When The Luna Broke Her Chains novel Chapter 89

Chapter 89 Tight–knit

[XENA]

:.

+5. Pearls

I don’t expect Oriel to come back to bother me anytime soon. I hoped she’d leave me alone to dwell in my misery, but no, she’s not quite satisfied yet.

So when the door creaks open barely an hour later, I don’t look up immediately; I turn a page instead.

If I am to stay here–if running was only ever a coward’s thought I won’t act on–then I will fill my time with something that doesn’t make me bleed: Words. Pages. Anything but them.

“Reading?” Oriel’s voice drips with amusement.

I glance up.

She leans against the doorway, one shoulder pressed to the rotting wood–a fact I’m sure she’s not aware of. There’s a cruel smirk on her lips, but my attention catches elsewhere. Her hand is bandaged and swollen beneath the cloth.

I find it strange enough that my gaze lingers a second longer than it should. When I touched the trunk, nothing happened–because nothing should’ve happened. It’s just a plain, stupid trunk. So why did it burn her?

Oriel follows my gaze and curls her fingers slightly, like she suddenly remembers the pain. Then she scoffs. “You look pitiful,” she says, stepping inside without invitation. “Right at home, I suppose.”

I close the book slowly. “What do you want, Oriel?” I ask, my patience thinning.

She circles lazily, dragging her fingers along the wall as if she might peel the place apart out of boredom. “I’m waiting for you to tell me about him–the Prince. So I’d have an advantage over the other candidates. I’m sure you’ve learned something of note after being in such… proximity with him. It would help me earn his attention. But before that,” she pauses to hold my gaze and smirk, “I’m curious. Tell me… what exactly happened?” She tilts her head. “How did Prince Knox send you away?” she presses, walking to me. “Did the Prince grow bored? Or did he finally see you for what you are?”

Oriel wrinkles her nose, disgusted. “Honestly, I don’t understand what he ever found interesting about you. Perhaps he was just… performing.” She shrugs. “Being kind to the poor girl who saved that cursed beast he so loves.”

A short, sharp laugh escapes me before I can stop it. I rise slowly so she has to look up at me. “Is that the kind of man you’re so desperate to marry?” I ask quietly.

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9:16 Sat, Apr 25

Chapter 89 Tight–knit

Her brows furrow in disapproval.

I tilt my head, studying her. “Then I suppose you’ll suit each other perfectly,” I add. “Performative. Polished. But empty underneath.”

Her eyes flash. “You’re angry,” she snaps. “Because you lost his favor.”

“Is that what you think you’re competing for?” I counter.

She falters for a second, her breath hitching.

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+5 Pearis

“You’re too late,” I say slowly, emphasizing every word. I watch the thought settle in her mind, her unease showing on her face, and then I press. “You should be angry,” I continue softly. “Just not at me.”

Her gaze sharpens. “What do you mean, Xena?”

ely, too quickly. “Don’t start-”

ner to enter the Trials?” I cut in.

hesitates. There it is.

“She’s ambitious,” I go on with a shrug. “You’ve always known that. She always gets what she wants, no matter what she has to do for it. Who would’ve thought she’d enter the Trials? And yet she slipped in anyway. Without warning. Without… ever informing you–her best friend— about it. That’s shocking. I thought you two were… tight–knit.”

“She was asked,” Oriel snaps through gritted teeth. “By the Guild.”

“Why would that stop her from informing you beforehand? And regardless, when has that ever happened before?” I ask, fixing her with narrowed eyes. “Guild women who are yet to complete their oath asked to represent in the Luna Choosing Trials?”

She opens her mouth and then closes it without a word. Her jaw tightens. “This is different,” she insists. “Everything is different this time. The Prince should have ascended first, then chosen a Luna. Not the other way around.”

“So it’s already gone wrong,” I say. “And yet,” I continue, “you trust the process that chose you? Perhaps that was wrong too.”

She takes a step forward, fury rising fast now. “Careful, Xena,” she warns.

“Or what?” I ask calmly.

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9:16 Sat, Apr 25

Chapter 89 Tight–knit

66

+5 Pearls

Her left hand lifts too fast, but I catch it. My fingers close around her wrist before the slap can land. The impact never comes.

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