All Chapters of The Alpha King's Forgotten Luna: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Sabine was sitting by the fire when we brought Draven into camp, and the moment she saw him her whole body went rigid."I know that face," she said quietly. "You were at the parley. You stood beside the men who tried to kill her.""I am not proud of where I stood," Draven said. "I am here because my wife is dying and you may be the only person left who can save her."Sabine's pale eyes studied him for a long moment, unreadable. Rhea stood close behind her great-aunt, protective, watching the exchange like she expected Draven to lunge at any moment."Tell her everything," I said. "The way you told me."Draven explained it again, slower this time, his voice steady despite the shame written across his face. Sabine listened without interrupting, her thin hands folded in her lap, until he finished."I know the sickness you are describing," she said finally. "I have seen it before. Kestrel used a weaker version of his ritual on anyone he wanted controlled instead of killed. It leaves a mark

"He is bluffing," Kael said. "He has to be.""He is not," I said. "I saw what he did to my mother's bloodline for three hundred years. He does not bluff. He simply waits to see who blinks first."The camp had gone tense and quiet around us, everyone gathering near the fire as word of the new deadline spread. Marisol stood with her arms wrapped around her sister, both of them pale and shaking. Somewhere behind them, a boy no older than twelve sat wrapped in a blanket, the same one I had seen marched into that mountain weeks ago."We cannot let him hurt that child," I said. "Whatever else we do, that cannot happen.""Then what do we do," Damian asked. "Surrender is not an option. Aldric would never let you leave that camp again once he had you.""I know," I said.Renata stepped forward from where she had been standing quietly at the edge of the group since her confession. "There may be another way. If we can move fast enough.""What way," I asked."Garrick's contact," Renata said. "The

"Me," Damian said. "What do you mean, me."Garrick's hands shook as he held the letter out. "It is written by your father. Addressed to Kestrel. Dated nineteen years ago."Damian took it slowly, like it might burn him. The firelight flickered across the parchment as he unfolded it fully, and I watched his eyes move across the page, watched the color drain from his face line by line."Read it out loud," Renata said quietly. "Everyone should hear this, not just you."Damian's voice came out rough. "To Kestrel. The matter we discussed regarding my wife's bloodline must remain buried. If word spreads that Alaric's mother carried Aurelian blood, even diluted as it was, the council will demand the same price from my family that they demanded from the Voss line. I trust you understand why this cannot happen. In exchange for your silence, you may use my lands and my men however you require."Silence fell over the camp."Your mother," I said slowly. "Your mother was Aurelian.""That is not pos

"Aldric," I breathed.He straightened fully, brushing dust from his sleeve like he had simply stepped off a carriage instead of dropping forty feet down a cliff face. "I confess, I did not expect to find you all the way up here. I was only looking for the girl."Behind me, Wren's breathing went sharp and fast."Leave her alone," I said, stepping between them. "This has nothing to do with her.""On the contrary," Aldric said. "She is exactly what this is about. Another thread of that bloodline your mother tried so hard to keep alive. I simply did not realize there was a second one until recently.""You will not touch her," Kael said, already moving to flank Aldric's position, blade drawn.Aldric's gaze flicked to him, unbothered. "You continue to overestimate your odds against me, Kael. Even weakened from Kestrel's death, I am still considerably stronger than anything standing in this cave.""Then let us test that," I said, letting the heat rise in my chest, gold light already flickeri

"Take me to him," I said. "Now.""Elena, wait," Damian said, grabbing my arm. "Storming his tent will not fix this.""I did not survive a three hundred foot fall to come back and watch him throw away everything Sabine risked her life for," I said. My shoulder still ached with every step, but the anger pushing me forward was stronger than any pain. "He owes his wife's life to us. I intend to collect."Selene appeared from between the tents before I could move further, her face white."I already tried," she said. "He will not listen to me.""Then he listens to me," I said.We found Draven at the center of what remained of the camp, surrounded by commanders, maps spread across a makeshift table. He looked up when I approached, and something flickered in his eyes. Not quite guilt. Something closer to fear."You are supposed to be dead," he said."Disappointing, I am sure," I said. "Why are you preparing for war when the man who threatened your family is gone.""Is he," Draven said. "You s