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Chapter 124: Dismissals and Reinstatements
Last Updated:
2022-12-01 17:50:56Related chapters
The Returned Luna Chapter 125: The Prince’s Duties
“I think we should talk about the prince,” Laurel said as they lay in bed early the morning after they’d held open court. Raven had been beside herself after the dinner was over, teary and emotional as she was shown back to her old rooms. Irene dabbed at her eyes and tried to maintain a brave face, but he had a feeling that Henry, Dorian, and Liam would all be dragged through the castle exploring all of their favorite places from their old studies to the gardens. The rest of his cousins would be doing the same, likely, happy to explore the castle with new eyes. Maybe they would end up chasing a frog or two around the pond. Whatever they did, it would be nice to have more than him, Laurel, and Basil at formal meals going forward from time to time. They would return to their packs at the end of the week to check up on things and carry on with their duties, but there would no longer be such a ceremony around them coming to visit. He imagined Basil would be pulled out of his drunken s
Last Updated : 2022-12-01The Returned Luna Chapter 126: Literacy
Laurel and Adolph came down for a formal breakfast just before Raven, Henry, and the rest. Basil and Delia were already inside the formal dining room. It was unnerving to have so many people at the table now, but a glance at Basil told her that he wasn’t uncomfortable if a bit timid. The food was served by a small team of servants and taste-tested in front of them before they began to eat. As always the food was delicious, but it was hard to focus on it with them talking so much. The cold older women who had come to the castle as lunas of nearby noble packs had been replaced with women laughing happily with each other, teasing and chatting amicably. They were so sickeningly happy that Delia had to tune them out. She’d had sisters once, but they had never been like this. She knew that Raven was Adolph’s sister, but she didn’t know the exact familial relationships between the others and she didn’t care. She supposed living at the top of society meant that people could be happy.“...
Last Updated : 2022-12-01The Returned Luna Chapter 127: Unexpected Changes
Gavin looked at the seats where the other ministers used to sit and seethed. In their places were elevated commoners and warriors as courtiers along with all the pack leaders, the alphas, and lunas. He sat across the table from Basil, but he never felt so alone or powerless. Adolph had been cruel in the way he’d allowed his ceremonial title to remain, a cold gleam in his eye every time he glanced at Gavin. He would pay for this but Gavin held his tongue as people began to speak about their options. Annexing the territory of the vampire queen was partially in their interest. More land typically meant more power, but the land had been barren since time immemorial. If the land was truly barren, then annexing the land would just bring more mouths to feed. After all the upheaval, they wouldn’t have the food stores to make it through the year. Adolph watched Gavin contemplating it. His thoughts were clear on his face, and to a degree, Adolph agreed, but there was no way around it.“I th
Last Updated : 2022-12-01The Returned Luna Chapter 128: Plots and Announcements
She was nervous, pacing the little parlor of his rooms. While he had her things moved into the queen’s rooms, she hadn’t spent much time in them. She held the drafts of the birth announcements that Raven had the royal calligrapher create for them. They wouldn’t be going out until the baby had arrived, but it was the best way to tell Adolph. “Laurel?” She stopped and turned as Adolph entered the room with a surprised expression. “What are you doing here? It’s almost dinnertime.”She smiled, “I thought… we could have dinner together in private.”Adolph smiled, coming closer, “Private, hm?”His tone set a flush in her cheeks and lowered her gaze, “Yes… Though I have something to tell you…”Adolph frowned, flinching as he eyed her, “What is it?”Laurel startled, shaking her head and drawing closer, “Nothing bad. I promise. Sit down.”Adolph sunk onto the couch and she sat beside him. She set the drafts in front of him, but his eyes widened at the first one she placed in front of him. He
Last Updated : 2022-12-01The Returned Luna Chapter 129: Anxiety
