His Broken Luna

Chapter 7: Shadows in the Hall

---

The packhouse felt colder after that morning.

Selene's silence was louder than any words she could have spoken. She didn't confront me again, didn't lash out, didn't even look in my direction during meals. She simply... watched.

And that scared me more than her anger ever could.

I had known women like Selene before. Women who didn't scream or break things when they were hurting. Women who smiled while they sharpened their knives. Women who waited for the perfect moment to strike.

So I kept Aria close.

Every day, I reminded her not to wander. Every night, I locked the door to our room and pushed a chair against it. I barely slept. I barely ate. The only thing that mattered was keeping her safe.

But I was tired.

So tired.

And the cracks were starting to show.

---

"You look terrible," Margie's voice came through the phone late one evening. I had stepped out onto the balcony for privacy, leaving Aria sleeping inside.

I let out a dry laugh. "Thanks. That's exactly what I needed to hear."

"I mean it," she said, her tone soft but firm. "You're running on empty, Layla. You can't protect that little girl if you don't take care of yourself."

I leaned against the railing, staring at the moon. "I know. I just... I don't trust anyone here. Except maybe Maeve."

"And the father?"

I didn't answer.

Margie sighed. "He saved her, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"Then maybe he's not the monster you've been carrying in your heart all these years."

I closed my eyes. "He rejected me, Margie. In front of everyone. He chose another woman and threw me away like I meant nothing. I can't just forget that because he plays with her in the garden."

"I'm not asking you to forget," she said gently. "But maybe it's time to stop letting the past poison the present."

I wanted to argue, but the words wouldn't come.

Because maybe—just maybe—she was right.

---

The next day, Maeve asked to see Aria.

"It's time to begin her training," she said, leading us to a quiet room at the back of the packhouse. It was small and warm, with herbs hanging from the ceiling and ancient symbols painted on the walls.

"Training?" Aria repeated, her eyes wide.

Maeve smiled. "Your wolf is awake now, little one. That means you need to learn how to control her. Otherwise, she might come out when you least expect it."

I squeezed Aria's hand. "Will it hurt?"

Maeve shook her head. "No. It may feel strange at first, but it won't hurt. The goal is to help her connect with her wolf safely."

Aria looked up at me, uncertain.

"It's okay, baby," I said softly. "Maeve is a good person. She helped you when you were sick."

Aria nodded slowly and let go of my hand.

I watched as Maeve guided her to a small mat in the center of the room. She knelt in front of her and began to speak in a low, soothing voice. I couldn't understand the words—they were in the old tongue—but I felt the energy in the room shift.

Aria closed her eyes.

For a long moment, nothing happened.

Then she gasped.

Her small body trembled, and for a second, I saw it—a flash of silver light in her eyes. It was only for a heartbeat, but it was there.

"She's strong," Maeve murmured. "Stronger than most children her age."

Pride swelled in my chest, but so did fear.

Strong meant powerful.

And powerful meant dangerous to people like Selene.

---

Later that evening, Kade found me in the library.

I had come here to escape, to lose myself in old books and familiar smells. This room used to be my sanctuary. Now it felt like a stranger's.

"I heard Aria started her training," he said, leaning against the doorframe.

I nodded without looking at him. "She did well."

"That doesn't surprise me."

I finally glanced up. His face was softer than usual, his expression open in a way I hadn't seen since before the rejection. It made my stomach twist.

"What do you want, Kade?"

He hesitated, then stepped into the room. "I want to talk. Really talk. Not about the past, not about Selene. Just... about Aria. And you. And what happens next."

I closed the book in my lap. "There's nothing to talk about. She's recovering. Once she's strong enough, we'll leave."

"Is that what you really want?"

The question hung in the air.

I opened my mouth to say yes, but the word wouldn't come. Because the truth was, I didn't know what I wanted anymore. I had spent five years dreaming of escape, of freedom, of never seeing this place again. But now that I was here, now that Aria was safe, something had shifted.

"I want what's best for her," I said finally.

"And if what's best for her is here? With me?"

I stood, the book falling from my lap. "Don't do this, Kade. Don't pretend you can undo five years of silence with a few kind words and pretty promises."

"I'm not pretending anything," he said, his voice rising. "I know I failed you. I know I hurt you in ways that can never be forgiven. But I'm trying, Layla. For her. For... for us."

I stared at him.

For a moment, I let myself imagine it. A life here. A family. A future built on the ruins of the past.

But then I remembered Selene.

I remembered the coldness in his eyes the night he rejected me.

I remembered the sound of the pack's silence as I walked away.

"There is no us," I whispered. "There hasn't been for a long time."

I brushed past him and left the library.

But as I walked down the dark hallway, I could feel his eyes on me.

And I could feel the bond stir.

Faint.

Fragile.

But still alive.

---

### End of Chapter 7