Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 353: Equal Astrid's POV Something insidesnapped seeing the fear in Ryker's eyes and hearing him call"Mommy" for the first teven though he had no idea that I as his mother.

Although he doesn't know the truth, he had consideredhis mother from the start. An overwhelming urge to protect her filled me. I don't want to let him down.

Heat surged through my body, and I felt my wolf rise to the surface, more powerful and uncontrollable than ever before.

My bones cracked, my muscles shifted, and my vision sharpened as I transformed.

When the change was complete, the world seemed to pause.

Gasps echoed aroundas everyone froze, their eyes fixed on my massive wolf form. My silver fur shimmered in the fading light, and my glowing dark eyes burned with an intensity that even I couldn't fully comprehend. Andros turned, his smug expression vanishing as terror consumed him.

"The monster... i-it has cout!" he stuttered, stumbling backward. "Kill her! Kill her! She has completely transformed into a monster. She will kill us all!" His voice only fueled the fire raging within me. With a deafening roar, I lunged toward him, cutting through the battlefield with terrifying speed.

Andros's eyes widened as he dropped Ryker, panic overtaking him. He tried to shield himself, but it was futile. I was faster, stronger, and unstoppable.

The world blurred as I slammed into him, my claws tearing through the earth as he hit the ground beneath me. His cries were drowned out by the pounding of blood in my ears, the primal voice in my mind urgingto finish him.

End him. Tear him apart. Protect. Destroy.

The fight going on aroundhad stopped already. Everyone's eyes were onand Andros. Everyone wondered what they are supposed to do, now that I have fully transformed into a monster.

I raised my massive paw, claws gleaming as I prepared to strike. But something insidefaltered—an ache, a pull.

"Mommy..." The faint voice pierced through the chaos, weak but unmistakable. My wolf froze, the killing blow suspended in midair.

"Mommy, please..." Ryker's voice. My son. My boy.

The wolf withinsnarled, its fury boiling, but I could feel its hesitation. It wasn't just mine anymore-it was ours.

Inside my mind, the battlefield shifted.

I stood in a dark, endless void, the air thick with an oppressive silence that weighed on my chest.

Across fromloomed the wolf that had hauntedfor so long, its massive frpulsing with raw power.

Its silver fur and dark eyes glowed, filled with rage, pain, and something deeper- something broken.

Its snarls echoed around me, reverberating through the emptiness.

"You can't have me," I said, my voice trembling but steady.

The wolf bared its teeth, its growl low and menacing. 'I am you. You are me. There is no separation. We destroy. We kill. It's all we're good for.' I shook my head, my hands curling into fists. "No. That's not all we are. That's not what I want to be." The wolf's growl deepened, and it lunged toward me, its massive form colliding with mine.

I stumbled backward, the force of it knocking the breath from my lungs. Its teeth snapped close to my throat, but I stood firm, refusing to falter.

"You think you're stronger than me," I said, gritting my teeth. "But you're not." The wolf circled me, its piercing silver eyes narrowing. 'You can't control me. You're weak. You always have been. That's why they left you. That's why you hurt them.' Its words hitlike a blow, dredging up memories I had tried to bury: The distance I had put between myself and my father, the worthlessness I felt when I was married to Killian, the guilt and blI had placed on myself when I had a miscarriage.

For a moment, doubt crept in, but then Killian's voice cto me, steady and strong. Ryker's tiny arms around me, his voice callingMommy. Asha's unwavering f.ne My father's unconditional fan! me.

for "I'm not weak," I said, my voice growing stronger. "I've been hurt, yes. I've made mistakes. But I've also survived. I've fought. I've protected the people I love." The wolf stopped circling, its growls softening into something mournful, almost vulnerable.

'They will never accept you. You're a monster. You've seen it in their eyes. They fear you. They should.'

I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes. "They already have accepted me. Killian, Ryker, Asha.. they love me, even when I couldn't love myself. And I love them. I won't let you take that away from me." The wolf tilted its head, as if studyingfor the first time. Slowly, its snarls faded, its massive body lowering to the ground.

Its eyes, once filled with anger, now held a flicker of something else: understanding.

You can't destroy me, it said, its voice softer now.

I knelt before it, the tension in my m chest loosening. "I don't need to destroy you;" I said Yently. You're ΝΟ part of me-my strength, my pain, my power. We don't have to fight. We just have to understand each other." in The wolf blinked, its eyes shimmering as it leaned closer. For the first time, I reached out and touched it.

Its fur was soft, warm, and electric with power, and for a moment, I felt its heartbeat sync with mine.

We are one, it whispered, its voice steady, no longer laced with anger. Protect, then. Together.

The void began to lighten, the darkness peeling away as if the weight of the world had lifted.

The wolf's massive form shimmered, merging into me, its presence no longer a threat but a part of me-balanced, whole.

When I returned to the battlefield, the chaos aroundwas sharper than ever. I could see every detail, every I movement, but the rage that had once clouded my vision was gone. I was no longer a slave to the wolf inside me. I was its equal.

I stood taller, my resolve unshakable. This wasn't just about survival anymore.

It was about protecting the people I loved and proving to myself that I was more than my fear, my mistakes, or my pain.

And for the first time, I believed it.