*The scent of blood filled his nose, seeping under the doors.* *Cries of agony and fear filled the air. He ran through the door to find Laurel in her birthing bed, growing paler by the moment, reaching for him with a trembling pale hand.* *Servants rushed around in a flurry, screaming for towels.* *The healer looked harried and he felt their bond trembling.**It shook, strained, and stretched until he felt it about to break.* “Laurel!” Adolph cried, sitting up in bed. He was alone in bed and it only made his heart run faster. He threw off his blankets and jumped from the bed. “Laurel?” Adolph called, entering the bathroom. Laurel flinched, looking up at him from in the bathtub, her body obscured by the layer of bubbles on top.Her face turned bright red, “A-Adolph, what’s wrong?”He shuddered, slumping back against the wall before crossing the room in quick strides. He fell to his knees beside the tub and pulled her close to press their lips together. She gasped as he pulled her aga
Last Updated : 2022-12-01The Returned Luna Chapter 130: The Undying Dead
Adolph couldn’t wait for the report. He left the bed as soon as he woke up, tucked Laurel back in, dressed, and hurried out. He snagged a quick breakfast on his way to the entrance to the dungeons. The guards saluted him as he passed and told him that the guards he’d placed over Eden were still down in the depths of the dungeons. He ran into them on the steps. They seemed shocked but saluted. “Sir, would you prefer our report now or to see it for yourself?”Adolph took a deep breath, centering his calm and nodding towards the lower levels, “Show me.”They nodded, turned around, and led the way down the steps. They rounded the corner to where two other guards were. They saluted and opened the heavy gates. Once upon a time, the Raymond family held various types of people in the dungeons. He was half certain that this cell had been designed for a vampire prisoner. Lying in the middle of the room, still and pale as if he was simply sleeping was Eden’s body. His clothing and armor were
Last Updated : 2022-12-01The Returned Luna Chapter 131: Taleisin
The door opened with a loud creak that seemed more ominous than it had ever been before. The man at the front of the procession was much older than Adolph, looking to be old enough to be Adolph’s grandfather. His robes almost sparkled on his shoulders as they rustled around him. He walked with a tall staff that was just a bit taller than he was, crowned with a glowing collection of gems. He came with six others all dressed in long white robes, hooded and quiet around him. Each of the six carried a box. Her stomach churned. There was something deeply otherworldly about them. Their presence filled the halls with a warm energy that Laurel could almost taste. It made her think of the temple, but it felt different than that. The old man had a smile on his face but Laurel didn't feel any more relaxed.Neither did Adolph. It wasn’t that the man seemed threatening, but he didn’t know anything about Wiccans and their motivations. Eden was the son of the vampire queen and a Wiccan, which mea
Last Updated : 2022-12-01The Returned Luna Chapter 132: Grandson
*Grandson?*Eden had never mentioned having any family. Had he known that Taleisin was his grandson? And the Wiccan who cursed the lands, had that been Eden’s father? The grief in the man’s eyes as he told the story made her think that was the case. “He… would not have parted with such a thing unwillingly…” Taliesin said, “P-Please… tell me what happened to Eden?”Adolph seemed tense beside her. She glanced at him with a little nod and he relaxed just enough to remain where he was, though his hand still rested on his sword. “Eden pretended to serve the vampire queen,” Laurel said calmly. “He killed most of her generals and orchestrated an attack on the main castle. He did kidnap me from the imperial city to lure Adolph into the vampire lands. He said he was using me as leverage… He also said that he’d planned to allow Adolph to fall into a rogue state from our separation.”Taliesin shook his head, “Of course… The curse of a blood aura…”Adolph stiffened. He wanted to keep her from t
Last Updated : 2022-12-01
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The Returned Luna Chapter 174: Jack
