All Chapters of The Luna's Claws of Revenge: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

*Lyra*I crouch beside Bram as I fold the last of the blankets into our pack, and I can’t stop thinking about the boy named Reed from last night.Bram handled interacting with him so well. He was patient and careful, giving just enough space for the kid to trust him. I watch my mate slice venison for our breakfast, and I feel a warmth that has nothing to do with the morning sun coming in through the trees. Bram’s hands are strong and soft all at once. Somehow, I know he’ll be a good father one day. He has that balance of fierce protection and gentle guidance. I let myself picture it, and for the first time in a long time, I imagine a future where he’s not just a warrior or a fighter, but a man shaping lives with love and wisdom.I shake my head, smiling to myself. There’s a time and a place for dreams. For now, we still have work to do. Today, we’ll search for signs of Song Pack members, and hopefully bump into a few who will listen when we say we approach for friendship’s sake. We

*Lyra*I take a deep breath, the smooth curtain brushing my cheek. Beside me, Bram’s hand grazes mine reassuringly. The murmurs swell in the meeting house, families of Song Pack sitting together, shoulders drawn tight with weariness rather than menace.I nod once to Bram, and we step out. The effect is instant. Gasps break through the hall. Someone cries out, a high-pitched scream that makes the smallest children cling to their mothers. Before panic can fully take root, Reed’s mother rises, her posture straight, her expression calm. “It’s all right,” she says, her tone carrying authority. “I invited them. They saved Reed and I. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them.”The room ripples with whispers. Skepticism hangs like fog, but the edge of fear dulls.“May I speak?” I ask. No one answers, but no one stops me either. So I go on.“We didn’t come here to frighten you,” I say. “Bram and I… we can offer you protection.” I let the word settle, meeting the gaze of a woman clutching a

*Lyra*The voices fade, swallowed by the wind. My ears are still twitching, my heart beating too fast for how still we’re lying. I can’t shake the words.“Finally admit that she knows it wasn’t Lyra that killed Arica.”I’ve known all along that I didn’t kill Arica, but hearing it like that, from Kaelen’s own men, it’s like a crack splitting open inside me. Relief mixes with rage. Tessa.I thought maybe she truly believed the lie Kaelen spun about me, but if a patrol is freely speaking about knowing I didn’t kill Arica, then why hasn’t Tessa said it? We were best friends…I lower my head to my paws, trying to calm myself. Bram moves closer, his body bumping into my side. Through the mind-link he warns, “Let’s get out of here. They might circle back.”I force myself toward Song Pack, though every muscle in me wants to turn back, to race screaming into Running River and demand my life returned. Kaelen took so much from me. My home, my pack, and now I see it clearly, he twisted Arica’s d

*Lyra*The woods draw a canopy above us, branches clawing at the fading strip of sky. I crouch low, every muscle taut, listening for any sign through the mind-link, but Serena’s voice is gone. “She’s been silent too long,” I whisper, turning toward Bram. He nods. “We can’t stay here. Patrols will sweep the outer woods soon. If they find us–”“I know.” The words rip from me sharper than I intend. He’s right, of course. Sitting here is as good as offering ourselves up. “If we get caught,” I mutter, teeth bared, “I’ll put wolfsbane in Kaelen’s mouth myself.”He tosses me a sideways glance. “If we get caught, I'll put wolfsbane in my own mouth. I’d hate to see what they’d do to me. Probably burn me alive like the men I left in the woods…” Bram scans the trees. “We’ll shift, stay low, keep moving, and stay alert. Just far enough back that they won’t smell us, but close enough that if Serena calls you’ll hear her. My throat tightens. “What if something happened?”“We can’t help her if we

*Lyra*I didn’t sleep much last night. My mind kept returning to the woman who looks exactly like me. Why had she acted like she was Tessa’s friend? What did she want, and why was she in Running River at all? Is she from Blue Raven? Who is she?! Even in the quiet dark, her existence taunted me with questions I can’t answer.By the time noon rolls around, my restless thoughts are interrupted by movement at the edge of the clearing. I turn to see Serena, Mitch, Frank, Jeanie, and a stranger I haven’t met, as well as little Reed holding Serena’s hand. They’re smiling, their eyes bright with relief. Serena’s shoulders are relaxed, and Mitch carries himself with a lightness I haven’t seen in him before. Frank grins, though he tries to keep it contained, and Jeanie’s eyes sparkle as she steps forward. Even the stranger moves with an easy confidence, nodding politely at Bram and me. Reed tugs gently on Serena’s sleeve, bouncing on the balls of his feet. They’ve come with good news. I can fe