Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 302: Fear and Disappointment Astrid's POV Killian took in a sharp intake of breath as if srealization had hit him. He doesn't know, but I've always known.

Giselle had always been crazy enough to pull such tricks. She pulled that trick herself in front ofjust to pushout of the Pack.

I know that she is the type of person crazy enough to inflict harm on herself just to get what she wants. Damien's voice faltered, his guilt clear as he relived the moment. "That's when it all started. She threatened me, said if I didn't do what she wanted-if I didn't go along with her lies-she would kill my daughter. I was trapped." He turned back to Vanessa, his eyes pleading for understanding. "I never wanted to deceive you. I did it because Giselle leftno choice. She was ruthless, and I knew she would follow through with her threats." The room had fallen deathly silent. Giselle's pale face stood out in stark contrast to the accusations. Everyone was staring at her now, their disbelief turning into disgust.

The woman who had once carried herself with pride and power now looked small, her true nature finally laid bare.

The tension in the room becalmost unbearable as Killian's eyes narrowed, his voice a low, controlled anger. "So it was you," he said, turning his gaze on Damien. "It was you helping Giselle all along." Damien's face went pale, shwashing over him as he stood exposed. His shoulders slumped under the weight of Killian's accusation, and he struggled to meet his friend's eyes.

"Killian, I—I didn't want to," he stammered, but the words felt empty. "She leftno choice." Killian's expression was a mix of hurt and disbelief. "I treated you like a brother, Damien," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "I trusted you, not just as a friend, but as family. And this is how you repay me?" The silence that followed was deafening. Damien's eyes dropped to the floor, the guilt evident in every line of his face.

"I never wanted to betray you," he whispered. "But she threatened my daughter, and I was trapped. I thought-" he faltered, unable to finish the sentence.

Killian's eyes softened, a flicker of hurt crossing his face. "Don't you trustenough, Damien?" he asked. "If you had told me, we could have solved things together. We could have protected your daughter. These lies wouldn't have had to go this far," he spoke, his voice carrying both disappointment and sorrow. Damien fell silent, his gaze dropping to the floor the weight of Killian's words settled over him.

The guilt clawed at his chest for each mistake that he made. He had so many chances, but he made his choices out of fear.

He had let down everyone who cared and trusted him. His mate who loved and accepted him, and Killian who treated him as his own brother.

Even his reason of betraying them for the sake of saving his daughter, would never be enough to justify his actions.

He realized with a sinking heart, that Killian and Vanessa would have helped him, would have fought for his daughter's safety if only he had confided in them.

Killian's jaw clenched as he struggled to contain his emotions. "And Ryker?" he asked, his voice cold and sharp. "Where did you get him, Ďamien? Tellthe truth." The room seemed to hold its breath as the question hung in the air. For a moment, Damien froze, a flicker of something-recognition, fear, or perhaps regret-crossed his face.

His hands twitched at his sides, and he went pale, as if he had just seen a ghost.

Slowly, he lifted his gaze from the floor, turning to look directly at me. His eyes, filled with a mix of dread and something else I couldn't place, locked with mine.

My breath caught in my throat, my heart skipping a beat. The intensity of his stare was enough to send a chill down my spine.

What is it? What truth is he going to confess? The silence was deafening, the tension building like a storm about to break. But just then a loud urgent voice interrupted us.

"Alpha! Alpha!" Beta Ryder yelled in urgency. His breath was ragged, his eyes wide with urgency as he pushed his way through the crowd.

Everyone's attention snapped to him, the intensity of the moment broken as he stumbled forward.

"I have something important to tell you," Beta Ryder tells Killian, noticing he interrupted something important. Killian and Ryder's gaze connected for a brief moment before a flash of recognition passed between them - a silent understanding as Ryder showed him a paper he has been holding in his hand.

Whatever that paper was, it must be important, it almost crumpled within Ryder's tight hold as if he is afraid he would lose it.

Beta Ryder was chasing his breath, and it took him a moment to steady himself.

Killian snatched the paper from Ryder's grip, the edges crumpling further under the pressure of his hold. The room fell into a hushed stillness as Killian's eyes dropped to the paper. He read it, and his expression shifted, the color draining from his face.

His hands tightened, his knuckles turning white as he stared at the words, unblinking.

For a heartbeat, he looked frozen, as if the world had crashed down on him, shattering everything he thought he knew.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice trembling as I broke the silence, unable to bear the suspense a moment longer.

My eyes darted between Killian and Damien, my heart pounding in my chest.

I still hadn't heard Damien's answer about Ryker's real origins, and now there was this new piece of information, written on the paper that Killian was gripping so tightly.

Killian's eyes remained locked on the paper, his expression a mix of m emotions-shock disbelief, and something else that made my stomach twist. Slowly, he lifted his gaze to me, and I could see the war of emotions raging within him. His eyes were bright, filled with both sorrow and a flicker of hope, as if he was holding onto something he could barely believe.

ton 5

"It's a DNA test result," Killian finally said, his voice hoarse and unsteady.

|| "It says.". He paused, his hand shaking as he held up the paper. "It says that you... you are Ryker's mother." en