Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 322: Truth or Lies Astrid's POV I tried to keep my face steady, but her words struck a chord deep inside me. She did know something. Something about the changes I had felt, the darkness I had sensed lurking within me.

The poison. It had been her weapon, and now, I realized it was more than just a means to kill me. She knows something else, something even I hadn't understood.

"You're lying," I hissed, my voice shaking with anger, but also with doubt.

Her grin widened. "Oh, am I? Why do you think the poison didn't kill you? It wasn't meant to. It was meant to awaken something... darker. Something you won't be able to control. You're a monster, Astrid, and soon enough, everyone you love will see it too." I shook my head, refusing to believe her. She was trying to manipulate me, to twist my mind just as she always had.

"Shut up," I whispered, but my voice wavered.

"You feel it, don't you?" she pressed, her eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction. "The power inside you, the anger. It's only a matter of tbefore you lose control completely. You'll never be free of it. Never." I stepped back, shaking my head. "You're trying to manipulate me, Giselle. It won't work." She laughed again, the sound harsh and grating. "You don't believe me? If you want proof, go to my room. There's a book there, that will explain what kind of monster you are. Read it. Then you'll see what you really are. What you'll become." Her words slithered into my mind, planting seeds of doubt, and I hated that part ofdid believe her. That part ofwas afraid of what was happening inside me. I clenched my fists, refusing to let her see the fear she was feeding.

"You're a liar," I said, my voice rising in anger. "You've always been a liar." She didn't respond, only smiled that sickening smile, as if she had already won.

Her gaze burned into mine, mocking me, taunting me, as if she knew her words would hauntlong after she was gone.

I turned away, my heart pounding in my chest. "Guards!" I called out, my voice firm and steady, though inside I was anything but.

The door creaked open, and two guards stepped inside the dungeon. "Take her." Giselle's expression shifted in an instant, twisting into desperation as the guards approached her cell. She fought against them, her eyes wild, her voice rising in a shriek that sent chills down my spine.

"You'll never be free, Astrid!" she screamed, her voice echoing down the dark corridor. "You're a monster! You'll never be happy!" Her words clawed at me, wrapping themselves around my mind like a tightening noose.

I turned my back on her, telling myself that she was lying, that she was trying to manipulateone last time.

But even as I tried to block her out, her voice followedlike a curse, haunting my mind I didn't want to believe her. I couldn't believe her. She's nothing but a liar.

But the fear - the fear that she might be right - had already planted itself deep inside me, taking root. And no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, I couldn't shake it.

The sound of footsteps behindsnappedout of my spiraling thoughts.

Killian. He barged into the dungeon, his presence instantly filling the room with warmth and concern. Without a word, he crossed the cold stone floor and cto my side, his eyes scanning my face as if searching for something-anything- to tell him that I was okay.

I tried to smile, to reassure him, but my heart was still racing, my mind still spinning with Giselle's final words Killian's gaze flickered to the scene in front of us as the guards dragged Giselle away, her screams growing fainter with each passing second.

When she was finally gone, leaving just the two of us behind, the air felt heavy with everything unsaid. He turned to me, his voice soft but laced with concern. "Astrid, what did she say to you?" For a moment, I froze. I couldn't tell him—not yet.

I couldn't burden him with the sfear that had taken hold of me.

I couldn't let him see the cracks in my armor. Not after everything we'd just been through.

So, I swallowed the truth, burying it deep inside, where even I could barely reach it.

"Nothing," I said, forcing a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "It's nothing to worry about. I'm fine." But Killian wasn't convinced. I could see it in the way his eyes narrowed, in the way his hand reached for mine, holding on just a little tighter.

He knewtoo well - he could feel that something was wrong. That something was eating at me.

Still, instead of pressing me, he sighed softly and nodded. "Okay," he said quietly, though his voice was filled with the weight of everything unspoken. "But I'm here, Astrid Whenever you're ready to talk, I'll be here.".

Qu His words should have comforted me, but all I felt was the distance growing between us.

I hated it hated that I was pulling away from him. But how could I explain what was happening insidewhen I barely understood it myself? Besides I'm not even sure if Giselle was telling the truth.

I forced myself to meet his gaze, though I felt detached, like I was watching everything from somewhere far away.

"I... I have to do something," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I need to take care of something."Killian frowned concern deepening in his eyes, but he didn't stop me. He just nodded again, his grip on my hand loosening. "I'll be here," he repeated, his voice gentle. "Whenever you're ready."

I nodded, though I couldn't meet his eyes again. With that, I turned and walked away, leaving him standing in the dim light of the dungeon, his gaze burning into my back. The farther I walked, the heavier the weight in my chest became. Giselle's words echoed in my mind, taunting me, haunting me.

"You'll never be free, Astrid... You'll never be happy."

I told myself it was a lie, that she was only trying to manipulateone last time. But as stepped outside, my mind kept wandering back to the book she was talking about. The book that will makeunderstand what I was.

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