Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 426: Fractured Bonds

Astrid's POV

Long shadows cast down on me as I walked through the halls. Every step felt heavier than the last, the air thick with tension.

I had spent the last hour sitting by Elara and Ryker's beds, watching their peaceful faces, willing my fears to fade away. But they hadn't.

I had always trusted my instincts, and right now, they were screaming at me. Something was wrong.

Killian had tried to reassure me, promising that we had taken every precaution, that the guards stationed around our children were the best of the best. But my gut told me otherwise.

Ardan was methodical. He didn't make reckless moves. If he had stayed silent for this long, it was because he was waiting for the perfect opportunity.

I wasn't about to let him take it.

I turned a corner and found Killian waiting for me outside the war room, his golden eyes watching me closely. He had been expecting me.

"You didn't rest," he said simply.

"Neither did you," I countered, folding my arms across my chest.

He exhaled, running a hand through his dark hair. "Astrid, you have to stop torturing yourself. The guards are on high alert. Ryder is tracking rogue movements. We're not letting anything happen to them."

"I know," I admitted. "But something doesn't feel right, Killian. The rogues haven't made a move in days. It's not normal."

Killian nodded, his gaze darkening. "I don't like it either. Ryder said there were faint rogue scents near the eastern border, but no signs of an attack."

"A distraction," I murmured.

Killian's brows furrowed. "You think Ardan is keeping our attention there while he moves somewhere else?"

I nodded, my mind racing. "It's what I would do. Keep the strongest fighters distracted, make them chase shadows, and strike where it hurts the most."

Killian's grip on the war table tightened. "Then where is he really planning to strike?"

I didn't answer immediately. My mind was already piecing the puzzle together, going through everything Cedric had revealed, everything Ardan had done before.

Then it clicked.

“The Packhouse," I whispered, my stomach twisting.

Killian stiffened. "Astrid-"

it," I cut him off, turning to face him fully. "His end

system. And what better way to do that than to show the Alphas that

his golden eyes flashing with rage. "He's coming

and Ryker aren't just our children. They carry my blood, Killian. They are his

hesitate. He turned sharply toward

waiting outside, his expression

and unwavering. "Double the guards around my children. No one

Ryder nodded immediately. "Understood."

stationed inside their room. Not just outside. If Ardan has someone working for him on the inside, we need to be

jaw tightened, but

left to carry out the orders, and I turned to Killian. "I'm

nodded and took my

was

that

Something still felt wrong.

corner, my steps instinctively light, my body

I made my way

my waist which

prepared for our

heart pounding in time with my growing

had told me to

But how could I?

at the door nodded as I

hand-picked by Killian himself. They had sworn their loyalty,

To protecting my children.

shake the feeling

inside the room, the air warm and thick with

the open window, spilling across

My heart clenched.

tiny hand clutching the stuffed wolf she

lashes fluttered against her cheeks, her small chest rising and falling in the

back, one arm thrown out as if ready to

young body,

of danger before

My stomach twisted.