All Chapters of Stronger Than Pain: From Beta To Luna: Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

Jayden’s words hung in the air like a curse.The man with the red feather. Conan was beside me in two strides, crouching to Jayden’s level. “When did you see him, kid?” Jayden sniffled. “When I was sleeping… but my eyes were open. He didn’t move. He just… watched.” Conan’s jaw clenched so tight I thought it might snap. “Did he say anything?” “No.” Jayden’s lip trembled. “But I knew he wanted to hurt Mommy.” I swallowed hard, wrapping my arms tighter around my son. “You’re safe here. No one’s getting to you.” Conan rose slowly, his gaze locked on me now, not Jayden. “He’s already inside the walls.” I frowned. “You think he snuck past the guards?” “I t

By evening, the sun had bled into a deep orange, staining the walls of the fortress in gold and shadow.Conan was on the balcony outside the war room, sharpening a blade with long, deliberate strokes. The rasp of steel on stone echoed in the cool air, steady as his breathing.“You’re going to wear it down to nothing if you keep at it,” I said, stepping into the doorway.He didn’t look up. “Better worn down than dull.”I crossed my arms, leaning against the frame. “You’ve been at it for hours.”He finally lifted his gaze to me, that half-smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “And you’ve been watching me for half that time.”I rolled my eyes but didn’t deny it. “Just making sure you’re not planning on charging off into another fight before you’re healed.”His smirk faded into something more serious. “If Jonathan makes a move again, I’m not waiting for him to come knocking. I’ll take the fight to him.”The words sent a shiver through me,not from fear, but from the certainty in his to

Henry’s laughter carried across the courtyard, light and boyish, the kind that made you want to smile even if the world was burning around you. Jayden was chasing him in uneven, puppy-like bursts of energy, his little legs pumping, his cheeks flushed from the cool afternoon wind. Two guards stood nearby, pretending not to watch too closely but keeping their eyes trained on them just the same.Henry darted left, narrowly dodging Jayden’s grab, and called over his shoulder, “Too slow, little prince!”Jayden stopped, hands on his hips, glaring in mock outrage. “I’m not slow! You’re just… cheaty.”I chuckled under my breath from where I stood in the archway, leaning against the stone. My fingers curled around the edge of the frame, heart easing at the sight. After everything, the whispers in the halls, the cracked mirrors, the sleepless nights, it felt like a fragile slice of normalcy.Henry grinned, slowing just enough to let Jayden catch him by the sleeve. Jayden crowed in triumph, wrap

Maybe they were all drawing that time, but Henry’s little hand kept moving with a kind of careful determination I’d never seen before. He wasn’t scribbling like the others, he was… telling a story.I leaned closer, squinting at the page. “What’s that you’re working on, champ?”He didn’t answer right away, tongue poking from the corner of his mouth the way it always did when he was focused. Only after he’d finished shading a stick figure’s hair did he glance up at me. His eyes, wide, uncertain, flickered toward the window before returning to me.“It’s you,” he said finally.I smiled despite the knot in my stomach. “Me? I don’t think I look that tall in real life.”Henry’s face stayed serious. “It’s you… and Jayden.” He pointed to the smaller stick figure with a little circle for a hand.The hairs on my arms rose. “And who’s the other person holding my hand?” I asked carefully, even though I already suspected the answer.Henry looked down, his crayon pausing mid-stroke. “She said she wa

He hadn’t said a word in three days.At first, I told myself it was just a phase. Kids shut down sometimes when they’re upset, right? But this… this was different. No crying. No laughter. Not even the quiet humming he did when he was playing alone. Just… staring.I crouched in front of him where he sat on the edge of the bed, knees tucked up, his small hands gripping his blanket so tightly his knuckles were white.“Jayden, baby…” My voice cracked, and I swallowed hard. “Can you talk to me? Please? Just one word. Anything.”His eyes, those warm, brown eyes, shifted, slow and deliberate, meeting mine. And then, in the smallest, thinnest whisper, he said, “She’s waiting.”The chill that rolled over me was worse than any draft or ghostly breeze. It felt like something had reached right through my skin and gripped my spine.I reached for him, pulling him into my arms. “Who’s waiting, sweetheart? Who is she?” But he didn’t answer. His small body stayed stiff in my embrace, like he was braci