Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 396: The Return

Astrid's POV

The forest was dark, the faint light of dawn barely piercing through the dense canopy above.

The weight of what had happened pressed down on us, so heavy it felt as though the air itself had thickened, making it hard to breathe.

No one spoke as we began the journey back to the Shadowfang Pack. Even the sounds of the forest seemed muted, as though nature itself understood the gravity of what had occurred.

Killian walked a few paces ahead of us, his posture stiff, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. The faint tremor in his shoulders betrayed the storm raging within him.

I wanted to reach out to him, to offer some kind of comfort, but the words wouldn't come.

What could I possibly say to ease the loss of a mother who had both scarred and saved us?

Nova walked beside me, her arms wrapped around herself despite the warmth of the night. Her usual fire was gone, replaced by a quiet stillness that unnerved me.

Drystan, ever vigilant, kept close to her, his expression hard, unreadable.

I glanced back, half expecting to see Rowena striding along behind us with that sharp, knowing look she always wore. But there was only empty space, and the memory of her lifeless eyes staring into the sky stabbed at my heart.

The silence between us was deafening. Every step we took seemed louder than it should have been, the crunch of leaves underfoot a cruel reminder that we were still here, still moving, while Rowena was not.

I couldn't stop replaying the moment in my mind-the look in her eyes as she shoved me aside, the quiet resignation as she accepted her fate.

Rowena, who had always been selfish, calculating, and cold, had done the unthinkable. She had saved us. She had saved me.

throat tightened as I thought about it. Her sacrifice had been so sudden, so unexpected,

she had made, in the end, she

king's words echoed in my mind as I

this! She

always been a scheming and cunning woman. She would do even the most despicable

it in mind to sacrifice her life for us, then that would mean that Killian and

as we passed through

said a word since we left the clearing. His silence felt like a living thing, heavy

the distance between us. "Killian..." I hesitated,

back turned on me, I could feel the weight of his emotions radiating

fell back, letting him have his space, though my chest ached at

and unyielding. None of us had expected it. None of us had been

She had always seemed

Qu

nature making her appear invincible. And yet, in her final moments,

sw novel

capable of

territory loomed ahead, tall and foreboding

have brought relief, but

surrounded us-home, safety, family-but none of it could erase the ache that had settled

stepped forward first, flanked by warriors, her sharp eyes scanning us with the precision of someone

dread as she took in blood, the

to us

one of the warriors exclaimed, the tension in his voice breaking