The Luna He Broke To Keep

Chapter 26

Kaia woke to voices.

At first they blended into the steady hum inside her skull, distant enough that she almost convinced herself she was dreaming again. But then a chair scraped across the floor somewhere nearby, followed by the unmistakable sound of Rowan’s voice lowered into that dangerous calm he only used when he was furious.

“You should’ve told me sooner.”

Kaia’s eyes opened slowly.

The room around her was unfamiliar at first glance, dimly lit by a single lamp near the far wall. Heavy rain battered the windows hard enough to rattle the glass, and the scent of pine and damp earth drifted faintly through the cracked balcony door.

Not the packhouse.

Her pulse jumped.

She pushed herself upright too quickly and immediately regretted it when pain flared through her shoulder. A sharp breath escaped her lips.

The conversation outside the bedroom stopped instantly.

A second later the door opened.

Rowan stepped inside first, broad shoulders tense beneath a black thermal shirt that looked damp from the storm outside. His eyes locked onto her immediately, scanning her face like he was checking for damage she hadn’t noticed yet.

Behind him stood Raymond, quieter than usual, his jaw tight.

“You’re awake,” Rowan said.

Kaia stared at him for a second. “Where are we?”

“A safe house north of Blackwater.”

The answer came too fast, too prepared.

She swung her legs carefully over the side of the bed anyway. “How long was I out?”

“Almost a day.”

Her stomach dropped.

“A day?” she repeated. “Rowan—”

“You collapsed.”

His voice sharpened slightly, frustration slipping through the control. He dragged a hand through damp dark hair before looking away for half a second. “Your wolf burned through too much energy after the attack.”

Kaia frowned immediately. “What attack?”

Neither man answered.

That silence told her enough.

The memory returned in broken pieces after that.

The warehouse.

The gunshot.

The smell of blood.

The rogue whose eyes had turned silver right before he lunged at her.

And Rowan arriving seconds too late.

Kaia swallowed hard as unease crept slowly down her spine. “Someone was trying to kill me.”

Raymond exchanged a quick glance with Rowan.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Raymond admitted.

“No,” Kaia said quietly, her gaze shifting back to Rowan. “You already know.”

The storm outside cracked violently overhead.

Rowan exhaled slowly through his nose before moving farther into the room. “Kaia—”

“Don’t.” Her voice sharpened before she could stop it. “I’m tired of everyone talking around me like I’m too fragile to handle the truth.”

“You were unconscious for almost twenty hours.”

“And somehow I’m still alive enough to ask questions.”

The tension in the room thickened instantly.

Raymond muttered something under his breath before backing toward the door. “I’ll give you two a minute.”

Neither of them stopped him.

The door shut softly behind him.

Kaia looked back at Rowan, waiting.

For a long moment he said nothing at all. Rain hammered harder against the windows while distant thunder rolled across the mountains surrounding the cabin.

Then finally—

“The rogue that attacked you wasn’t working alone.”

Kaia’s stomach twisted.

“There’s a group moving through northern territories,” Rowan continued carefully. “Not ordinary rogues. Organized. Someone’s funding them.”

“And you think they want me?”

His silence answered that too.

Kaia stared at him in disbelief. “Why?”

“We don’t know yet.”

“That’s a lie.”

Rowan’s jaw tightened.

She stood carefully despite the lingering ache in her body, refusing to stay small in front of him anymore. “Every time something happens, you already know half the story before anyone else does.”

“Because keeping this pack alive is my responsibility.”

“And what about me?”

The words slipped out quieter than she intended.

Something flickered across Rowan’s expression then. Guilt maybe. Or something worse.

“You are exactly why this is happening,” he said finally.

Kaia froze.

The room suddenly felt too small.

“What does that mean?”

Rowan looked at her for a long moment before speaking again.

“They weren’t trying to scare you, Kaia.” His voice lowered. “They were trying to take you.”

The air left her lungs.

Outside, thunder cracked so loudly the windows shook.

And for the first time since arriving in Blackwater…

Kaia realized this had never been about rejection at all.