His stomach churned but he nodded, walking into the room. Fear filled him, but as he entered the room he started to relax. “You’re so beautiful… you take after your father.”Laurel lay among the sheets, dressed in a loose gown and cradling the baby to her chest.At the distance, he could only see a tuft of honey blonde hair in the swaddling blanket. The wetnurses bowed and stepped aside as he approached. Laurel smiled up at him, “Want to meet him?”“Him?”Laurel beamed at him, “Him… Nimue told me before, but I wanted it to still be a surprise for you.”Another boy. Adolph sunk onto the bed beside her, kissing her cheek before looking down into her arms. He had Laurel’s nose and hair pattern though the coloring was all his. Maybe when he grew up he’d take after his grandfathers, but he wouldn’t be able to tell that for a while.“Can I hold him?”Laurel nodded, offering the child to him. He smelled like fresh water and clean skin as Adolph took him, and held him close. He was so smal
The Returned Luna Chapter 173: Defense and Not
Nimue took a deep calming breath as Basil let out a mournful sob. The air began to warm slowly around them as the path between their world and the afterlife closed. She should have known when her first evocation yielded nothing that Olivia was going to be another troublesome spirit.She hoped Basil would be able to recover and accept the truth in time.“No… mother…” Nimue’s heart twisted with grief as she calmed her powers and Basil’s hand tightened on her ankle. “Why? She… She lifted it.”“She was prepared to sacrifice you,” she said solemnly.“She lifted the curse, Nimue! You didn’t have to!”Nimue looked down at him, “She only did so to save her existence, Basil. That was the test. It wasn’t about remorse towards what she’d done to your father… it was about what she did to you.”His eyes welled with tears as she set her staff aside, allowing it to hover in the air. “She was never your mother.”She kneeled beside Basil, placing a glowing hand near the dagger in his chest as he fell
The Returned Luna Chapter 172: Oblivion
Adolph’s voice was sure and even, but Basil couldn’t believe what he was saying. Didn’t he understand that they had no way of knowing how long that would be? A few months? A few days? His father was the strongest man he knew, but he wasn’t indestructible!“But father—”“You’d let Basil be king?” Olivia scoffed and laughed, “You know he’s not ready. He won’t ever be ready!”The twinge of pain that went through him took his breath away. He pushed it aside. This wasn’t the mother he’d imagined his whole life. He expected his father to say those things, not the woman who died giving birth to him. He winced at the thought. She hadn’t died giving birth to him. She’d died giving birth to a curse. There was no other choice to make.“Nimue, end the séance.”Nimue said nothing. Whether that meant she couldn’t or wasn’t going to, he didn’t know.Adolph shook his head, “Your father tried to make that true, but it’s not. Basil isn’t an idiot. He’s young and inexperienced, but that’s fixable. He h
The Returned Luna Chapter 171: Love and Obsession
Adolph narrowed his eyes down at Olivia. She was just as pretty as she had been before, but he saw the wicked light in her eyes. “Shouldn’t you be greeting our son whom you’ve never met?” Adolph asked. She smiled at him, poisonous and vicious, “I would never put anyone before you dear husband.”“You are dead,” Adolph said, “Speak to Basil.”“… very well.”Olivia turned her head and looked at Basil. Adolph was about to retract his statement at the hopeful look on Basil’s face, but it was too late. “You asked them to kill the man who raised you,” Olivia said, “You asked for the death penalty.”“Mother, they—”“Don’t call me that!” Olivia hissed at him. “All of them. Murdered and for what? What of your loyalty to me?”Basil’s eyes widened, “To you…?”“After what your father did to me?” Olivia said, “What is a bit of money?”“You… You knew?” Basil asked. “But—”“I love your father,” she said, her eyes glimmering with tears. “But… that wasn’t good enough. My love was never good enough f
The Returned Luna Chapter 170: Olivia
Laurel didn’t expect Basil to come quickly, so when the door closed, she was grateful that Nimue made herself a cup of tea and smiled at her. “You were once someone else,” Nimue said. “I am glad that the moon saw fit to bring the white wolf back to us.”Laurel blinked and sat across from her, “You’re… not much like Eden.”Nimue chuckled, “Eden and I have different gifts… He is what we would call an elemental Wiccan. Lightning strikes, fire, flashy shows of power that most associate with real magic. I’m a spiritual mage.”Laurel blinked and made herself a cup of tea, “What… does that mean?”“It means I have a connection to the living and the dead. Hence, I know the body you’re in right now is one you were reborn into. I can only guess how you died, but I assume that Basil knew you in your past life.”Laurel winced, “This… isn’t how I expected this conversation to go.”Nimue shrugged, “You make plans and the spirits laugh, but I’m not concerned about your aura. It’s more than healthy a
