Semua Bab The Demoted Luna : Bab 21 - Bab 30

Torin's POV The air in the hall did not ease even after the agreement was reached, and though the tension had shifted from confrontation into something quieter, something controlled, it remained present in every glance, in every breath, in the way no one moved too quickly as if the slightest misstep could still undo everything that had just been settled.I remained seated for a moment longer after Nia walked away, my gaze lingering briefly on her retreating figure before I forced myself to look away, because there were still formalities to complete, and I would not allow distraction to show where it could be used against me.Darren stood across from me, his posture relaxed in a way that felt deliberate, his presence steady despite everything that had happened, while Darien remained just slightly behind him, his head tilted in quiet observation as though he was measuring every detail of the room, every shift in expression, every unspoken exchange.I pushed myself to stand.The moment

Nia's POV The moment his body gave out, something inside me tightened in a way I did not allow to show, because there are moments when panic would only make things worse, and this was one of them, and as his weight dropped, as his balance failed him completely, I moved without thinking, my hand reaching out instinctively even though I knew I would not be able to fully hold him on my own.“Torin,” I called, my voice sharper than I intended, my brows pulling together as I stepped closer, my fingers brushing against his arm just as his body gave in completely.Narek was faster.He caught him before he hit the ground fully, his grip firm as he lowered him carefully, though there was nothing careful about the tension in his expression, the tightness in his jaw, the way his eyes flickered quickly over Torin’s face as if searching for something that would reassure him.“Alpha,” Narek said, his voice strained despite the control he tried to maintain.I dropped to my knees beside them, my hand

Darren's POV The moment I stepped into my office, I expected quiet, or at the very least the kind of order that usually followed after a long absence, yet what I met instead was something far more familiar, something that made me pause for just a second before I allowed myself to move fully into the room.Liora was already there.She did not stand to greet me.She did not bow like the others had not like I expected that.Instead, she sat comfortably on the edge of my desk, her posture relaxed, her eyes watching me with that same boldness she had always carried, and before I could say a word, she slid down from the desk and closed the distance between us as though it was the most natural thing in the world.“Alpha,” she said softly.I barely had time to respond before she moved closer, her hands resting lightly against my shoulders as she guided me back toward the chair, her movements confident, unhesitating, as though she had done this a hundred times before.I allowed it.Not becaus

Darren's POV The day had already stretched itself thin by the time I decided I had enough of waiting.Reports kept coming the same way they always did now.Through guards.Through messengers.Through half spoken updates that said nothing and everything at the same time.Darien had refused to come personally again.That alone would have been enough to irritate me, but what made it worse was the consistency of it, the way he had slowly turned distance into habit, as though avoiding me had become part of his daily discipline.I stood by the window of my office for a while, watching the courtyard below as soldiers moved through their drills, their formations shifting under command, the sound of boots hitting stone in steady rhythm that normally would have grounded me.But not today.Today it only reminded me of how fragmented everything had become.I exhaled slowly.“Enough,” I muttered to myself.I left the office.The air outside was colder than expected, or perhaps I simply noticed it

Torin's POV I did not realize when night fully gave way to morning.At some point between the quiet breathing of the children and the weight of everything that had happened settling into something manageable, the darkness softened, and the first hint of light slipped through the curtains, touching the room in a way that felt distant, almost unreal compared to everything that had taken place hours before.Nia had not moved.Her head still rested against my shoulder, her body leaning into mine with a trust that was not spoken, something that came from exhaustion more than anything else, yet it carried weight all the same.My shoulder had gone numb at some point during the night.Then I got sore.Then stiff.I had ignored it for as long as I could, not wanting to disturb her when I knew how much it had taken for her to finally let go of control and sleep, even if only for a few hours.But morning had come.And my body reminded me that I was not untouched by everything that had been happ