Rise Of The Fallen Luna

Chapter 10

••• Leicia’s POV •••

My eyelids fluttered open to the soft sound of someone sniffling beside me.

For a second, I didn’t know where I was. The ceiling looked familiar—faintly floral in design, the old paint cracked slightly at the corners. The scent of lavender still lingered faintly in the pillows. Then the memories hit me like a crashing wave—the grand hall, the blood, my mother’s eyes, and then… nothing.

A hand wrapped around mine, soft and trembling. The scent that reached my nose was familiar—Annisa. My Omega.

I blinked slowly, trying to clear the fog in my mind. My head was heavy, my chest tight.

“Luna?” Annisa's voice cracked, thick with emotion. “You’re awake—thank the Moon Goddess!”

I turned my head, wincing slightly. There was a dull ache in my temples, and my throat felt dry.

Annisa sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes red and swollen, still clutching my hand like I was the only thing keeping her together.

I sat up slowly, my head spinning. I ignored it. She quickly helped me up until I leaned back against the headboard.

"Water," she whispered, fumbling for a bottle on the nightstand. “Kyle told me to give you this when you woke up.” She opened it with shaky fingers and brought it to my lips.

I drank slowly, each sip grounding me, until I gently pushed her hand away.

"You should drink too," I said softly, nudging the bottle back into her hands. My voice was hoarse.

She shook her head, fresh tears forming. "I was so scared, Luna… You fainted… You scared us all.”

I squeezed her fingers weakly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Then I reached over and wiped the tears on her cheeks with my thumb.

“I’m really okay,” I whispered. “I’m sorry for worrying you. I… I guess I just wasn’t ready to see that room.”

Annisa let out a soft sob and leaned in, wrapping her arms around me. I hugged her back, letting my hand smooth her hair the way my mother used to do to me.

“I’m sorry,” she hiccuped. “I couldn’t stop crying. I should’ve been stronger.”

“No,” I said gently. “You cried for both of us when I couldn’t. You’ve always been strong, Annisa.”

A quiet knock broke the moment and Annisa fussed over me, asking me to lean back against the headboard again before she opened the door.

For once, I let myself lean back against the pillows and just… breathe. My body still felt heavy, like the trauma was stitched into my muscles, refusing to loosen its grip. But I was awake. I had faced it.

Almost.

The door creaked open, and Annisa stepped aside to let Kyle enter, followed by Reinald right behind him. My eyes flicked to the Alpha Prince, and a sharp pulse of embarrassment fluttered in my chest.

Of all the people who could’ve seen me collapse, why did it have to be him?

Kyle approached quietly, eyes scanning me immediately, assessing. “You’re awake. Good. How do you feel?”

“Like a ghost walked through me,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “But better now.”

He walked closer, gently checking my pulse, then nodding to himself. “Still a bit shaken, but stable. But you need to eat soon, Luna. And rest more.”

I forced a smile. “And here I thought I had nerves of steel.”

He chuckled. “Everyone will have their moments of vulnerability, Luna.”

He then turned to Annisa. “Would you mind giving us a moment?”

Annisa hesitated, looking between the two of us.

I gave her a soft nod.

She stood slowly, wiping her cheeks. “I’ll be right outside if you need anything, Luna.”

I raised an eyebrow when Kyle followed her, the door clicking softly behind them.

And for the first time in years… it was just Reinald and me.

Reinald didn’t say anything at first.

He just stood there, hands in his pockets, his usual sharp gaze softened—but not with pity. Just… warmth. The kind I hadn’t seen in a long time. Not since my brothers. Not since—

I looked away.

“I’m sorry you saw that,” I murmured, voice barely audible.

“You don’t need to apologize,” he said quietly. “Not to me. Not ever.”

I exhaled slowly. “I don’t want to be seen like this.”

“Like what?”

“Weak.”

A pause.

Then his voice came closer. “You think this makes you weak?”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t have the strength to argue.

“You’re not weak,” he said, his voice steady. “You’re carrying the weight of a m******e, and you’re still standing. You carried a pack that spat on you. You tended to the people who humiliated you. That’s not weak, Leicia. That’s strength.”

There was something in his voice—it wasn’t admiration nor was it anger.

It was something quieter. Like he understood. Like he saw it all and didn’t expect anything from me.

