THE LUNA HE LEFT BEHIND

Episode 4: Darien

Soraya’s POV

I was now healthy and could walk again. I often sleep and wake up like a baby. My body still ached in weird places, and the heaviness in my chest hasn't left, but I could breathe again.

I could almost pretend everything was fine.

Almost.

Kaelen had been distant lately, quieter than usual, but he still checked on me regularly, like a night clockwork. He brought me herbal teas and blankets I didn’t ask for and sat beside me like he was trying to memorize my silhouette.

I walked to the garden; the air was cool, and the stars shone brightly. I wore a cloak over my nightdress and tiptoed past Imani’s room. She would be angry if she saw that I was out of bed again.

The garden was quiet and peaceful; crickets chirped, and the moon cast a soft silver shadow on the palace grounds. I wandered towards the stone bench I'd grown to love right under the big ash tree.

I was almost there when I felt a presence beside me.

“You are supposed to be in bed, not walking around on your own.” Kaelen’s voice was low but not scolding... just concerned.

I turned around, meeting his gaze. “And yet here I am.”

He didn't smile, He just looked at me, and something flickered in his eyes. “You’re stubborn.”

I shrugged. “I’ve been told.”

He stepped closer, his gaze scanning me like he was checking for any signs of weakness.

“You really should be resting.”

“I’ve been resting since I got here; I’m totally fine now.” I replied.

Kaelen looked at me like he was trying to figure out what I meant. Maybe I didn’t even know. The silence stretched between us, and I could feel a shift in the air. He wasn’t leaving or backing away. We just stood there looking at each other...waiting.

Then he moved closer.

I didn’t stop him.

“Why do you keep looking at me like that?” I asked softly.

We were only inches apart, and I could see the faint scar above his lip. “Because I don’t know who you were before... but I do now. And I like her.”

My heart skipped a beat.

Kaelen reached out, stroking my cheeks; his touch was featherlight, and I leaned in. I should’ve pulled back, but I didn’t

Instead, I tilted my chin up.

His lips met mine like he was testing the waters, slow and hesitant. But when I kissed him back, really kissed him he groaned and deepened it. Pulling me against him like he had been waiting forever.

His hands moved around my waist, and my fingers roamed his hair, tugging at it slightly. Kaelen let out a loud growl.

He tasted like cinnamon and heat and something dangerously addictive.

We broke apart only when air became an issue. Our foreheads met; his breath was hot and uneven

"Why do you keep doing that? I won't be able to stop," he said quietly. his voice was barely above a whisper.

"What if I don't want you to?"

Kaelen moved his hands to my hips, and we moved gently towards a tree trunk. He kissed me deeper, raw and unfiltered, without holding back. His fingers slipped under my cloak, brushing my bare skin.

My body was on fire.

I whispered his name as he kissed down my neck

“Kaelen…”

"f**k, say it again."

The world blurred; it was just him and me and this heat spiraling out of control.

His hands moved and cupped one of my breasts, playing and tugging at it. he moved down slowly; before I knew it, his mouth was on my breast sucking and nibbling.

But then he stopped.

He pulled back suddenly, chest rising and falling like he’d just run ten miles.

“We shouldn’t,” he muttered, stepping away like it physically hurt to do it. “Not like this. Not when you’re still figuring things out.”

I swallowed hard, dazed. “I’m not broken, Kaelen.” Kaelen was quiet, then he spoke.

"I'd be more patient than reckless with you."

He turned and left without another word. I could still feel his strange scent clinging to my skin. My heart was thudding loudly.

****

Nine months had passed; I was stronger and healthier. My stomach was round and full of life.

The pregnancy had been a whirlwind of confusion and quiet determination. Kaelen never brought up that night again, and neither did I. But something had shifted between us after that.

He protected me fiercely. Always nearby, always watching. I couldn’t say I trusted him completely, not with the way he avoided my questions, but I didn’t fear him anymore either.

Imani said I was due any day now, and I believed her. My back ached. My ankles looked like overstuffed sausages. The baby kicked with vengeance. Still, I needed a walk.

The palace halls were quiet this afternoon, warm sunlight streaming through the tall windows. I moved slowly, one hand on my belly. The garden felt too far, so I wandered instead through one of the upper wings.

Then I saw it.

A glass display near the armory, something I’d never noticed before. Weapons lined the walls, polished and deadly, but it was the dagger that stopped me cold.

Silver blade. Obsidian handle.

It called to me. Literally stopped me in my tracks.

And then, like lightning snapping across my skull, I saw his face.

Dark hair. Sharp jaw. Eyes like winter storms.

Darien.

The name slammed into me.

Memories poured in like a floodgate had burst wide open: our wedding, the rejection, the blood, and the betrayal. The night I ran. The pain. The scream.

" No, this can't be," I whispered.

I stumbled back, clutching my stomach.

Pain ripped through me ,deep twisting pain that had nothing to do with the dagger and everything to do with the baby inside me.

A gush of warmth ran down my legs.

My water had just broken.

I froze, my hands gripped the nearest wall as a contraction hit me like a crazy freight train.

This was it.

Panic surged.

I remembered who I was.

And now… the baby was coming.