Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 412: Weight of Silence Astrid's POV The cold air in the dungeon wrapped around us like an iron shroud, carrying the faint, acrid scent of wolfsbane. Every shadow seemed alive, flickering as the torches danced against the walls.

Cedric sat shackled in the center of the room, his head high, his bloodied face still wearing that maddening smirk of defiance.

Killian paced in front of him, his golden eyes blazing with fury barely contained beneath his skin.

His claws twitched at his sides, itching to tear through the man who had betrayed everything we stood for.

"Talk," Killian growled, his voice low and deadly.

Cedric lifted his head, his dark eyes locking on Killian's.

"Do you honestly think threats will work on me?" he spat, blood trailing from his split lip. "You're just proving my point-you Alphas are all the same. No vision, no foresight. Just brute strength and blind rage." The words hit Killian like fuel to a fire. He slammed his hand down on the table next to Cedric, the wood splintering under the force.

"You betrayed us!" he roared. "You betrayed your Pack, your council, your people! For what? Power? Empty promises from a rogue king who left you behind the first chance he got?" Cedric chuckled, the sound low and humorless. "You think I care about Ardan leavinghere? This was never about him, Killian. It's about something far greater than you or me. Something you'll never understand." Killian stepped closer, his claws extending as he leaned in, his voice a dangerous whisper. "Then explain it to me. Helpunderstand how turning against your own people is supposed to save anyone." Cedric's smirk faded, his jaw tightening as he met Killian's gaze. "Because this system is rotten to its core," he said sharply.

"Alphas like you sit at the top, hoarding power, crushing everyone beneath you. You lead through fear, through blood, through oppression. Ardan is the only one willing to tear it all down and build something better." I stepped forward, my arms crossed tightly over my chest, my voice sharp and cold.

"And you think Ardan's way is better? Murdering innocents, tearing families apart? That's your grand solution?" Cedric's gaze flicked to me, and for a brief moment, his resolve seemed to falter.

But then his eyes hardened, his lips curling into a sneer. "It's not about the method, Astrid. It's about the result. Change requires sacrifice." Killian's claws dug into the table beside Cedric, splinters flying as his voice cut through the air.

"Sacrifice?" he echoed, his tone like a blade. "You mean like the lives of our warriors? Of our children?" Cedric didn't answer, his silence louder than any words.

Killian's patience snapped. He grabbed Cedric by the collar, yanking him forward with enough force to make the chair creak.

"Where is he?" Killian demanded, his voice a low, menacing growl. "Where is the rogue king hiding?" Cedric gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his mouth as he hissed, "I'd rather die than tell you." Killian's claws pierced Cedric's shirt, drawing fresh blood as he leaned closer.

"That can be arranged," he growled, his golden eyes blazing with unrelenting fury.

"Killian," I said sharply, stepping forward and placing a firm hand on his arm. We won't get anything out of him if he's dead.

He froze, his gaze snapping to mine, the storm of anger in his eyes barely restrained.

I nodded to the guard by the door. "Bring it in." The guard returned moments later, carrying a small vial of wolfsbane extract.

The liquid inside gleamed under the dim torchlight, its presence a promise of pain.

Cedric's eyes flicked to the vial, his bravado faltering for the first time.

"You think torture will break me?" he sneered, though his voice wavered slightly. "I've already given my life to this cause. You can't scare me." "Scare you?" I asked, my voice dangerously soft. "No, Cedric. This isn't about fear. It's about truth." Killian held out his hand, and the guard placed the vial in his palm Without hesitation, Killian poured a few drops of the liquid onto a cloth, the pungent scent of wolfsbane filling the room.

He leaned in close to Cedric, his voice a low growl. "This is your last chance. Where is Ardan?" Cedric's lips pressed into a thin line, his defiance unyielding.

Killian's claws wrapped the wolfsbane-soaked cloth and pressed it against Cedric's arm.

The reaction was immediate-Cedric cried out, his body jerking against the restraints as the poison seared his skin.

"Stop!" Cedric hissed, his voice laced with pain.

Killian pulled the cloth away, his expression cold and unrelenting. "Where is he?" Cedric's breaths cin ragged gasps, sweat beading on his forehead. But even through the pain, his defiance remained.

"You think... this will change anything?" he spat. "You're protecting a system that will destroy you. And when it falls, you'll fall with it."

My fists clenched at my sides as I forced myself to remain calmo The forsaken amulet," I said, shifting the E focus. "What do you know about it?" Cedric let out a weak laugh, his voice rasping. "You think breaking it was the end?" "Why did the rogue king take it?" I asked him again, having enough of his cryptic answers.

"The amulet can be fixed. Rowena's sacrifice would all be for nothing unlike mine," Cedric answered with a smug look on his face. "Once the amulet is fixed, it will all be over for all of you." Without saying a word, Killian took the wolfsbane and splashed it on Cedric making him scream in agony.

I flinched back as I listened to his screams of pain and watch his body tremble.

"Tell us how to fix it," Killian demanding, his expression as hard as stone. Cedric laughed after m recovering a bit from the pain. "That's the only answer you can have from me," he writhed in pain before he continued.

"The forsaken amulet needed a life will also sout sacrificed to be broken, so to be need life to be fixed again." My eyes widened. Life? It would be easy for the rogue king to have someone willing to sacrifice their life for the forsaken amulet.

For sure there a lot of men in his army who is crazier than Cedric.

His gaze locked onto mine, and my stomach turned. "All it takes is an Almega's life to fix it."