Chapter 52 Trouble in paradise
Luna’s hands trembled as she faced Devon. The words felt like glass in her throat. “We can’t do this anymore.”
“Do what?” Devon’s confusion was genuine. “Luna, we’ve barely started dating and you’re already ending it?”
“There’s too much happening in my life right now. I can’t handle a relationship.”
“Too much like what?” His voice was calm, but she could see the hurt building in his eyes. “Talk to me. Whatever it is, we can figure it out together.”
“No, we can’t.” Luna turned away, unable to bear the look on his face. “This isn’t something you can help with.”
He was silent for a moment and asked, “Is it about your past?”
The question hit her like cold water. Luna spun around, her heart racing. “What do you mean?”
Devon’s expression was serious now. “Come on, Luna. I’m not blind. You didn’t exist before three years ago. No social media footprint, no college records, no hometown friends. You just appeared out of nowhere with two pups and a determination to stay invisible. I figured you were hiding from someone. Or something.”
“You knew?” Her voice came out as a whisper. “This whole time, you knew?”
“I suspected.” He stepped closer. “But I wanted you to tell me yourself. I wanted you to trust me enough.”
Luna wrapped her arms around herself. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because everyone has secrets. Everyone has a past they’re running from.” His voice softened. “I thought if I was patient, if I gave you space, you’d open up when you were ready.”
“Devon, I…” She stopped, the weight of everything crushing her. “My past does play a role in this. But I’m not ready to talk about it. I may never be ready.”
“Then let me wait until you are.”
“No.” The word came out sharper than she intended. “You don’t understand what you’re asking.”
“Then explain it to me!” His calm finally cracked. “Give me something, Luna. Anything. Don’t just shut me out.”
“I can’t.”
“You can’t or you won’t?” He searched her face. “Or is this really about Kane?”
“This has nothing to do with Kane.”
“Doesn’t it?” Devon’s laugh was bitter. “You disappeared for days. The same amount of days he was claiming business travel. You come back different. Distant. And now suddenly you’re ending things between us?”
“It’s not like that.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Luna stood too. “Believe what you want. This isn’t about Kane. This is about me needing space.”
“You sure about that? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you dated me to make him jealous and now that he’s almost married, you don’t see the need to anymore.”
Luna wanted to scream. How could she explain that she wasn’t choosing anyone? That fate had already chosen for her? That her children were in danger from a psycho Alpha who wanted her blood to become more powerful? That she’d kissed Kane and felt every bit of her soul recognize him?
“I’m not choosing anyone,” she said quietly. “I’m just trying to survive.”
Devon stared at her for a long moment. “You know what’s sad? I would have fought for you. For us. But you won’t even give me the chance.”
He moved toward the door, then paused. “I won’t wait forever, Luna. I care about you, but I won’t be someone’s backup plan. And I sure as hell won’t compete with someone who isn’t even fighting for you.”
The door closed behind him with a quiet click that felt like thunder.
Luna sank onto her couch, feeling completely drained. A small part of her wanted to run after him, to tell him everything. But that would only put him in more danger. The fewer people involved with her right now, the better. Yes. This was better. Cleaner. Safer.
She allowed herself five minutes to feel the loss before forcing herself to stand. Elder Morgana was waiting.
The twentieth floor was quiet when Luna arrived. Elder Morgana had cleared a large space, laying out various objects: silver bowls, moon crystals, and ancient texts.
“You’re late,” the elder observed without looking up.
“I had something to handle.”
“Trouble in paradise?” Morgana’s knowing eyes found hers.
Luna didn’t bother asking how she knew.
“Let’s just focus on the training,” Luna said, moving to the center of the room.
Morgana gestured to the cleared space. “Begin.”
Luna moved into position. She closed her eyes, reaching for the familiar pull of her moon healer abilities. The sensation came easier now than it had weeks ago. A cool current running through her veins, gathering in her chest.
“Channel it,” Elder Morgana instructed. “Pull it forward. Make it tangible.”
Luna focused. She imagined the energy forming into something solid, something she could throw or wield. But when she opened her eyes, nothing happened. The energy dissipated like smoke.
“Again.”
Luna tried five more times. Each attempt ended the same way. The power built inside her but refused to manifest outside her body.
“I don’t understand.” Luna dropped her hands, frustration burning in her throat. “I’ve been getting stronger. I can feel it.”
“You have been getting stronger,” Elder Morgana confirmed. “Because you’ve been spending time with your mate. The bond between you feeds your abilities, even without full acceptance.”
Luna’s stomach twisted. “I’m not ready for that.”
“Ready or not, it’s the only way to unlock your full potential.” Elder Morgana approached, her gaze sharp. “You can heal. You can sense. But you cannot weaponize these gifts until you accept what you are. What he is to you.”
“He’s marrying someone else, Elder Morgana. I can’t tell him.” She sighed. “There has to be another way.”
“There isn’t.” The elder’s voice softened slightly. “Luna, you’re fighting a losing battle. Just like the war, Kane discovering the truth about you and his children is inevitable. The question is whether you’ll face it on your terms or have it forced upon you.”
Luna pulled away. “It’s not that simple.”
“Isn’t it?” Elder Morgana stepped closer. “I’ve watched mates try to deny their bonds for centuries. It never ends well. The pull only grows stronger. The need becomes unbearable. And the longer you resist, the more dangerous it becomes for both of you.”
“I’m protecting them,” Luna said. “If Kane finds out about the twins, if he realizes what I am, what they are, everything falls apart.”
“You’re afraid that once he knows, you’ll lose control. That the courts will side with an Alpha over a mother who lied. That he’ll take them away.”
“Wouldn’t he have the right?” Luna’s voice cracked. “They’re his children. I kept them from him.”
“You protected them. There’s a difference.”
“Would a court see it that way? Would Kane?”
Morgana was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know. But I do know that secrets have a way of revealing themselves at the worst possible moments. And in six days, when you’re facing Alexander, you’ll need every ounce of power you can draw on. That means accepting your bond. Accepting your truth.”
Luna looked down at her hands. They were shaking again.
“Try once more,” Morgana said gently, gesturing to the open space.
Luna placed her hands over the water, but her mind was elsewhere.
Luna stood alone in the training room after the elder left. Her reflection stared back at her from the mirrored wall. Dark circles under her eyes. Shoulders slumped. She looked as drained as she felt.
Everything was closing in. The walls she’d built so carefully were crumbling, and she didn’t know how much longer she could hold them up.
Luna grabbed her bag and headed for the elevator. She needed sleep. She needed to think. But most of all, she needed to figure out if she was strong enough to give up the secret that had defined her life for three years.