Chapter 119 CRACKS WITHIN

Chapter 119 CRACKS WITHIN

LUNA LEENA POV

The morning light came gently through the windows. I woke up still wrapped in Damian’s arms. For the first time in many days, I had slept deeply without nightmares. His warm body pressed against mine felt safe. The scar on my wrist was quiet for now, just a faint glow under my skin. I stayed still, listening to his breathing, afraid that moving would wake the strange feelings again.

Damian stirred and kissed my forehead. “Good morning,” he said softly, his voice still rough from sleep. “How do you feel?”

“Better,” I lied a little. “The burning is not as bad today.”

He smiled and pulled me closer. We stayed like that for a while, just holding each other. I wanted this peace to last forever. But deep inside, I knew something was still wrong. The voice had not gone away completely. It was only sleeping.

The children burst into the room a short time later, their small feet running across the floor. Ryker jumped onto the bed first, followed by Thorne and Elara. They laughed loudly as they climbed over us.

“Mummy! Daddy! Wake up!” Elara shouted happily.

I forced a big smile and hugged all three of them at once. Their small bodies felt so warm and alive. “I’m awake, my love. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes!” Thorne said proudly. “I didn’t have any bad dreams.”

Ryker looked at me with sharp eyes. “Are you okay now, Mummy? You looked sad yesterday.”

My chest tightened. I kissed his forehead. “I am fine. Mummy is just happy you are all here with us.”

We went down for breakfast together. The table was full of food, fresh bread, fruits, meat, and warm milk. The children ate quickly, talking and laughing about their plans for the day. They wanted to play in the garden, practice with small wooden swords, and hear more stories about how we fought the giants.

For a while, everything felt normal. I watched them and my heart swelled with love. But when Elara spilled her milk while reaching for more bread, something inside me snapped without warning.

“Can’t you be careful?” I said sharply, my voice louder than I wanted. The maid who came to clean it froze. Elara’s eyes widened in surprise.

The table went quiet. Damian looked at me with concern. The scar on my wrist started burning again. That faint voice returned, whispering words I still could not understand. It felt like someone was pushing me from inside my own head.

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly, forcing my voice to soften. “Mummy didn’t mean to shout. It was just an accident.”

Elara nodded but stayed quieter after that. The happy energy at the table had disappeared. I hated myself for spoiling the moment. These were my babies. They had already suffered so much. Why was I making it worse?

After breakfast, Damian took my hand and led me to the garden while the children played with their guards nearby. The flowers were blooming brightly, but I could barely see their beauty. My mind felt restless.

“Leena, talk to me,” Damian said gently. He stopped walking and turned to face me. “I can feel your emotions through the bond. They are getting stronger. Wilder. What is happening?”

I looked down at my wrist. The scar glowed faintly under the sunlight. “I don’t know. Sometimes I feel so angry for no reason. The mark burns when the children laugh or when they touch me. And the voice… it keeps coming back. I still don’t know where it is coming from. It scares me, Damian. What if I hurt them? What if I become someone they are afraid of?”

Tears filled my eyes. Damian pulled me into his arms and kissed me deeply. His lips were warm and full of love. He kissed me like he was trying to chase away everything dark inside me. I kissed him back, holding onto his shirt tightly. For those few seconds, the burning eased and the voice became silent. I felt safe. I felt loved.

When we pulled apart, he rested his forehead against mine. “We will go to the healer now. Together. You are not alone in this.”

I nodded. We walked to the healer’s hut holding hands. The old man examined my wrist carefully. He touched the glowing scar and closed his eyes for a long time.

“This is old magic from the Veilwood,” she said finally. “It reacts to strong emotions, fear, anger, guilt. The mark is feeding on what you feel. I can give you herbs to calm it, but you must try to stay peaceful. Too much stress will make it worse.”

She gave me a small bag of dried leaves and told me how to prepare them. I thanked her, but I still didn’t tell her about the voice. I was too ashamed. Too confused. What if the voice meant I was going mad?

