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

body hitting the floor

voice cut through the

I screamed, startling

reach them, shadows spilled into the room like

eyes gleamed in the faint light, and their movements betrayed

some desperate attack.

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

there to replace him. They kept coming, a

trembling, snapped me back to the bed. A hooded figure loomed near her, their hand

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

dagger struck deep into the figure's shoulder, but even as they faltered, another rogue grabbed

twisted violently, the blade in my hand

my lungs burned, but the rogues didn't

I shouted, my voice cracking as desperation clawed at

But she didn't move.

her wide eyes shimmering with tears, locked on

lunged, my blade finding its mark, but pain exploded in my

bite of steel, laced with wolfsbane, seared through my flesh. My knees buckled. My

sliced through the fog of pain

the haze, I saw him-the hooded rogue advancing toward her with deadly purpose. But before he could reach her, Ryker stepped in, his small frame braced in

Ryker shouted, his

innocence, was now contorted in determination, his expression

and strength of

dagger,

in front of

Too fragile. But

have my sister," he said, his voice

the rogue's face-mocking, cruel. As if

my

without hesitation, the rogue

Fast. Brutal. Unforgiving.

struck Ryker with bone crushing force, his small body sent hurtling through the air like a ragdoll. The sound of his impact against the stone

sickening crack-shattered the

crumpled to the

my throat as I struggled against

body.

My son. My baby.

betrayed me, heavy

burned like wildfire, every movement a fresh wave of

myself inch by inch across

gasped, my vision blurring.

stung my eyes. Breathe,