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-"

face him fully. "His end goal isn't just to

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

golden eyes flashing with

Ryker aren't just our children. They carry my blood, Killian. They are his key to restoring the

He turned sharply

outside,

guards around my children. No one gets in or out unless Astrid or I

Ryder nodded immediately. "Understood."

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

jaw tightened, but he

orders, and I turned to Killian. "I'm

took my hand, squeezing it tightly.

Packhouse was quiet. Too

silence that

Something still felt wrong.

turned the corner, my steps instinctively light, my body thrumming

my way toward my children's

dagger at my

prepared

heart pounding in time with my growing

had told

But how could I?

nodded as I approached, their

best warriors, hand-picked by Killian himself. They had sworn their loyalty, their lives, to protecting

To protecting my children.

the feeling clawing at the

and thick

poured through the open window, spilling

My heart clenched.

her tiny hand clutching the stuffed wolf

her small chest rising and falling in the slow, steady

slept on his back, one arm thrown out as if ready to shield his sister

tension in his young

of danger before

My stomach twisted.