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Chapter 9: Strike A Deal
Last Updated:
2022-11-29 10:41:00
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The Returned Luna Chapter 10: A Suitable Gift
When she was Laura, she had only been to the Emerald Twilight Pack’s village and the Imperial City. Traveling with the army’s procession led her through most of the border cities where the schools and hospitals she’s ordered to be built were doing a great amount of good. It warmed her heart, but the whispers among the knights concerned her. “Who knew Adolph the Invincible could be like this?”A knight laughed, “He is only a man.”“Then he should understand why I want to go home as soon as possible!” The man huffed. “A full day’s delay will end up being a near week before I see my wife again.”“Better a week’s delay than never knowing if we would come back…”Laurel frowned. Why had they been delayed? They had lost more and more troops as they went through the towns. The sights of soldiers greeting their loved ones had warmed her heart and she grieved as Adolph delivered parcels of the fallen warriors to each family personally.She gasped as Adolph gave a young wife her husband’s parce
Last Updated : 2022-11-29The Returned Luna Chapter 11: Golden River
The army traveled at a decent speed towards the Imperial City. As they neared the next city, Laurel realized there was something different about this one, something familiar. The sign declared the next city to be the city of the Golden River Pack, named after the river that seemed to glow gold in the setting sun thanks to the golden silt that formed the river bed. She remembered for her life as Laura that it was one of the kingdom’s most prosperous trading cities as it was the perfect midpoint between the border and the Imperial City. “Look ahead!” Someone near the front called. People were gathered along the sides of the road and a vaguely familiar man stood in front of them all with a large smile that did not reach his eyes. It reminded Laurel of the nobles of the Imperial City.The closer they grew, the more she recognized him. He was the alpha of the Golden River Pack, Daniel. Alpha Daniel greeted them warmly, “Welcome and hail to your victory! A feast is to be held in your hon
Last Updated : 2022-11-29The Returned Luna Chapter 12: Orders
Laurel returned to her tent and got ready for bed, but her mind wouldn’t rest. The scent of blood was still lingering in the air. The bonfire had burned out, but the fear the display had evoked in the soldiers remained. She didn’t hear anything outside of her tent beyond the quiet footsteps of the patrol. Her mind kept turning over what she knew, trying to make sense of it. Adolph’s gentle smile and warm words didn’t match the cold fury she’d seen in his eyes. How could he embrace her so gently and use those same hands to kill a vampire slave so quickly and brutally? How could his sweet voice that made her swoon order Daniel’s fingers to be cut off? From fury to tenderness and ruthlessness to tenderness: what made him change for her? Being his mate couldn’t be enough. Was it a real change or just a mask to keep her at his side? How long would it last?Those beautiful women were dragged out of the camp so roughly by the soldiers, the same way that Sarah had been at Basil’s order. She
Last Updated : 2022-11-29The Returned Luna Chapter 13: Corrupt
Adolph rose with the sun, mounted his horse, roused his retinue, and rode into the Golden River to deal with the Golden River pack’s alpha. He’d subdued Daniel for the time being, but his actions spoke to a greater problem that Adolph had to deal with before reaching the Imperial City. Daniel was still being treated for the loss of his fingers, so there was no one around to try to stall for time as he ordered for all the records of the pack’s economic movement, taxes, and every piece of paper detailing Daniel’s policies. It took all of an hour to find proof of Daniel’s greed and corruption: bribery, tax evasion, illegal slave trade, etc. If there was something an alpha should not do, it seemed that Daniel had done it.“Go out among the people and find an honest man to take his place,” Adolph said. “And restrain Daniel for formal sentencing. He is not fit to be alpha.”Soldiers jumped to his command. Chasel busied himself organizing all the records that would need closer attention an
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Laurel hid from Adolph for the rest of the day, barely sneaking to get something to eat before returning to her tent. She had to be careful since his tent was right next to hers, but it seemed that something was keeping him away from his tent for most of the day. She hoped her luck held out. The next day, Laurel decided to brave leaving the tent to go see Sam. The guilt was gnawing at her from not seeing him the first time she heard about him being unwell. After dressing for the day, she listened for any sign of movement from Adolf’s tent. She thought she heard Adolph leave his tent much earlier, but she had to be sure. It sounded as though the coast was clear, so she left her tent and headed towards Sam’s tent, but Adolf stepped from behind another tent and into her path with a little smirk. She guessed her luck had to run out sometime.*Mate!* Alice cheered. Laurel wanted to roll her eyes and sneer at Alice’s excitement, but she remained still as Adolph approached her. It seemed
Last Updated : 2022-11-29The Returned Luna Chapter 15: Return to the Imperial City
*Was it all a lie?*It couldn’t be. There had to be something wrong with the situation. Adolph never married after losing his late wife. She remembered being a young girl and hearing about his great love story. She remembered wanting such an undying love for herself. People still talked about their romance like a fairytale: the handsome young king meeting a young noblewoman on his way to training and falling in love at first sight. Sure, the king of the fairytale was in the midst of war and was honor-bound to leave the Imperial City, the noblewoman waited faithfully for her beloved to return. Laurel remembered stories of her going to the border to see him despite the danger. They had been married at the border before he’d sent her back to the Imperial City for her safetyThe entire kingdom had mourned their separation and their story had added to the hatred of the vampires. When the late luna had died giving birth to Basil, the people wept in the streets and the king had refused eve
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Basil beamed up at his father, overjoyed to see him. He didn’t think he could have ever been happier than the moment the news came that his father had defeated the vampires, but seeing his father back in the Imperial City and being able to hug him made his heart swell with joy. When the news had arrived, he embraced Delia and commissioned new gowns for her to celebrate how much luck she seemed to have brought to the kingdom and prepare her to meet his father. Their wedding would be the perfect capstone and celebration of the werewolf kingdom’s victory. “Father,” Basil said, placing his arm around Delia and presenting her to Adolph proudly. “This is my mate and soon-to-be wife, Delia.”She trembled a bit but didn’t resist. Delia had been nervous since that morning. She’d washed her hair three times, changed at least five times, and went through her entire jewelry collection trying to find an outfit that would make her look like the perfect daughter-in-law-to-be. Basil had tried to t
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Laurel followed Tina through the palace, barely listening to anything she was saying to the servants or what the knights were saying. Seeing Basil with Delia again had been harder than she imagined. She didn’t feel herself stepping back into her old memories, but it was a dreadfully uncanny feeling. They were getting married soon which meant Laura had been dead for maybe two or three months? Four months at the most as Basil was known for his extravagance and would certainly make their wedding far more luxurious than his and Laura’s wedding had been. She had been swept away by his handsome face and his power. As the heir to the kingdom and an alpha wolf, he had been the perfect fairytale prince. She’d seen in his acceptance a chance to prove that she was worthy of her place in the world. She had thought she would find love too, but none of those feelings remained. She hadn’t even felt a twinge of jealousy seeing them together as she had then. All of Laura’s bittersweet feelings of
Last Updated : 2022-11-29
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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?
