When The Luna Broke Her Chains novel Chapter 57

4/4

2:05 pm pppp.

When The Luna Broke Her Chains

Finished

Chapter 57 A Smile Before The Cut

“What are you doing here?” Oriel asks sharply.

Davina exhales through her nose, already bracing herself to repeat the same lie she gave Cassian–the same smooth half–truth. But Oriel’s brows knit tighter before she can speak, suspicion sharpening into disbelief.

“You’re signing up for the Luna Choosing trials?” Oriel demands.

Davina steps closer, lowering her voice. “I’ll explain later.”

She reaches for Oriel’s arm out of habit, a familiar gesture meant to soothe, but Oriel snaps back as if burned.

“It’s Guild matter,” Davina hisses. “I said I’ll explain.”

Oriel shakes her head, a sharp, frustrated sound tearing from her throat. “Everyone is acting strange. Everything is strange around me.” She gestures helplessly at the hall. “I find you here, lining up for the Luna Choosing when you obviously can’t marry for the next two years–and then I see her getting special treatment from Prince Knox.”

Davina stills.

“He offered Xena quarters in his tower,” Oriel continues, words tumbling faster now. “Lavish ones with a

get that? bath inside! While the rest of us are shoved into those dark, miserable rooms. Why does she Wolfless. Defiled! Why is she-”

“What?” Davina breathes before she can stop herself.

Oriel nods, vindicated. “Yes. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Davina’s awareness snaps outward. She notices the way nearby conversations soften, the subtle tilt of heads, the attention drifting toward them like a current.

She leans in. “Lower your voice,” she murmurs. “Behave. There are too many ears here.”

Oriel stiffens.

“You cannot openly scorn your sister–in–law,” Davina continues calmly, “not while you’re standing in line to be considered the Lycan Prince’s wife.”

Understanding dawns slowly on Oriel’s face. Her spine straightens. The fury doesn’t disappear–but it tightens, contained at last.

Davina rolls her eyes, a dull ache blooming behind them. This will not be easy.

She is expected to fail while knowing she will win. Expected to help Oriel succeed because Cassian demands it—while already standing in a future where Oriel is irrelevant.

And now this.

7: 1/3

Chapter 57 A Smile Before The Cut

Prince Knox giving Xena special treatment.

Why?

Finished

Davina knows about the wolf Xena saved because of her limitless kindness. About the Bloodwake Hunt. About the fortune Knox forced Xena to bestow. But this–this feels different. It feels personal and deliberate.

A colder thought follows.

What if Xena opens her mouth?

What if she tells Knox what she once told Morrin?

Sweat beads at Davina’s temple as the line inches forward. If Knox learns the truth, he will run straight to Seraphel. Knox is clearly not pleased with this marriage–no man who blurts an oath in front of his father out of frustration ever is. And can Davina really forget the look he had on his face when she entered the private dining room?

Unless.

Unless she ensures his loyalty first.

Unless she shows him what she can offer–not just her body, but her power. The power she took. The power Xena never learned to wield.

The queue thins.

Trish glances up, then freezes, but her hands shift, hiding the parchment inked with fresh ink. “Sister Davina?” she murmurs. “Is everything alright? We’re… we’re managing just fine.”

Davina steps forward. “You’ll mess up the ink! Are you stupid? Bring up the parchment. I want to sign my

name.”

Sora’s mouth falls open. “But Sister Davina–you’re bound to the Guild.”

Davina leans closer, voice barely audible. “It’s the Guild’s order.”

That seals it.

Trish swallows and reaches for the parchment, hands stained with ink.

The parchment is already crowded with names written in careful hands. “Get a new one! And rewrite this name you smudged. Goddess! Who let the two of you fools do such an important task?“–

Sora scuffles and pushes forward a fresh parchment.

Davina leans low, gripping the quill–and immediately feels it.

The woman approaching the table with her daughter moves with the faint stiffness of someone unused to halls like this, her spine too straight, her gaze too sharp. The sigil stitched over their chests confirms it: Nadiris. A neighboring kingdom. Human.

2/3

2:05 pm Pppp.

Chapter 57 A Smile Before The Cut

Wolfless.

Davina finishes signing her name before the woman speaks.

Finished

“I thought Guild sisters were sworn to purity,” the noblewoman says coolly. “Or does that oath only apply when it’s convenient?”

The question lands where it is meant to–public, baited, inviting agreement.

Davina turns slowly, schooling her expression into polite interest. Diplomacy first. Always.

“Servitude,” she says gently, “is not endless.”

The woman raises her chin.

“Oaths conclude,” Davina continues, her tone patient, almost instructive. “Mine does soon. But still, you needn’t fear for your daughter’s prospects.” She gestures faintly toward the hall, the gathered women. “The Goddess will choose the most powerful. The most appropriate. An equal to the Lycan Prince.”

She knows, even as she says it, that the words mean nothing to them. Humans do not worship her Goddess. That, too, is the point.

The woman hisses under her breath and pulls her daughter back, retreating without another word.

Davina’s lips curve. She turns and hands the parchment to Sora.

“Next time,” Davina says softly, “consider before talking back.” Her eyes flick briefly to Trish as well. “Understand that, as juniors, almost every time, you will not know better.” Then, quieter still, “And please don’t repeat this with others. It reflects poorly on the manners I’ve taught you.”

Trish swallows. Sora drops her gaze. “Forgive us, Sister Davina.”

Davina steps aside and ushers Oriel forward with a light touch at her elbow.

“Your turn,” she murmurs, irritation dulling her voice.

Then she turns away, already scanning the hall.

It’s time to find Xena.

78