The Returned Luna Chapter 169: Mates and Fated Pairs
Adolph watched Basil leave. Nimue winced.“I… would like a moment to speak with my wife,” Adolph said slowly. Nimue nodded, “I’ll… go after him.”She left wincing. That had been a fucking disaster if she’d ever seen one. As she exited the room, she followed the trembling confusion, fear, and anger down the hall and around the corner. The thing about magical compatibility between fated matches was that it worked like a homing beacon. She found him in a parlor sitting on the couch with his head in his hand. He lifted his head and shot to his feet as she entered. “You—You can’t just say things like that!” Basil said, “You can’t just accuse her if you—You’re a healer! How would you know something like that anyway?”Nimue watched him, his shoulders heaving as he held himself still. “I am a healer,” she said. “But I am not just a healer. Sit down and calm yourself.”“Look me in the eye and tell me the truth,” Basil said, glaring at her. “Tell me you know for sure my mother did it. Tell
The Returned Luna Chapter 168: Lady Nimue
Basil had tried to keep his mind focused on the path ahead the next morning, no matter how Nimue’s scent had seemed to take over his senses and make him dizzy with need and desire. She smelled like fresh blooming flowers, fresh earth, and a hint of fresh sweet bread. It was a distracting, comforting, and maddening scent. His wolf growled in contentment and want whenever she grew near, so he took to riding further ahead to try and keep his mind clear. *I hate you*, his wolf huffed and growled. *You and your stupid pride and fear and…**Not now*, Basil thought, stubbornly. *Focus on getting back to the capital, okay?*He huffed, *And your need for distraction instead of facing the truth…*Basil sighed, tuning out his wolf’s whining. This wasn’t the time for thinking about such things. Adolph and Laurel were supposed to be staying at the temple until the baby was born. There was no reason they should have called him back unless the baby was early or something had happened to his father
The Returned Luna Chapter 167: Forgiveness
Taliesin sent the message off with a heavy heart. While his judgment was sound and he knew he wasn’t wrong, the likelihood that it would all go to plan was slim. Curses laid by the dying or the dead were harder to get rid of than living curses and he was not an expert in such dark magics. He had no affinity for creating or breaking them. His late brother and twin, Merlin, had no such limitations, but he had gone into Eternal Repose after his wife, Viviane, had been killed in the war against Morrigan. Merlin could not help them.Taliesin couldn’t blame him. The war had taken so much from all of them and raising the barrier had taxed them both greatly. There was little hope that he would ever wake up, and Taliesin had accepted that centuries ago, focusing on raising Merlin’s daughter as if she were his.“Nimue?” Taliesin called as he returned to the meeting hall. She was seated on the old stone bench, looking up through the canopy of the ancient oak trees that were always in bloom. Hi
The Returned Luna Chapter 166: Cursed Last Moments
Laurel woke up, frozen in terror in bed. The last time she’d had a vision of the moon goddess, she’d been pushed off a cliff. She wasn’t sure if hearing that her husband’s late wife put a curse on him was better or worse. How bad was the curse now? How much longer did they have? Could she break it? If she couldn’t, what would happen to him?Her stomach turned as she turned over to see Adolph sleeping peacefully beside her. The days of his insomnia seemed to have caught up with him all at once. The strain of the days seemed to be gone now as he slept.His scent was just as bloody and lovely as ever, but that blood that she had once found just a bit sexy seemed tainted with danger now. It wasn’t just the scent of someone who had seen a great deal of war, but it was affecting his mind. An alpha werewolf like Adolph could be dangerous if they lost control of their strength. She knew that Adolph was much stronger than the average wolf. Was it anything like going rogue? Would it kill him?
