Chapter 30

Samantha’s POV

“You’re thinner than the last time I saw you.”

Lena’s voice pulled me from my thoughts as she placed a steaming cup of tea on the small table between us. She settled into the chair across from me, scanning me in the way only she could — half affectionate, half appraising.

I let out a short laugh, one that felt foreign and awkward after years of keeping myself guarded. “I guess life has a way of wearing you down,” I replied.

She frowned, her lips pressing into a thin line. “You’ve been through too much, Samantha. More than anyone should have to endure.”

I avoided her gaze, my hands warming against the teacup. The years apart had not dulled her ability to see right through me. It was comforting and unsettling all at once, after all, when my mother died, she took me in, cared for me, and raised me to be the Luna I had been. But fate decided to hand me a cruel life I had to escape from.

“I’ve managed,” I replied after a moment. “The Moonstone Pack has been good to me. It’s