Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 427: Weight of Failure

Astrid's POV

The hour was unnervingly still-the kind of stillness that didn't promise peace but

danger.

Even the crickets had silenced their symphony, leaving the world suspended in an uneasy pause.

Fresh guards had taken their positions outside Elara and Ryker's room, their heavy boots scuffing the floor before settling into still vigilance.

Inside, I sat unmoving, my nails absently scraping patterns into the worn armrest of the chair.

Every creak of the house, every gust of wind, felt like a warning. My wolf stirred, pacing just beneath the surface, uneasy.

Killian had checked on me earlier. He'd lingered in the doorway, his golden eyes searching mine, his mouth pressed into a grim line.

He didn't speak, didn't push me to leave. He didn't need to. He knew I wouldn't.

I wasn't leaving my children tonight.

The breeze through the open window caught the flame of a candle, snuffing it out in a final flicker.

Shadows stretched long across the room. I stood, my movements deliberate and quiet, and crossed to the window. The cold night air carried with it the faint scent of pine and something else-

something sharper.

I reached for the latch, and that's when it hit me.

A ripple of awareness prickled down my spine.

Something was wrong.

My wolf stilled, ears metaphorically pricking, senses sharpening.

The hallway torches sputtered once, their flames bending unnaturally-and then extinguished as if the darkness itself had swallowed them.

I tensed. My hand dropped instinctively to the dagger at my waist.

A faint noise-the crack of glass breaking-pierced the quiet. The acrid sting of

wolfsbane hit me next, sharp and unmistakable.

It filled the air like a poison cloud, heavy and suffocating.

"Wolfsbane!" the guard outside choked, his voice strangled before being silenced

of his body hitting the floor

through the oppressive quiet,

up! Now!" I screamed, startling them from their

them, shadows spilled into the room like

light, and their

wasn't some desperate

teeth and flashing steel. My dagger met him halfway, carving

but another was already there to replace him. They kept coming,

to the bed. A hooded

word ripped from my throat, raw and feral, as I threw

into the figure's shoulder, but even as they faltered, another rogue grabbed me

my hand slicing blindly until

lungs burned, but the rogues

shouted, my voice

But she didn't move.

frozen, her wide eyes shimmering with tears, locked on

her. I lunged, my blade finding its mark, but pain

my flesh. My knees buckled. My vision blurred, and the world around me

scream sliced through the fog of

I saw him-the hooded rogue advancing toward her with deadly purpose. But before he could

alone!" Ryker shouted, his voice trembling

full of childhood innocence, was now contorted in determination, his

despite the overwhelming size and

clutched a dagger, both fists tightening around the

lifted it in

small. Too

won't let you have my sister," he said, his voice

crossed the rogue's face-mocking, cruel.

if my son was nothing more

without hesitation, the rogue

Fast. Brutal. Unforgiving.

with bone crushing force, his small body sent hurtling through the air like a ragdoll.

sickening crack-shattered

crumpled to the ground.

was raw, ripping from my

body.

My son. My baby.

to rise, but my limbs betrayed me, heavy

agony of my wound burned like wildfire, every movement a

dragging myself inch by inch across the blood-slicked floor toward

gasped, my vision

my eyes. Breathe, baby. Please