Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 326: Source of Pain Astrid's POV Nova and I was finally able to separate ourselves from the others, after a long catch up between all of us. Killian stayed to talk with his Uncle, whom I'm sure both would ask a lot of questions to each other.

Nova and I excused ourselves to finally talk together in private. I was planning to tell her everything - about the book, about what I'd read, about the curse that was my life.

Nova and I finally managed to separate ourselves from the others after what felt like hours of catching up with everyone.

Killian stayed back to talk with his uncle, and I could see from the way they were engaged that both had a lot of questions for each other.

It was a good moment for Nova andto slip away, and we excused ourselves to find somewhere quiet, somewhere private.

I had been carrying this weight on my shoulders, the secret of what I'd read in the book, for what felt like an eternity, even though it had only been a short time.

The fear of what it all meant — of who I was becoming - had grown too heavy to bear on my own.

I couldn't carry this by myself anymore. I needed someone to talk to, someone I trusted with every part of me.

Nova was that person. We are sisters, someone I knew would never betray me, no matter how dark or terrifying the truth was. I trusted her with my life.

She was family. And I knew that whatever I shared with her, it would stay between us.

She wouldn't tell Drystan or Killian. She wouldn't let this secret slip.

But there was something about the way she kept glancing toward Drystan that caught my attention.

I paused, studying her face, and suddenly, all my thoughts about the book, about my own problems, took a backseat.

There was something going on with her. Something I hadn't seen before. Call it a woman's sixth sense or something.

I was ready to pour my heart out, but it seems that Nova has spouring out to do too.

"So..." I began, raising an eyebrow as I leaned forward, keeping my voice casual but laced with curiosity. "What's going on between you and Drystan?" Nova's reaction was immediate. Her back straightened, her eyes widened slightly, and her hands fidgeted nervously in her lap.

She tried to brush it off with a laugh, but I could see the anxiety bubbling just beneath the surface.

"W-What do you mean?" she stammered, avoiding my gaze. "Nothing's going on." I crossed my arms, leaning back, my eyes narrowing in amusement. "Nova, con. I can tell when something's up. You're fidgeting like you've got ants in your pants. Just tell me." Her shoulders slumped, and she let out a heavy sigh, her nervousness intensifying as she finally looked up at me.

I could see the fear in her eyes - fear of how I'd react, fear of my judgment. That only mademore curious. "Okay," she muttered, biting her lower lip before speaking. "Drystan and I... we're dating." The words hung in the air between us, and for a moment, I couldn't process them.

Dating? Drystan and Nova? I blinked, trying to piece it all together. Drystan had been mates with Nova's older sister, who had died years ago.

He was like an older brother to Nova, always protective, always looking out for her. There was also a more than ten years age gap between them.

I stared at her, disbelief and shock mingling in my chest. "Are you serious?" asked, my voice a little higher than I intended. "Nova, what about Michael? You literally just introduced him as your mate and boyfriend!" Nova's face flushed deeper, and she looked down at her hands, clearly embarrassed.

"Michael... wasn't real," she admitted, her voice small. "He was an actor. I hired him to pretend to be my mate." My mouth dropped open in shock. "You hired someone to be your mate?" She winced. "I know it sounds crazy, but... it's because Drystan is my mate." I felt the floor tilt beneath me. "What?" Nova looked up at me, her expression pleading for understanding. "Drystan is my mate, Astrid. We found out three years ago." I stared at her, my heart racing, trying to make sense of her confession. How could Drystan be her mate all along? How could this be happening right in front of me? Didn't Nova leave the Pack to search for her mate? She had been gone for three years because she was out there, looking for her mate just as what she told me.

"You... you left the Pack for three years," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. "You said you had to leave to look for your mate and then you cback with Michael." Nova nodded, her face tightening with pain. "I only left because... Drystan rejectedand I couldn't face him.."

The world stilled. The sound of the wind outside, the noise from them distant Pack members, even the faint rustle of leaves - all of it faded into nothing. "He... rejected you?" I whispered, my throat tightening as the pieces of the story began to fall into place.

Nova hesitated, looking away, clearly unsure of how much to reveal. "At the time, he wasn't in love with me," she said softly. "He was in love with... someone else." I stilled. The world aroundstopped moving, and my heart dropped into my stomach as the realization hitlike a ton of bricks.

"Was it... because of me?" I asked, my voice barely audible, trembling with the weight of the truth I already knew.

Nova didn't answer, but the look in her eyes said it all.

There was no other woman that Drystan had ever made contact with except for me, and he had confessed tothat he had feelings for me. I could only be that person. except me, and he

A tidal wave of guilt crashed over me. My breath hitched, and my chest felt like it was being crushed under the weight of it all. I was the reason Drystan had rejected her. I was the reason she had left. I was the one who had caused both of them so much pain.

Tears blurred my vision, and I struggled to keep my composure, but the guilt was too much.

I had experienced that kind of pain first-hand with Killian, the way Giselle had cbetween us, how her lies and manipulations had torn our lives apart.

And now, I realized, I had been the source of that pain for Nova.

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