Semua Bab Barren Luna Returns with Triplets: Bab 181 - Bab 190

Kharl POVI stayed in Celeste’s room longer than I planned.Not because I had anything important left to say.But because leaving felt wrong.The storm outside continued violently, rain striking the palace windows hard enough to sound like tiny stones against glass. Thunder rolled across the sky every few minutes, shaking the walls slightly, but inside the room the children had finally settled again.Amelia was asleep against my side now.Alora had shifted closer sometime during the night until half her body was practically on top of Celeste. Blaze slept near the foot of the bed with one arm hanging over the edge, while Rune remained curled toward his siblings protectively even in sleep.I watched them quietly.Mine.The thought still hit me strangely sometimes.Not because I doubted it anymore.Because I had missed so much.Five years.Five years of first words, first steps, birthdays, nightmares, laughter, scraped knees, and bedtime stories.Five years I could never get back.The gu

Ryder POVThe knock came just before dawn.Sharp.Urgent.The kind that meant bad news.I was already awake.Truthfully, I had not slept much at all. Between Markus’ escape, the increased patrols, the tribunal, and the constant tension hanging over both Packs, real rest had become impossible.So when the pounding came again at my chamber door, I was already moving.“Enter.”The door opened immediately.A guard stepped inside, breathing hard, his expression grim.“Alpha Ryder.”“What is it?”He swallowed.“A message was found in Lydia’s cell.”That got my full attention.I straightened.“What kind of message?”The guard hesitated.“Threat.”Of course.I followed him immediately.The lower halls felt colder at this hour, the stone floors still carrying the damp bite of the storm outside. Torches flickered weakly along the corridor walls as we descended toward the dungeon.By the time I arrived, Lydia was no longer pretending strength.She looked terrified.Actually terrified.Not manipu

Celeste POVI hated how quickly normal disappeared.One moment, I had been trying to breathe through fear, convincing myself the palace walls were enough, that extra guards and locked doors meant safety.The next—I was being told a secret organization had been watching my children for months.Months.The word kept echoing in my head as I stood frozen in the war room, my fingers curled so tightly into my palms that my nails hurt.Watching.Not just Markus.Not Lydia.Something bigger.Older.Patient.I suddenly felt sick.Kharl was already issuing orders by the time I forced myself to breathe properly again.“Inner ring lockdown.”“Double escort rotations.”“No servant changes without clearance.”Warriors moved immediately, the room filling with motion, urgency, voices.But all I could hear was my own heartbeat.“Celeste.”Kharl’s voice pulled me back.I looked at him.He was standing directly in front of me now.Too close.Too serious.“We need to move.”My throat tightened.“To wher

Kharl POVSomething was wrong.I noticed it the moment Celeste returned from wherever she had disappeared to earlier that afternoon.Most people probably wouldn’t have seen it.The children certainly didn’t.Alora was too busy talking about a new game she wanted everyone to play.Rune and Blaze were arguing over something during training.Amelia was quietly drawing beside them.To everyone else, Celeste looked normal.To me, she didn’t.She was distracted.Quiet.Lost inside her own thoughts.Every few minutes I would catch her staring into space before quickly forcing herself back into the conversation.At dinner she barely touched her food.When I asked if she was feeling alright, she immediately smiled and said she was fine.The problem was that I knew that smile.It was the same smile she used whenever she was trying to protect everyone else from worrying.And I hated it.Because it usually meant she was carrying something alone.After everything we had been through, I thought we

Markus POVThe funny thing about losing everything is that it doesn’t happen all at once.People imagine defeat as a single moment.A sword at your throat.Chains around your wrists.A prison cell door closing.But real defeat comes slowly.Piece by piece.First, the Circle lost territory.Then soldiers.Then leaders.Then secrets.Then power.By the time they finally captured me, there was almost nothing left.I sat chained inside a heavily guarded wagon as it rolled toward the meeting grounds where the united Packs had gathered.The journey was long.Quiet.The guards didn’t bother speaking to me.I didn’t bother speaking to them.What was there left to say?The Circle was gone.The fortress had fallen.The ancient records had been taken.My followers had surrendered.Years of planning.Years of sacrifice.Years of obsession.Gone.I closed my eyes briefly.Not because I was tired.Because memory wouldn’t stop.I remembered being young.I remembered standing beside Ryder.Back then