Rise of the broken Luna

Chapter 001

The Return of the Outcast

Elara’s POV

As I stood at the edge of the woodland, my heart pounding as I observed the pack territory, the wind smelled familiarly of pine and earth. It seemed just as it did the day I left—untouched, timeless. And yet, now everything is different. I set myself apart.

Five years had gone since I last visited since Darius had banished me in front of everyone. Five years after I had been compelled to reject the life I felt was meant for me. Though vivid and still burning in my head, the recollections of that evening had changed into something else. Decision.

This time, I was not returning as the delicate girl who had pleaded for Darius's side-seat. No; I was returning more powerfully. Having learnt how to exist on my own, I now had a new goal with Kael at side. Though it might open old scars, my son would know the truth about his father.

Mom, are we really going back? The gentle voice of Kael drew me back from my ideas. Like Darius's, his violet eyes stared up at me with a mixture of fear and inquiry.

Though my heart was hammering in my chest, I grinned down at him. "Sure, darling. Each of us is calling.

He nodded, his tiny hand falling into mine, and together we turned back into the world I had left behind.

Memories of my time in the pack tore across my brain as we strolled. The whispering behind my rear, the judgment in their eyes based on my human blood. Although I was their Alpha's intended mate, the pack had never welcomed me. But Darius was loved by me. I thought that love was sufficient.

How in error I had been.

The only sound the crunch of leaves underfoot produced was strangely silent as one walked among the woods. Now, sharpened from years of living in the Outlands, my senses were I sensed other people about wolves peering from the shadows. Though they knew I was here, they would not approach me yet.

The pack would know and Darius would sense it the instant I crossed the line. Though it wasn't shattered, the thread that had once bound us might have frayed. He would detect my return and shortly enough we would cross paths once more.

The idea chilled me to no end. Not yet, I am ready for that. Still, I had no option. I stopped running, not sure why. I deserved responses; Kael deserved to know the truth about his father. Why had Darius listened to the falsehoods concerning me? Why had he dropped me so readily?

"Mom?" "Again, Kael's voice pierced through my thoughts. "What if they object to us?"

I squeezed his palm, the doubt in his voice hurting in my heart. "It makes no difference if they like us, Kael. What counts is that we are together.

He nodded, although I could see the anxiety still hovering in his eyes. He was not aware of the whole reason we had fled or why we had spent so long living in secret. Although I had sheltered him from the agony of the past, it would not last very long.

Thicker, charged with the weight of the pack link that had previously encompassed me, I sensed the air alter as we approached the boundaries of the pack. It drew me back to the life I had left behind. Still, I had no desire to go back among them. I arrived not to be welcomed. I came here to see the man who had shattered me.

To also expose the son he never knew existed.

The pack's stronghold's huge stone walls loomed ahead, and looking at them made me anxious. Though I hadn't seen Darius in years, the idea of him still made me uncomfortable. Inside those walls, totally ignorant of the tempest I was about to unleash, the guy I had once loved—the man who had turned away from me in front of everyone—was.

Once more pulling on my hand, Kael peered up at the massive construction with astonished eyes. "Is this the place he resides?"

You nodded. "Yes. He calls this his residence.

For a minute he was silent, his small brows wrinkled in contemplation. "Is he going to like me?"

The question turned my heart upside down. How might I respond to that? How would I equip him for what lay ahead? Darius knew nothing about Kael, hence I had no idea how he would respond upon learning. I was not here, though, to ask for his clearance. I was here for Kael.

"He'll have to," I answered, my voice harder than I felt. "Your son is him."

I heard footsteps approaching—fast, deliberate—before Kael could ask further questions. My senses grabbed hold, and I turned just in time to witness someone rising from the shadows.

The Beta halted a few steps from us, his eyes widening in astonishment at first sight of me. His eyes flicked to Kael, then stayed briefly on my face. Though his demeanor was austere and guarded, I could see the questions whirl in his head.

"Elara," he muttered in a hoarse voice. "You came back."

I straightened and met his eye with the same steel I had learnt to use five years ago. " I did."

His eyes flicked back to Kael once more, and I sensed the awareness of who the lad beside me must be in them. And the boy?

With a firm voice, I said, "He's my son." "Darius's son."

Rhys said nothing for a split second, his expression blank. His jaw tightened as he then exhaled slowly. "Does Darius not know, does he?"

"No," I answered, the word weighty with all the secrets I had concealed. "He neither."

Rhys's face darkened, yet I could see the struggle in his eyes. He was faithful to Darius—always had been—but even he could not ignore the truth right before him.

Finally, his voice low and nearly begging, "You need to leave." "Things will be ugly if Darius sees you. Elara, he is not the same man you left. Furthermore Selene—"

"Selene?" I cut him off; the name makes me feel a flood of anger. "Is she still here?"

The face of Rhys grew tighter. Now "She's Luna."

Though I refused to exhibit any weakness, the words felt to me like a kick to the gut. She was Luna, naturally. She had been hovering in the wings, controlling Darius, disseminating falsehoods about me. That is what I had anticipated. Still, hearing that hurts more than I would want to confess.

"It doesn't matter," I answered, sounding icy. I am not here for Selene. I'm here with Darius.

Rhys hesitated, his gaze darting between Kale and me. "Elara, pay attention to me here. You are stepping into something else entirely. The pack is on edge and there are hazards you are not ready for. You run a danger for your son and yourself if you visit there right now."

"I can handle myself," I answered sharply. And I won't let anyone damage Kael.

Though he clenched his jaw, Rhys refrained from arguing. Rather, he turned aside, gesturing toward the gates. Fine. But avoid claiming that I failed to warn you."

My heart thumping, I nodded and took Kael's hand to lead him across the gates. The road ahead seemed like entering a storm; the air was tense and veiled warnings abound. But I was not turning back. Not at this moment.

Darius would be in knowledge of the truth. And I would at last have the responses I was due.

There were voices all around the great hall as we arrived. Members of the pack moved about, shocked eyes gazing onto me. Though I could feel their weight and the whispers rising like a tsunami, I held my head high.

Then I observed him.

Darius spoke with a group of pack leaders from the far end of the hall, his broad shoulders tight and his back to me. My heart pounded, a mix of rage and something else—something I didn't want to name—flooding me.

He turned slowly, dark eyes focusing on me, and for a second the world appeared to halt. The weight of the past slammed down between us, heavy and stifling. I would not allow it, nonetheless, break me.

I moved forward, chin held high. "We must discuss."

Darius's eyes flicked, then turned to Kael, and I watched the horror wash across him. He said nothing for a minute; his face was blank. "Who is this?" he then questioned, his voice low and menacing.

Deafening hush in the room, all eyes on us as I inhaled deeply and spoke the words that would turn everything around.

"Your son is him."

Darius's face changed, shock replaced with something darker, more deadly. I could see the storm building in his eyes as his hands closed at his sides. Nothing would be the same whatever happened going forward.