“I’m supposed to lead again,” I said, barely above a whisper. “How am I supposed to do that when I feel like I’m still stuck there… with her?”

Her. My mother. The moment her eyes met mine—lifeless, unblinking—I knew I would never be the same.

I could feel him getting closer, but I didn’t look up. I couldn’t.

Then I felt it. A soft brush—his fingers tucking my hair behind my ear.

Not romantic. Not possessive. Just… familiar.

I finally looked at him.

And the warmth in his eyes… it gutted me.

That same look my eldest brother used to give me when I did something reckless and he pretended to scold me. That quiet protectiveness. That silent pride.

It felt like coming home.

And it broke me.

My shoulders trembled first.

“I’m still here,” I whispered, the words cracking in my throat. “And they’re not.”

The tears hit before I could stop them.

And suddenly, Reinald moved. No hesitation. No awkwardness.

He pulled me into his arms.

I didn’t fight it.

I couldn’t.

His embrace was steady. Not crushing, not too soft. Just enough to hold me together while I felt the dam finally broke.

I cried into his chest, gripping his shirt like a lifeline, and for the first time since the m******e… I let go.

Ugly, aching sobs spilled out, raw and shaking. My body wracked with them, and he didn’t move, didn’t flinch.

He just… held me.

When it finally slowed, I pulled away just enough to breathe and wiped my tears away. My face was a mess, I knew it. My pride bristled, but I didn’t have the energy to cover it up.

“I’m sorry,” I said hoarsely. “I shouldn’t—”

Reinald cut in gently. “It shows you still feel. That’s strength, Leicia. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

I blinked, lowering my gaze. “Still… it’s embarrassing.”

“What are friends for?” I heard the smile in his voice.

Friends.

That word should’ve felt safe. But instead, it settled over me like something heavier.

I turned away, trying to regain my composure. “I should get ready. I need to return to the Whitemaw Tails Pack.”

He stood up, hovering nearby like he was ready to catch me again if I faltered.

We walked out. Annisa and Kyle turned their heads toward us, my Omega looked relieved while my Beta shared a look with Reinald, which I didn’t have the energy to decipher right now.

No one said anything when I stopped in the corridor.

My eyes landed on the hallway—the one that led to the grand hall. My pulse stuttered. My breath caught.

And yet…

“I want to see it again,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Reinald murmured, "I'll walk with you."

He didn’t touch me. Didn’t pressure me. Just waited—steady, quiet.

But my feet remained still, rooted to the polished floor. Every bone in my body wanted to run in the opposite direction. What was the point? I had already collapsed there once. What if it happened again? What if the ghosts came back louder this time? What if I—

I clenched my jaw.

I was tired of what ifs.

I had survived. And I would face it—not for them. For me.

One step. Then another. Like dragging myself through molasses. The hallway stretched endlessly, like time itself had folded within these walls.

The grand staircase came into view.

I stood there for a long time.

My hands trembled.

A single breath, sharp and cold, sliced into my lungs. I exhaled shakily.

“I remember how they used to laugh in here,” I said, barely louder than a whisper. “My brothers. My dad. My mom… The echoes used to bounce off the walls like sunlight. Now…”

Now, it was hollow.

A tomb.

A silence that wasn’t just absence—but a memory screaming to be heard.

“I see them sometimes,” I admitted. “When I close my eyes. Not as corpses. But whole. Laughing. My mother, holding a tea tray. One of my brothers chasing the twins around the columns. It wasn’t always blood and silence.”

Reinald came to stand beside me.

“You’re trembling,” he murmured.

“I know.” My lips barely moved. “But I’m not falling this time.”

Slowly, I walked down the staircases.

The corner was there—that corner.

I didn’t look at it. Not directly. I didn’t need to.

Instead, I focused on the center of the room—the spot where we used to gather after training, where my father’s laughter once echoed the loudest.

My throat tightened.

My hands clenched into fists.

This place would never be the same. But neither was I.

“I’ll rebuild this place,” I said, my voice firmer this time. “I’ll bring the Dawn Guardians Pack back. And next time… I’ll walk in without flinching.”

Reinald didn’t smile, didn’t speak with grandeur.

He just nodded. “And I’ll walk beside you.”

I didn’t answer.

But I didn’t run.

And this time, the silence didn’t win.