Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 320: Forgiveness Astrid's POV Killian shook his head, his tears falling freely now as he rested his forehead against mine.

"Don't be sorry," he whispered. "You had every reason to believe what you did. I didn't fight hard enough either. I should have told you the truth sooner, but I was too ashamed. Too afraid." A sob broke from my chest as I leaned into his touch, my heart aching for him, for everything we had lost.

"I blamed you for everything," I whispered. "But you never blamed me. You carried all of this guilt alone. I should have known." He heldtighter, his arms wrapping aroundas though he could shieldfrom the pain that had been festering between us for so long.

"We were both innocent," he whispered, his voice cracking. "It was all lies. None of this should have happened.' I pulled back just enough to look into his eyes, my heart still heavy but lighter than it had been in years. "Can we start over?" I asked, my voice small but hopeful. "Can we forget everything and build something new?" Killian smiled softly, his thumb brushing away the last of my tears. "Yes," he whispered. "We can start over. We can build something better. Together." I nodded, taking a deep breath as the weight of the past finally began to lift from my shoulders.

For the first tin what felt like forever, I felt free. I felt hope.

And as I looked into Killian's eyes, filled with love and sincerity, I knew that we could make this work. We had always belonged to each other.

"I love you, Astrid," Killian whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I've always loved you. I never stopped." A smile tugged at my lips as I whispered back, "I love you too, Killian. I never stopped." All this years of hating him, I thought it was the reason why my heart had no room left for love.

But I was deluding myself.

The reason why my heart had no room for love is because the space was already occupied by Killian. And in that moment, as we stood there holding each other, we finally shared the kiss we had been denied for so long.

It was soft at first, a tentative connection, but as our lips met, it deepened into something more - something filled with all the years of longing, of pain, of love that had been waiting to be set free.

When we finally pulled apart, our foreheads still resting together, I knew that this time, we were going to be okay.

We had each other again, and that was all that mattered.

Together, we could face anything.

Killian's hand gently cupped the back of my neck, his touch groundingin the present moment.

His voice was soft, but there was an edge to it, a determination that sent a shiver down my spine.

"I'll deal with Giselle," he said quietly, his breath warm against my skinz"1 don't care about the protocol anymore. As long as she is alive, I know we won't be able to live in peace." en The seriousness in his tone broughtback to reality, remindingthat while we had found each other again, the shadow of Giselle still loomed large.

Killian pulled back slightly, his eyes searching mine for confirmation, for skind of reassurance that we were on the spage.

"As long as she's breathing, Astrid, we'll always be looking over our shoulders. I won't let her take anything else from us." I nodded, the resolution in his words echoing in my own heart. I wanted this chapter of our lives to close for good.

I wanted to move on, to live the life we should have had from the beginning - free from the lies, free from the manipulation.

Giselle had already stolen so much from us; she couldn't be allowed to take any more.

"I agree, Killian," I whispered, my voice trembling slightly. "She has to be punished. But before that happens, I need to talk to her." His brow furrowed in confusion. "What? Why would you want to speak to her after everything she's done?" I stilled, the words catching in my throat. I think Giselle knows that something is wrong with me. I think she knows about my wolf.

The poison used onthat they couldn't identify, Giselle has the answers to that, and I need to ask her.

"I know Giselle had done a lot of unforgivable things against us, answered in a low voice. "That's why I need to talk to her. I need to settle things with her. This... this nightmare won't end foruntil I do. Killian's hand tightened around mine, his grip protective, hesitant. I could see the conflict in his eyes, the worry that he didn't wantnear her, the swoman who had nearly destroyed us.

But I also saw understanding. He knew I needed this. He knew I needed my own closure.

"Are you sure?" His voice was laced with concern, but it was gentle, supportive.

I nodded, swallowing hard. "Yes. I'm sure.

Killian sighed softly, pressing his lips into a tight line before nodding. "Alright. I'll cwith you."

"No," I blurted out in surprise, not expecting that answer from himh held myself back before l'expose myself. "I-I must do this alone," I muttered as I look into his eyes. Killian was hesitant for a moment, before he gave in. "Alright, I'll let you talk to her alone, but I'll be close by, just in case." "Thank you," I whispered, relief

flooding through me. "I won't take long," I promised, squeezing his hand. "But I need to do this before we move forward. I need to close that door, once and for all. Killian nodded again, his hand brushing a stray tear from my cheek.

"We'll close it together," he whispered, his voice filled with both determination and tenderness.

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