Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 430: A Price to Pay

Astrid's POV

The walls of the Packhouse had never felt so suffocating.

Days had passed since Elara was taken, but time had lost all meaning.

The world outside moved on, but inside these walls, inside this nightmare, everything was frozen-suspended in a relentless cycle of fear, exhaustion, and waiting.

Waiting for news. Waiting for a sign. Waiting for something, anything, to bring my daughter back.

But all I had were the heavy, sinking hours in between, where every breath felt like a struggle, where every shadow in the room felt like it was closing in on me.

Ryker's condition wasn't improving.

If anything, he was getting worse.

He barely spoke. He barely ate. When he did sleep, it was restless and fitful, his small hands gripping the sheets as if he were still in battle, as if he were still fighting off the monsters that had stolen his sister.

Every time he closes his eyes to sleep, he wakes up screaming his sister's name, tormented by nightmares.

Ryker is blaming himself for what happened to his sister, worsening his health.

And I... I was barely surviving.

I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Elara's terrified face, her small hands reaching

for me, the way her screams had echoed as she was ripped from my grasp.

I had failed her.

I had failed both of them.

I sat by Ryker's bedside, my fingers brushing through his damp hair, pushing it away from his forehead.

His skin was clammy, his breathing too shallow for my liking.

"Ryker," I whispered, my voice hoarse from days of disuse.

His lashes fluttered, but he didn't open his eyes.

I looked down at his hand resting in mine, so small, so fragile, and I felt the weight

I could

escaped me, and I pressed my

here," I murmured. "I promise I won't

my thoughts. "You can't keep going like

turn around. I didn't need to. I knew

Killian.

one keeping all of us

one making sure the warriors stayed on high alert, the one taking care of the

know he is also suffering just like us, ridden by guilt and anxiety, but he had to be strong for us.

now, he was the one trying

the weight of his own

afford

around Ryker's. "He's getting worse," I whispered, the words

standing beside me. “Because he's worrying about Elara," he said softly.

That made me flinch.

fine," I lied, my voice sharper than I

Killian exhaled heavily. "Astrid."

eyes. "I don't care about me, Killian. I care about

his fingers brushing lightly over my wrist. "And how do you think Ryker feels watching you like this? You haven't eaten in days. You barely sleep You're running yourself into

vision swimming with unshed tears. "What else am I supposed to

there, scared, alone. What do you want

QUMS

to cup my cheek,

to survive this, Astrid," he said gently. "Because when

she's going to need her mother. And Ryker needs her

My chest tightened painfully.

knew he

I wasn't doing anyone

guilt-the crushing

fingers over his

"I just

squeezed my hand.

door

inside, his face grim, his presence enough to send my

Something had happened.

his body tensing. "What

He reached into his cloak and pulled out a folded piece of parchment,

he said quietly. “From the

inside me went

his jaw tightening as he

quickly, his entire body