When The Luna Broke Her Chains novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73 The Woman He Trusts

[XENAL

Before the thought can spiral far enough to make me lose my grip on myself, I shake my head and force it away. Vera is gone. My wolf is lost. That is the truth I have lived with for years, and I refuse to let anything else unravel me now.

I swallow and look back at Knox. “Now that what you think is important has been discussed and is out of the way,” I say, keeping my voice even. “Explain it to me. What does imprinted actually mean?”

He hesitates, and something sharp stirs in my chest. If he doesn’t tell me now, I know I will be furious, even though I have no right to be. I don’t want him to leave. I don’t want this conversation to end. And as much as I hate admitting it, I like listening to him speak, as long as he isn’t speaking about Davina.

He exhales slowly, and I notice it again, that crease forming between his brows whenever he prepares to explain something he takes seriously.

That’s one thing I know about Knox Oberon.

“The Moon Guild does many things,” he says. “Most of them aren’t meant for public knowledge. They say it’s all in service of the Goddess and our kind, but the crown works closely with them in matters like this.

“Like imprinting?” I ask.

“Yes,” he replies with a shrug like I’m partially correct. “Wolf pups, especially ones like Vera, have been known to ensure their survival by imprinting on a human.”

I hold my breath. “A human?”

“They don’t choose werewolves,” he continues. “We call them cursed. We fear them. Humans don’t. So the pups choose someone they trust. I can’t explain how they understand this.”

I glance down at Vera, who shifts slightly in my lap, warm and solid, seemingly unaware of how much weight she carries.

When imprinting happens,” Knox goes on, “their minds connect. It’s not fully understood–not properly died. But it’s real. Their instincts align. Their awareness sharpens. They protect who they imprint on, al in return, they anchor themselves.”

I lift my gaze slowly. “So… she mistook me for a human.”

Something twists in my chest.

Knox doesn’t deny it. “Yes, but,” he pauses, gazing into my eyes for a few seconds before the corner of his lips twitches like he’s going to smile. “I think it’s more than that. She saw that you were someone who’d protect her. That you were kind.”

I know what he’s trying to imply, but somehow my mind decides to conclude my own. Of course, it was never about me–not really. It was curiosity. Interest. A miracle Knox wanted to understand. Vera. Not Xena. It has always been that way. First Davina. Now this.

Chapter 73 The Woman Be Trusts

Finished

I don’t regret saving her, not for a second, but the thought creeps in anyway. “Was she even in danger?” I ask quietly. “Or would she have survived on her own?”

“She wouldn’t have,” he says without hesitation. “Not for long on her own.”

I nod, then frown. “How did she even get there? In the forest. Alone.”

Knox’s gaze sharpens. “Because she has a miraculous ability.”

I look up. “What ability?”

“She can migrate,” he says.

“Migrate?” I repeat, confused.

He watches my expression shift, and something seems to click. “She can travel long distances in a blink.”

My stomach drops. “I… yes.”

I suddenly remember what happened that day by the lake. How I was taken all the way from my father’s pack’s territory to my chamber in Frostfang.

The memory crashes into place all at once. The disorientation. The certainty that I had lost my mind, or worse, that I had been cursed by Knox who Kasumi nearly made me believe was a changeling.

“She can travel distances,” Knox continues, elaborating, “without drawing power the way others do. It’s unnatural. That kind of movement requires strong magic.”

He leans closer, lowering his voice, and I freeze. “This is my secret,” he says quietly. “I can do it too. Not always because it drains me. Sometimes I bleed. From my nose. My ears. It’s dangerous.”

I stare at him.

“Many have tried,” he continues. “Most failed. They were torn apart. One part of them arrived somewhere else, the rest scattered across the continent. I’m one of the few who can do it successfully.”

Understanding dawns slowly, heavily. He is telling me far more than he should.

“You shouldn’t tell anyone this,” I say immediately. “Lycans hide their abilities so they can’t be used against them.”

“I’m not telling just anyone,” he says simply. “I’m telling you. And I trust you to keep it to yourself.”

I swallow hard. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve your trust.”

He looks at me then, truly looks at me, his gaze steady and intent, like something has pulled him under. “I don’t understand it either,” he says quietly. “I just know I can trust you.”

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