Alle Kapitel von Second Chance For The Broken Luna: Kapitel 151 – Kapitel 160

Krista*Luna Cara gave a faint nod, though her expression remained distant, as if part of her mind still could not comprehend the reality before her. Up close, I realized she looked older than she probably truly was. Grief had settled over her features like years added in mere days.“Thank you for coming,” she said softly. Her voice nearly broke on the final word. Merrick tightened his hold on her arm immediately. Hunter exhaled deeply and looked toward the pyre only a few feet away from us. The flames had not yet been lit, but the scent of oil lingered thickly in the air.“We truly thought he was going to make it,” he said. His voice was rough, like the words were tearing themselves out of him. “The healers said the bleeding had slowed. For a while…” He swallowed hard. “For a while, we thought the Goddess was sparing him.”Alissa squeezed his hand tightly. Hunter laughed once then and it was a terrible, hollow sound, full of bitterness. “But I suppose the Goddess had already called

Krista*As Jacob and I walked back toward the manor, smoke still lingered in the sky behind us, drifting upward in pale grey ribbons although the pyre itself had long collapsed into glowing ash. The scent of burnt cedar and flesh clung stubbornly to the cold night air, embedding itself into my skin and hair until I thought I would carry the smell of death for days.Behind us, Mari and Jhan followed several feet back in respectful silence, their footsteps soft against the dirt road winding through the Nightwalker grounds.Around us, the pack remained awake despite the late hour.Groups of wolves moved quietly through the territory, dressed in mourning grey. Some wept openly. Lanterns glowed dimly outside homes and buildings, casting pools of golden light onto the earth.Everything felt subdued. My chest tightened as I glanced once over my shoulder toward the distant field where the pyre still smoldered faintly. “It’s hard to imagine,” I murmured quietly, “that in just a few hours, the

Krista*Jacob’s face hardened slightly. “They took care of every wolf involved in the attack,” he said. “None escaped.”I blinked at him. Every one? The sheer efficiency of that retaliation made grim satisfaction curl through me.Jacob continued walking slowly beside me as he spoke. “If the Rogue King is as intelligent as I believe he is,” he said, “he won’t retaliate immediately, not after taking losses that heavy.”“You think they’ll disappear?”“For a while.” His tone carried certainty. “They’ll wait for the packs to relax, for grief to dull vigilance until the guards grow complacent again.”It sounded calculated and that was the terrifying thing. Rogues were supposed to be chaotic, not patient.“But,” Jacob said grimly, “for them to have attacked Nightwalker in the first place means the question of Red Moon being targeted is no longer if.”My breath caught slightly.“It’s a question of when,” I finished quietly.Jacob nodded. “Yes.”Yet strangely, despite the fear gnawing at me,

Krista*I turned this way and that in front of the mirror, observing the bun I’d put her hair in. It was an elegant style I had spent the last few minutes perfecting and as I scrutinized myself, I found my appearance satisfactory. The style made me look regal, and that was exactly what I was going for.I had no doubt all eyes would be on me as I and Jacob mingled with the other werewolf nobility and in light of her disappearance and return to the Red Moon pack, and Laurel's conspicuous absence here tonight, tongues would be wagging.The other wolves would be expecting the old Krista, someone they could pressure. I would make sure not to grant it to them.Carefully, I dragged rouge across my lips, staining them a deep wine red before lining my eyes with kohl. The dark line sharpened my gaze, made my eyes look larger and more severe. I added a touch of blush to my cheeks and leaned back slightly, studying the final effect.I look regal and composed, exactly what I needed tonight.My wo

Krista*Beside me, Jacob leaned slightly closer.“Ready?” he whispered. His breath brushed my ear, warm enough to make my stomach tighten.I lifted my chin and answered lightly, “As I’ll ever be.”Then we stepped into the room together. At once, the chatter reduced enough that I felt the weight of every eye turning toward us.The ballroom was magnificent. Crystal chandeliers hung overhead like dripping stars, their light glittering across marble floors. Wolves in colorful attires clustered in groups under towering arches. Servants threaded silently through the crowd carrying silver trays laden with wine.And every single person was staring at us. At me.I let a beatific smile curve my lips as if I had not noticed, as though I had walked into rooms like this every day for the past two years instead of hiding in a human settlement trying not to be found.A servant passed nearby carrying drinks and Jacob smoothly plucked two glasses of golden wine from the tray before handing one to me.