The rest of the day passed slowly. I tried to play with the children again. We sat under a big tree and they showed me drawings they made, pictures of our family together, with all five of us smiling. My heart ached with love, but when Ryker hugged me tightly, the scar burned sharply. The voice whispered again, louder this time. I gently moved him away and stood up.

“I need some time alone,” I said quickly and walked toward the training ground.

I picked up a sword and started swinging it hard. Each strike helped release the pressure building inside me. I attacked the wooden dummy again and again until it broke into pieces. Sweat covered my skin. My arms burned. But the anger was still there.

A young guard came closer to check if I was okay. “Luna, do you need help?”

Something inside me exploded. I turned on him without thinking.

“Leave me alone!” I shouted, raising the sword. The guard stepped back in fear. I stopped myself at the last moment, dropping the sword. Horror filled me.

What was I doing?

I ran away from the training ground, tears streaming down my face. I found a quiet corner in the garden and sat on the ground, hugging my knees. The scar glowed brighter. The voice returned, clearer than before but still not fully understandable. It sounded almost like it was encouraging me. Telling me I was stronger. I covered my ears even though the voice was inside my head.

“I don’t want this,” I whispered. “Please stop. Leave me alone.”

Damian found me there as the sun was setting. He knelt in front of me and pulled me into his arms without saying a word at first. I cried against his chest, shaking.

“I almost hurt a guard today,” I whispered. “I shouted at the children this morning. I don’t know what is happening to me, Damian. The voice keeps coming back. I hear it but I don’t understand what it wants. I feel like I’m cracking inside. Like something is trying to break out of me.”

He held me tighter and kissed my hair. “We will fight this. I am here. The children love you. You are still their mother. You are still my mate. We will find a way to control this mark. I promise you.”

I nodded, but deep down the fear remained. The scar was still glowing. The voice was still there, waiting.

He stood up and knelt down in front of me so our eyes could meet. Without saying a word, he reached out and gently took my hands. His touch was warm and careful. For a second, the scar on my wrist only tingled instead of burning. He pulled me up slowly until I was standing in front of him.

“Come here,” he whispered.

Before I could think, he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me off the ground. A small surprised laugh escaped my lips as he spun me around once. My feet left the grass for a moment. When he set me down, he didn’t let go. Instead, he started tickling my sides gently, the way he used to do before everything became so heavy.

“Damian!” I gasped, laughing as I tried to push his hands away.

He smiled that real smile I hadn’t seen in days and kept going. I twisted and turned in his arms, laughing harder. For those few moments, everything else disappeared. The burning scar, the confusing voice, the anger that kept rising inside me… all of it faded away. I was just Leena again. His Leena. Laughing like a girl in the garden with the man she loved.

I managed to slip out of his hold and ran a few steps away. He chased after me slowly, pretending he couldn’t catch me. When he finally did, he caught me from behind and pulled my back against his chest. His arms circled my waist tightly. He kissed the side of my neck softly, then my cheek, then the corner of my lips.

“You are still my playful Luna,” he murmured against my skin.

I leaned back into him, breathing fast from laughter. His warmth surrounded me completely. At that moment, I forgot about the mark. I forgot about the voice whispering in my head. I forgot about the fear of losing control. There was only Damian’s arms, his soft kisses, and the sound of my own laughter mixing with his.

We stayed like that for a while, playing and teasing each other under the afternoon sun. He would reach for me, I would dodge and laugh, then let him catch me again. far away.

I turned in his arms and looked up at him. “Thank you,” I whispered. “For making me forget… even if it’s just for a little while.”

He cupped my face gently and kissed me deeply. I kissed him back with everything I had, wishing this peaceful moment would never end.

…….

That night, as I lay beside Damian, the scar glowed brighter than ever. The voice returned, clearer than before.

“You don’t need to be weak anymore…I can make you stronger, All I need is your body, I am going to take your body”

My eyes flew open. I sat up suddenly, breathing hard. Damian woke up and held me.

“Leena?”

I couldn’t speak. The voice had spoken clearly for the first time. And I still had no idea where it was coming from or what it truly wanted.

But I knew one thing. It was getting stronger and I was getting weaker.