Reclaiming My Broken Luna (Astrid and Killian) novel Chapter 316

Astrid’s POV

Her growl deepens as I push back. She feels me, senses the shift, and her fury erupts like a storm.

She turns inward, roaring, her claws tearing at our shared mind as she tries to maintain control.

The pain is blinding, but I don't stop. I won’t stop.

I push harder, clawing my way to the surface, forcing myself to the forefront of our shared body.

The wolf thrashes, her rage palpable, and I feel her claws scrape against our own flesh, desperate to hold onto her dominance.

‘Let me out!’ she howls, her voice feral, raw, ‘I will kill them!’

‘No!’ I scream back, pushing harder, feeling her anger tear through me like fire. ‘I won’t let you harm them.’

She fights, thrashing in her fury, but I can't let her win. I can't let her hurt Ryker. I won't let you!

The battle rages inside, my wolf roaring and clawing, but I feel her weakening.

I fight with every ounce of strength I have left, shoving against her dominance, inch by inch.

My body jerks violently, and I know Killian sees it — he can see the wolf tearing herself apart, trying to reclaim control.

His gaze flicks between me and Ryker, realization dawning on him as he sees the danger.

Without hesitation, Killian moves, rushing to Ryker's side, placing himself between us.

His body, battered and bleeding, shields our son from me — from the danger I've become.

‘Please, stop! I beg you!’

The wolf roars, thrashing inside our mind, but I push harder, clawing through the pain.

The wolf lets out a guttural snarl, our body shaking from the force of the internal struggle.

Her claws dig into the earth, her muscles spasming as I fight to reclaim control.

Finally, with a desperate shove, I push her back just enough to take control.

My vision clears, and I'm staring at them — Killian and Ryker.

They stand together, Ryker's small hand clutching his father's leg as he peers out at me with wide, fearful eyes.

My heart shatters.

The wolf's voice still lingers, a dark whisper at the back of my mind, promising pain.

‘Kill them.’

I tremble, my body aching from the battle, but I hold on, forcing her back with everything I have left.

I look at Ryker one last time, my heart breaking for what I almost did — for what I still might do if I don't get away.

His eyes are wide, full of fear and innocence. He looks at me like I’m a monster.

I can't stay. I can't risk losing control again.

Without another thought, I turn and run.

I run as fast as I can, putting as much distance between us as possible.

I feel the shift dragging out, slower and more agonizing than ever before, my wolf resisting every inch of the way.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, I lie on the ground, my breath ragged and shallow, fully human again.

My body aches with the remnants of the shift, every muscle trembling from the strain. But even though I’m back in my human form, the battle isn’t over.

The wolf is still there, still thrashing at the back of my mind, her fury unchecked, her growls echoing in my skull. ‘I will come back and you will never be able to stop me.’

‘No,’ I think, exhaustion weighing on me. ‘You won’t.’

I feel her rage, the seething hatred that courses through her, but I push her further back, locking her away where she can’t reach me, where she can’t hurt anyone. It’s like slamming a door shut in my own mind, forcing her into a cage.

She howls, the sound distant now, muffled, but still there. She claws at the walls I’ve built, but she’s trapped.

For now, at least.

Tears slip down my cheeks, unbidden, as the weight of everything crashes over me.

I almost killed Killian. I almost hurt Ryker.

The wolf’s hunger for blood, for power — it nearly destroyed everything.

What’s happening to me? What was that creature?

I curl into myself, feeling the cool earth beneath me, trying to steady my breath.

I was terrified.

Terrified of myself.