When The Luna Broke Her Chains novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53 The Mother Wolf

[XENA]

Astrid arrives long after the palace has gone quiet, so late that the torches in the corridor have burned low and the silence feels deliberate rather than natural, and it is Iver who brings her, standing stiffly at the threshold while she hovers behind him with her small chest clutched to her chest like a shield.

She looks shaken.

Not frightened exactly, but unsure in the way people are when the ground beneath them has moved, and no one bothered to warn them first.

“Luna Xena,” Iver says, dipping his head. “Your healer.”

He steps aside and Astrid rushes in before I can respond, the door closing behind her with a soft, final sound that seems to echo more loudly than it should.

She sets the chest down at her feet and stares at me, eyes darting from the high ceiling to the wide windows, the heavy curtains, the soft glow of moonlight spilling across stone and silk, and I watch her take it all in, the unspoken questions lining her face.

I fold my hands together and wait.

I have learned the value of waiting.

“What is going on?” she finally blurts, her voice dropping instinctively. “I just returned from the feast and Beta Iver was there, waiting for me like I’d been summoned, and Oriel was right behind me asking questions, and then suddenly I’m told only you and I are to move, and-” She stops herself, swallowing. “What did you do?”

I step closer and place a hand on her arm, gentle but firm. “Breathe.”

She does, though it’s shallow.

“The Prince wants us here,” I say quietly. “Well, he wants me here. And since you were my roommate anyway, I requested he let you move in here, too, I don’t know what he wants, but I couldn’t refuse him could I?”

Her shoulders loosen slightly, though suspicion lingers.

I add, “You’re free to go back to that dungeon if you wish.”

I sigh and turn toward the window, buying myself a moment. I have spent the last hour memorizing this room, every corner and shadow, every detail of a space that feels too important to be accidental

Astrid asks, “What about the rest of your household?”

“Cassian, Mara, and Oriel,” I lie smoothly. “I asked Prince Knox about them but he must not have heard it.”

She studies me, then nods slowly, accepting the explanation even as doubt flickers behind her eyes. “Oriel protested,” she says. “Loudly. She followed me halfway down the corridor demanding answers

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Chapter 53 The Mother Wolf

Finished

I let out a breath. “She would.”

Astrid hesitates, then leans closer, her voice barely above a whisper. “Xena… do you think he knows? About

Morrin?”

I keep my expression calm. “No. How would he?”

She frowns. “The Crown and the Guild are closer than ever. Seraphel whispers into the King and Prince’s cars at all times.”

“And Morrin’s death was ruled an accident by the Alpha, and Seraphel herself acknowledged that when she welcomed us,” I say gently. “You’re overthinking.”

Her lips part, then press together again. “When am I supposed to hand over the petition?”

I never expected to consult me. “When you’re ready,” I reply, turning to face her fully. “And when you know who to trust.”

Her shoulders slump. “They’ll say it’s forged.”

‘Because you’re an apprentice,” I say evenly. “And she’s Moon Guild.”

She nods. “And he’s an Alpha.”

‘And I’m just a wolfless Luna,” I finish quietly.

We stand there for a moment, the truth of it heavy between us.

‘It seemed too easy before. But I see how Davina moves among them. She has power here. And Alpha Cassian-”

I’m not letting her walk away from this,” I say at last, turning back to the window. “Davina has taken too nuch from me.” I bite back my tongue before I can reveal more. “Morrin didn’t deserve to die.”

Astrid doesn’t argue. She simply nods, but I see the guilt flash in her eyes. She blames herself a little for her mentor’s death.

1**

I wake before dawn to the soft hush of the sea far below the palace, Astrid still asleep beside me, curled ight at the edge of the feathered bed like she’s afraid the space might swallow her if she spreads out too

nuch.

I rise quietly and wash my face with cool water, letting the chill settle my thoughts, then step toward the window and look out over the capital as it stretches toward the dark horizon, lights dim and scattered, the city still sleeping beneath the weight of last night’s feast.

The breeze slips across my bare arms and I shiver, pulling a cloak around myself before stepping out into the corridor, my feet silent against marble.

I don’t know where I’m going.

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Chapter 53 The Mother Wolf

I only know that something is pulling me forward.

Finished

The palace is vast and layered, thresholds marked not by guards but by atmosphere, and I don’t realize I’ve crossed somewhere forbidden until the air changes and I feel suddenly exposed, aware in a way I

wasn’t moments before.

When my senses catch up, I am standing in a wide chamber scattered with soft pillows and low light, and my breath catches.

Baby wolves.

Half a dozen of them.

Bright eyes, pale fur, small bodies tumbling and sleeping in tangled heaps, and only then do I see her, curled near the center, black fur stark against white stone, golden eyes blinking up at me.

Vera.

And beside her, stretched along the floor like a living wall of muscle and pale fur, lies a massive wolf, breath slow and steady.

‘How did you get in here?”

The voice behind me makes me jump.

I turn to find Knox standing in the doorway, arms crossed, hair loose and unkempt, his shirt half–open like ne pulled it on without thinking, sleep still clinging to him.

‘I… I just walked,” I say weakly. “Your Highness.”

He hums, unimpressed. “Come out.”

The bluntness stings more than I expect, and I tighten the cloak around myself as I obey, stepping past aim into the corridor.

“That was Vera,” I say quickly. “And the pups…?”

He doesn’t answer. His silence hurts more than it should. It shatters the comfort I’d let build between us.

‘I’m sorry,” I mutter, trying hard not to let my voice break. “I thought… I thought I could ask you questions. I thought you wanted us to be friends.”

He pauses then, brows drawing together as he looks at me properly, “I didn’t give you leave to wander.”

“I know,” I say, nodding. “I shouldn’t have.”

Silence stretches, uncomfortable and sharp.

“I’ll take you back,” he says finally,

We walk in quiet, the palace suddenly feeling even more like a maze than before, and I keep my gaze fixed ahead, not daring to look at him, not daring to ask anything else.

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3:33 pm PEM

Chapter 53 The Mother Wolf

At my door, I step inside without a word.

“Xena.”

I stop.

༠:f

Finished

“Xena.” He says my name again, sharper this time, and something pulls tight in my chest, something that feels like recognition without a source.

I turn just enough to acknowledge him, not enough to meet his eyes.

“I’ll send Iver in an hour,” he says. “We’ll have breakfast together.”

I nod once.

The door closes behind me, and only then do I realize my hands are shaking.

And that whatever line I crossed tonight, there is no pretending I don’t feel it now.

78

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