All Chapters of The Rejected Luna's Dark Gift: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Three days of rest wasn't nearly enough but it would have to do because there were still three more compounds out there, still sixty or so wolves trapped and suffering and waiting for someone to remember they existed, and I couldn't just sit here in Shadowcrest pretending they didn't need help when I knew exactly what they were going through, exactly how it felt to lose hope day by day until you couldn't remember what freedom tasted like anymore.Kael knew I wasn't ready, I could feel it through the bond every time he looked at me, every time his hand hesitated before touching my shoulder like he was afraid I might shatter if he pressed too hard, but he also knew there was no stopping me because we'd had this argument already and he'd lost and we both knew I'd just sneak out if he tried to keep me here."At least take more wolves this time." That was his compromise, standing in the war room with maps spread everywhere and that look on his face that said he was trying really hard not t

Vera led me deeper into the compound where the prisoners were kept and with every step I could feel them before I saw them, could feel their hopelessness pressing against my shields like physical weight, could feel decades of broken dreams and shattered spirits concentrated in this one place until it was almost too much to bear."They've given up." Vera's voice was matter-of-fact. "Most of them have been here over a year. Some over five. At some point you stop hoping for rescue and start hoping for death instead."The cells appeared and I understood what she meant because the wolves inside weren't just physically thin and scarred, they were hollowed out in a way that went deeper than bodies, hollowed out in their souls until there wasn't much person left, and I wondered how many of them we'd actually be able to save even if we freed them."How do you live with this?" The question came out before I could stop it. "How do you look at them every day knowing you're part of what did this t

Tor led us inside his compound without guards or weapons or any attempt to fight, led us through corridors that were more depressing than threatening with their crumbling walls and rust-stained floors and the overwhelming sense that this place was dying along with the wolves it held."Thirty prisoners when I started. Twenty-three now. Seven died over the years and Draven never bothered to replace them because this compound wasn't important enough anymore." His voice held no emotion at all, like he'd used up his entire lifetime supply of feelings decades ago. "I'm the oldest warden. The first experiment. The proof of concept that collaring empaths would work.""I'm sorry." The words felt inadequate but I said them anyway. "I'm sorry Draven did this to you.""Why? You didn't collar me. Didn't break me. Didn't spend thirty-five years forcing me to hurt others." He stopped walking and turned to face me. "I did all of that myself. The collar only gave me the excuse.""That's not true. The

Kira stood. Moved toward me. Her collar pulsed brighter with each step. The compulsion radiating from her was overwhelming. Stronger than Draven's had been. Younger. Rawer. Uncontrolled.My shields went up automatically. Blocking the worst of it. But I felt it pushing. Testing. Trying to find cracks."You don't need to do that." My voice stayed calm. "I'm not here to fight you.""Everyone fights eventually. It's just a question of when."She circled me like a predator. Studying. Assessing. Looking for weakness. Her movements were too precise. Too controlled. Like she'd forgotten how to be casual."My name is Dian. I came to offer you freedom.""Freedom." She said it like a foreign word. "That's what they all say before trying to kill me.""Who's they?""Wolves who think removing the collar is mercy. Who think death is better than this." Her hand touched the metal at her throat. "They're wrong. This is better. This is clarity. This is purpose."Through my gift I felt the lie underneath

The journey back to Shadowcrest took two weeks instead of the planned one. The freed prisoners couldn't travel fast. Years of imprisonment had weakened them. Made long days on horseback impossible. So we moved slow. Stopped often. Let them rest when needed.Kira rode beside Tor most days. Learning from him. Asking questions about how to live without the collar. How to use her gift without the compulsion forcing it. How to be a person instead of a weapon."I don't remember who I was before." Her voice was quiet. "Sixteen feels like a lifetime ago. Do you remember who you were?""Pieces. Fragments. Like looking at someone else's memories through foggy glass." Tor's hand touched his neck habitually. "But I'm building something new. Someone who remembers the past but isn't defined by it.""Is that possible? Building something new after being broken so completely?""I don't know. But I'm trying. That's all any of us can do."Through my gift I felt Kira's fragile hope. Felt her wanting to b