All Chapters of The Banished Luna Returns!: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

•CATHERINE• “The patient is with his parents. Leo and Mary Thorn,” she answered.My breath caught.Leo.Mary.The two names that could still slice through me like a blade.“Very well then,” I replied smoothly, far steadier than I felt. “Please tell them I’m on my way.”She nodded and left, closing the door softly behind her.I took deep breaths, trying to calm the storm that was raging inside me.The man who rejected me, and the woman he threw me away for— standing under my roof now, needing my hands to save their child.Five years since Leo watched them strip me of my name, my title, leaving me to be killed by rogues outside the Crescent’s border.No, I hadn’t healed. Not even close.But beneath all that pain, another ache pulsed—deeper, quieter, more fragile.Brian.How was I going to face my son, the one I raised while his mother was believed to be dead? How was I going to face him after he had cast me aside and wanted his true mother? ‘You won’t be Catherine Storm to th

•MARY• Leo picked up Brian and carried him to the car while I followed behind, still thinking about Dr. Vale and the strange feeling she gave me. There was something about her face, her voice, and the way she moved. I couldn’t explain it, but she felt familiar in a way that bothered me. Leo’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “Get in the car, Mary. I don’t want us to be late.” "Yeah, gosh," I replied. "I'm sorry." I climbed in and shut the door, pushing away the silly feeling. Maybe I was just tired or overthinking everything after the long day. All I wanted was to get home. My period was late, and I needed to take a pregnancy test before I lost my mind with worry and hope. I didn’t even know how to tell Leo that we might be expecting another baby. He was already stressed about Brian’s sudden sickness, and I didn't want to give him false hope just yet. Still, the thought of a new life growing inside me brought a soft warmth to my chest. I held onto that hope quietly as

•CATHERINE•“Julie has left. She said to tell you she will call when she gets home,” Elias informed me when he found me on the couch in my room, reading a book.Julie had told me the previous night that she would go home today because she had a case to attend, but because I was still stressed about seeing Leo, Mary, and Brian, I couldn’t thank her enough for being around.But I planned to make it up to her as soon as I figured out a way forward. She and Elias were the only reasons I didn’t lose my mind in the past few weeks.They both held me down and never gave up on me.“Thank you, Elias,” I answered, keeping my focus on the book. “Close the door behind you when you leave. I want some time alone today.”He sighed, leaning toward me. “Cat, you can’t keep yourself in here. You need to go out and get some air. You’ve been here an entire day and haven’t even touched your food.” He looked at the untouched bowl of cereal on the counter.I closed the book and looked at him. “I want us to g

•CATHERINE• I pushed myself up from the ground and brushed dirt from my hands. My voice shook when I spoke. “Where is she? I want to hear her voice.” “The silver chains will tear her apart before you reach her,” Viktor said on the phone. “If you do not want that to happen, shut the hospital down, Dr. Vale.” He ended the call before I could say anything. My hands trembled as I dialed Julie. I prayed she would pick up and say she was safe at home, but her phone rang once and then went straight to voicemail. My chest tightened, and I felt as if I were losing my mind for a second. I growled and threw my phone into the river. Nyra pushed at the edge of my mind, tinting my vision with her wild anger. I fought to stay in control. Shifting now would not help me save Julie. Elias rushed to my side and placed his hand around my shoulders. “What is it? Are you okay?” I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and forced myself to calm down. Then I looked at him. “Viktor took Julie. She never m

•MARY• I was on my way to eat breakfast when Leo finally came home. He had spent the entire night at Luke's house, watching over his friend and his wife, who was trying to commit suicide. It sucked that he had to work instead of being with me. Once Xander and I had made plans to get hold of Brian's father, it would be difficult to conceive without his DNA still inside of me so he wouldn't know that the baby wasn't his. He couldn't tell that Brian wasn't his child after I gave birth because I conceived right after I spent a night with him. Though he wasn't the one who had gotten me pregnant, his sperm was still inside of me, which masked the baby's father's DNA. "Finally, you're home, babe," I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "How is Luke?" "We are still waiting for the messenger to return with Dr. Vale," he answered, sighing as he leaned back. "I want to freshen up and get some sleep before checking on them again. It was a long night." I could see the eye bags