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•Chapter 176•
Last Updated:
2025-11-19 17:17:06
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The Stand-In Luna •Chapter 184•
Ashley The first warmth of spring crept into the valley, soft and fragrant. Birds returned to the branches overhead, and the forest began to breathe again. Within my chest, the fear was gradually reducing, giving room for a sense of peace to penetrate. Days had passed since Luna’s return, and though she had grown stronger with each sunrise, I could not fully shake the memory of her bound and frightened form. I preferred it this way, though. The more I remembered, the less likely I was to make mistakes in the future. I told myself that the scars, visible or hidden, would heal in time. Still, some nights I woke up gasping, certain I could hear the faint scrape of a dagger against my daughter’s skin. “Everything will be fine,” I told myself. That morning, I sat outside the villa, watching Luna chase a flock of fireflies that shimmered like lanterns in the pale light. She laughed as she ran, her bare feet leaving prints in the damp grass. Each sound of her laughter made me smile
The Stand-In Luna •Chapter 183•
Ashley The Tribe was awake already when we returned. Torches lit the streets, their flames painting uneasy faces with orange shadows. Every step we took back through the gates was met with stares, and every stare carried the same unspoken question: had the Divine Queen failed to retrieve her human child? “She risked so much for this girl, so she must be special indeed.” “Not sure why, she's not even a Lycan.” “The future holds many things for this little one.” The whispers were never-ending, but they were meant to be heard. People were always going to have a different perception of who Luna was meant to be, but I was done trying to force them to see her as something else. Sooner or later, the truth would reveal itself. I kept my chin high and my daughter cradled to my chest. She stirred faintly in her sleep, her hand clutching at my dress, unaware of the invisible weight pressing down on me from every direction. Zane walked beside me, his stride tense and controlled, as
The Stand-In Luna •Chapter 182•
Ashley' The dagger in the leader’s hand never touched Luna’s throat. The burned cultist was still on the ground, releasing smoke that smelled of burned flesh and complete death. Even I couldn’t stand to smell it. One heartbeat passed. Then two. Then three. I felt it before I saw it. In the blink of an eye, Zane lunged forward with the fury of a storm. His hand clamped down on the lead fanatic’s wrist, twisting so sharply that the man’s weapon clattered uselessly to the ground. A howl of pain escaped him, but Zane didn’t let up. He slammed the zealot to his knees, teeth bared, eyes burning like molten gold as he bared his teeth. “I told you to be careful,” he growled, doing all he could to keep himself from shifting fully. We were bound down to the deepest level now, since my wolf had sacrificed herself to save him, and now we were almost like a single soul in different bodies. His energy pulsed into my body as well, giving me enough fire to release my energy in blasts of lig
The Stand-In Luna •Chapter 181•
Ashley Luna’s muffled cries tore through me as the warriors dragged her struggling form into the circle of torchlight. Rope bit into her wrists and ankles, her small body trembling against the force of grown men holding her down. She looked so terrified that for a moment the world around me blurred, every sound muffled under the rush of blood in my ears. “Free her,” my voice came out sharper than steel, carrying across the clearing with a weight that made even the torches flicker. ‘Release her now or you will all burn.” One of the men, his eyes wild with fervor, shook his head. “She doesn’t belong to you, Divine One. She is to be returned. You cannot—” “Cannot what?” I cut in, my tone steady but laced with fire. “Cannot love her? Cannot protect her because she was born human?” The man’s mouth trembled. He glanced at his companions as if seeking their help. “You are the incarnation of the Goddess. To raise her is an abomination. She pollutes your very essence. We’ve only don
The Stand-In Luna •Chapter 180•
Ashley I couldn’t sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Luna’s face. The way her small hands clutched my robes when storms frightened her, her laughter echoing through the Sacred Grove, the way her eyes lit with wonder when she spoke about the stars. And now she was out there, captured by those . . . despicable zealots. Mad men that ruined my life ever since they came into it. When dawn broke, the Tribe was already waking up. Patrols doubled, scouts dispatched, and whispers spread like wildfire. Everyone had seen the emissary vanish from our halls, and even though they tried to hide it, I could see how Luna’s disappearance had somehow affected them. They feared what would happen next. Maybe I was going to lose my mind and wreak havoc searching for her. Some looked at me with pity. Others with fear. And some… some with a dangerous glimmer in their eyes, as though this proved everything the cult had claimed about me being above mortals. I had little patience
The Stand-In Luna •Chapter 179•
AshleyThe ruins haunted me even as we returned to the safety of the inner borders. I could still feel the brittle weight of Luna’s lock of hair against my skin, hidden now in a little bag at my hip. Every time I touched it, I felt the faintest hum of her spirit, like she was crying out for me to come faster and save her. To free her from the cold dark place that she was.By the time the four of us: Zane, Bryce, Clara, and I, entered Zane's study chamber, we were both exhausted and disappointed. The journey had been long and tiring, and not finding Luna there after all our efforts was a little discouraging.The Elders of the Tribe joined us soon after, wanting to know the update concerning Luna's disappearance.Torches crackled against the walls, and their gazes turned to me with a mixture of reverence and fear. I hated it, even now. Their eyes didn’t see Ashley anymore; they saw the Divine Lycan Queen, the living incarnation of the Goddess.Some of them might have seen me as nothing
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