. That alone feels like a victory.

I feel stronger every day. Maybe my wolf will miraculously return, and all the time I spent trying to understand the illustrations and glyphs will be useless.

I choose something simple because that’s all I have. It’s also dark enough not to draw attention. Astrid dresses too–she wears her healer’s robes, a dull gray. I braid my hair back, tight and neat, and pins the same three pieces of jewelery into my hair before trying the small necklace around my neck.

There’s a knock at the door.

Astrid is already moving toward it. My back is to the door, and my first thought is Cassian–come to remind me how little space I’m allowed to take up beneath this roof. To express his frustration at me because he felt less out of control and less powerful than me in front of the Lycan prince.

The thought of Davina strikes me without warning.

I know I’ll see her today. My stomach twists. Morrin’s face flashes in my mind, and I force myself to breathe.

Astrid opens the door and says nothing for a long time. That makes me turn.

Prince Knox stands there.

For a heartbeat, the world tilts. I nearly stumble back, catching myself on the edge of the desk.

Astrid bows so deeply that I think she might fold in half. “Y–Your Highness,” she mutters.

I bow too, clumsily, heat flooding my face.

His gaze moves from Astrid to me. He looks too calm despite having suddenly invaded ours. Or at least what has been offered to us for the time being.

‘May I speak with you?” he asks.

I nod weakly.

My mind races. What did I do? Does he think I hurt Vera? Did he find out I’m wolfless! Is he offended that a Luna without a wolf lives under his roof?

He must have known already. I have no scent. No presence the way others do.

Astrid looks between us. “I think I shall leave.”

I wait for him to stop her. He doesn’t.

Chapter 42 Alone With The Prince

45 Pearls

“Yes,” he says. “Please.”

The door closes behind her. The room feels smaller instantly, and I’m made aware of every inch of my body.

I draw in a shaky breath. “Your Highness.”

“Xena,” he says my name in a way that reminds me of bread dipped in honey.

I gesture to the chair by the desk. “Please, sit—”

He looks around the room instead, taking in the narrow walls, the thin slits near the ceiling where light creeps in with the torches doing most of the work.

“I’m not here to sit,” he says. Then, as if realizing how it sounds almost unkind, he exhales. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong.”

I nod, unable to meet his eyes. His voice sounds different here. Lower, almost breathless.

“Then why are you here?” I blurt, immediately wincing. “I mean–Your Highness. How can I help you?”

He lets out a small laugh. “I just wanted you to know the wolf is fine.”

My shoulders loosen before I can stop them.

“I heard you named her.”

I swallow, looking away, hands clasped in front of me. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“You can call me by my name,” he says with a click of his tongue. “Knox Oberon to you, Xena.”

I look up, startled. “I can’t,” I reply.

“Why not?”

“I have no right. No standing,” I explain simply, my arms shrugging,

He frowns, genuinely confused. “If I insist, you still won’t listen to you?”

“I-“I hesitate, gulping again. “Respectfully, Your Highness, you’re the Prince. You wouldn’t let other Lunas call you by your name. Would you?”

A smirk curves his beautiful mouth. Goddess, no man should be allowed to look this good. “Oh. You think I’m treating you like someone special?”

“I–I didn’t-”

He steps closer, making the air shift between us. A shiver runs down my spine, and I drop my gaze to my feet.

“If you’re thinking that,” he says quietly, “then you’re right.”

Chapter 42 Alone With The Prince

I look up then, unable not to. My confusion must show, because he softens.

“You saved her,” he says simply. “You took care of her.”

I nod, unsure what to do with that.

+5 Pearls

“And,” he continues, voice lowering, “my scholars told me a Guild stone was used on her. She can’t speak. Which means it wasn’t meant for communication–and the only way those stones work is to coerce out truths.”

My chest tightens.

“It was meant for torture,” he says. “But she didn’t receive much of it. It was channeled to you.”

I swallow. “I don’t know how the pain was… redirected. I didn’t mean any of it.”

“I know,” he says immediately. “Of course you didn’t.”

The certainty in his voice shocks me and soothes me at the same time.

“We’ll find out what’s happening,” he adds. “Which means… we’ll be seeing each other more often.”

I nod. My cheeks feel warm. Why does that thought make my heart race?

He smiles then. Not sharply. Not even in a princely way. It’s a real smile.

He turns to leave, then pauses. “You didn’t tell me her name.”

My lips part. His eyes drop to them, just for a second. I notice it and my ears burn.

“Vera,” I say softly. The word comes out like a secret. “Vera,” I repeat, louder.

He hums, pleased.

At the door, he glances back. “I hope I’ll see you in the audience for the Bloodwake Hunt.”

And then he’s gone.

The room feels emptier than it did before he arrived.

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