Lost Luna

Chapter 10

Nymera’s POV

The figure turned slightly at the sound of my voice and started walking toward me. I smiled instinctively and moved forward too. But the moment we got closer, confusion hit me immediately. The man was not Kaelith.

“Oh.”

The man looked equally surprised. “Nymera?”

I blinked properly now that he was close enough for me to recognize him.

“Tony?”

He let out a small awkward laugh while rubbing the back of his neck. “I thought you were someone else too.”

Tony was one of the younger warriors in the pack. We weren’t close exactly, but we knew each other well enough from growing up around the palace and attending some of the same training lessons when we were younger. He was friendly and easygoing, the kind of person who greeted almost everyone warmly.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, still confused.

He frowned slightly. “A maid came to me earlier and said someone wanted to meet me here.”

My eyebrows pulled together immediately.

“A maid gave me a note too.”

Tony looked surprised. “Really?”

I nodded slowly. “I thought it was Kaelith.”

Tony laughed softly. “Well, I definitely thought it was someone else too.”

I stared down at the folded note still in my hand before realization slowly settled in.

“It was probably a mistake,” I said after a second.

“Looks like it.”

For a moment, we both just stood there awkwardly before Tony smiled lightly.

“At least now I know I wasn’t getting secretly invited somewhere romantic.”

I laughed quietly despite myself. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

He grinned. “Honestly, I’m mostly relieved. If Prince Kaelith found me meeting you alone at night, he’d probably throw me across the training grounds.”

I immediately shook my head. “He would not.”

Tony gave me a look. “Nymera, that man stares at you like he wants to fight anyone that breathes too close to you.”

My face warmed instantly.

“That’s not true.”

“It absolutely is.” Tony laughed again before stepping back slightly. “Anyway, I should probably head back before people start wondering where I disappeared to.”

I nodded quickly. “Me too.”

There was another small awkward silence before Tony smiled politely at me again.

“Goodnight, Nymera.”

“Goodnight.”

Then we both turned and walked in opposite directions, each heading back toward the palace like the entire thing had simply been one strange misunderstanding.

Astra’s POV

I watched Nymera disappear down the path before finally lowering the small camera in my hands.

Beside me, Sandra let out a nervous breath. “Do you think we took enough pictures?”

I looked down at the pictures slowly, my lips curling upward little by little.

“Oh, we definitely did.”

Sandra moved closer immediately, peering over my shoulder at the tiny screen. The shadows and distance made everything look far worse than it actually was. In one picture, Tony stood close enough to Nymera that it looked intimate. In another, Nymera had tilted her head upward while talking to him, making it seem like they were sharing some private moment together beneath the trees. One especially useful angle caught the second she stumbled slightly while turning away, making it appear like Tony had grabbed her waist and pulled her closer.

Sandra covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. “These look horrible.”

“Exactly.”

I kept staring at the images while something bitter twisted inside my chest. The annoying part was that Nymera had looked genuinely confused the entire time. There was no flirting, or touching, or betrayal of any kind. She honestly believed Kaelith had sent for her. For a brief second, guilt pricked at me again.

Then I remembered that she was carrying Kaelith’s child.

The guilt disappeared instantly.

Sandra straightened beside me. “Do you think Tony will keep his mouth shut?”

That made me finally look away from the camera.

“He has no choice.”

Earlier that afternoon, Sandra and I had gone to meet Tony privately near the lower training grounds where the younger warriors usually stayed after patrol. At first, he looked confused about why I wanted to speak with him alone. Then nervous when Sandra closed the door behind us.

I knew Tony was desperate.

His clothes were clean but worn at the edges, and the dark circles beneath his eyes made it obvious he hadn’t been sleeping properly lately. Everyone in the pack already knew about his younger sister being sick. The healers needed expensive herbs and treatments for her condition, and warriors like Tony barely earned enough to survive comfortably.

The moment I mentioned his sister, his entire expression changed.

“What about her?” he asked immediately.

I still remembered how tightly his jaw clenched afterward while I calmly explained what I wanted from him.

At first, he refused.

“I’m not ruining Lady Nymera’s reputation,” he said firmly. “She’s done nothing wrong.”

I almost laughed at how noble he sounded.

Sandra stepped in immediately then. “Nobody’s asking you to ruin anything. You just need to stay quiet when the time comes.”

Tony frowned. “What time?”

I walked closer slowly. “Coronation night.”

The confusion on his face deepened.

I sighed softly like I was tired already. “Look, Tony, I know you respect Nymera. That’s fine. But this isn’t really about her.”

“Then what is it about?”

I held his gaze carefully. “Your sister.”

His expression hardened instantly.

I continued before he could interrupt me. “The healers already said her condition is getting worse, didn’t they?”

“You need money,” I said quietly. “A lot of it.”

Tony looked away bitterly. “What exactly do you want?”

Sandra pulled the envelope from her pocket then and placed it carefully on the table between them. Tony stared at it silently.

“There’s more if you cooperate,” Sandra said softly.

Tony didn’t touch the envelope immediately. “And if I don’t?”

I smiled faintly. “Then nothing happens. We simply walk away.”

Tony stared at the envelope for a very long time before finally speaking again. “What do I have to do?”

“Very little,” I answered calmly. “You’ll meet Nymera tonight at the gardens after Sandra delivers

the notes.”

His eyes widened immediately. “No way! I’m not doing that.”