Chapter 84 After the Line
Luna’s POV
I didn’t go back to class. I couldn’t.
The hallway where it happened felt too small now, and too quiet. Like the walls had watched everything and were still holding onto it. So I ran.
Not fast, and not like something was chasing me….but like I needed distance. Space and air.
By the time I reached the back of the school, my chest was tight and my hands wouldn’t stop shaking, so i pressed my palms against the cold brick wall and tried to breathe.
In and out. Slow. It didn’t work. My wrist still burned where Ethan had grabbed me. I stared at it, half-expecting to see a mark…but there was nothing. Just skin.
That made it worse.
Because it meant no one else would see it and no one else would know.
“Luna.”
I flinched, then turned. It was Kai. Of course it was him.
Relief hit me so hard it almost knocked the air out of my lungs….and right behind it came something else.
Fear.
Because I didn’t know how to say it. Didn’t know how to explain what had just happened without it becoming something bigger, or something real.
Kai took one look at me and stopped. All the casual ease he usually carried disappeared instantly. “What happened?”
I opened my mouth and closed it. Then i tried again.
“I…”
My voice broke. That was all it took. He was in front of me in two steps. “Luna.” he said softer this time and careful. Like I might shatter.
“I’m fine,” I said automatically.
That was a lie and he didn’t buy it. “Don’t do that.”
“I’m not….” I paused.
“Don’t,” he repeated, firmer now.
His eyes dropped briefly to my hands. To the way they were shaking. Then back to my face. “Who did this?”
My chest tightened. Because the answer felt heavy, complicated and wrong.
“It was Ethan.”
The words came out quieter than I expected. But they landed hard. Kai went still completely for a second…. Nothing and then… “What did he do?”
His voice had changed. It is lower, controlled and dangerously so.
I swallowed. “He… grabbed me.”
Kai’s jaw clenched. “Tried to keep me there.”
The air around us shifted. It was subtle. But I felt it.
“And?” he pressed.
I hesitated. Because this part…This part made it real.
“He didn’t stop when I told him to.”
Silence followed heavy and sharp. Kai looked away for a second, like he needed it…like he was holding something back. Then he looked at me again.
“Did he hurt you?”
“No.” I replied. “Not like that.”
His shoulders tensed anyway. “That’s not the point.”
“I know.”
“And he…” Kai stopped himself, exhaling sharply. “He tried to force you to stay.”
I nodded. The memory flashed again, his grip, his voice, and the way something wasn’t right behind his eyes. “It wasn’t just him,” I said quickly. “Something’s wrong. Like before. That energy…”
“I don’t care what’s wrong with him.” Kai said sharply. The words cut through mine. Not harsh, but just… certain. “He crossed a line.”
My chest tightened. “I handled it.”
“I know you did.” His voice softened slightly. “But you shouldn’t have had to.”
That hit harder than I expected. Because he was right. I looked down at my hands again. “They’re still shaking,” I muttered.
Kai stepped closer, slow and careful. “Hey.”
I didn’t look up. “Look at me.” He said.
I hesitated. Then did. His expression had shifted again. Still tense and still angry. But underneath that…there was something steadier and grounding. “You’re safe,” he said quietly.
The words settled into me. Not instantly. But enough to make my breathing slow just a little. “I hate that word,” I admitted.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because it never lasts.” I replied
Something flickered in his eyes. But he didn’t argue. Instead… “I’m here,” he said,.he said it simple. Not a promise and not forever. Just now. And somehow…That meant more. I exhaled slowly. “Okay.”
Another pause and then… “What do we do?” I asked.
Kai didn’t answer right away, onstead his gaze shifted toward the school building. Like he was already thinking ten steps ahead. “We don’t ignore it,” he said finally.
“I wasn’t planning to.” I said.
“Good.” He muttered.
His jaw tightened again. “Because I’m not letting him get away with that.”
I stepped forward slightly.
“Kai….”
“No,” he said, not looking at me. “He doesn’t get to touch you like that and walk around like nothing happened.”
My chest tightened again. Not from fear this time, but from something else.
“He’s not just going to admit it,” I said quietly.
“I’m not asking him to.” He said.
That didn’t sound good. “At least let me talk to him first.”
Kai finally looked at me. “You think that’s a good idea?”
“I think I need to.” I said.
“Why?” he asked.
Because I need to know if he’s still in there. The thought came instantly.
“I just do.”
He studied me for a long moment and then…
“…fine.” He said reluctant and careful. “But not alone.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but i stopped. Because after what just happened… He had a point. “Okay.”
“Thank you.”
His expression softened just slightly. “You don’t have to thank me for that.”
“I do.” I said.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because you didn’t just go punch him immediately.” I replied.
A small, humorless huff escaped him. “Don’t give me too much credit. I’m still thinking about it.”
I almost smiled. Almost and silence settled again. But it wasn’t as heavy this time. Not as suffocating. Kai’s hand brushed mine lightly. Not grabbing and not holding. Just… there, like an option.
I hesitated… Then took it. His fingers closed around mine instantly steady, warm and real. The shaking didn’t stop completely. But it eased. And for now.
That was enough. Because whatever Ethan had become…
Whatever was happening to him… It wasn’t over.
I could feel it in the air, in my chest and in the way the world had shifted just slightly off balance again. And this time…. It wasn’t just about power. Or secrets. Or the supernatural. It was personal.
And that made it more dangerous than anything we’d faced before.