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Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Four
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-04-16 10:50:56
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The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Five
Emily's POV The air was different that morning—lighter, less tense. Still, I couldn’t shake the tightness in my chest as I opened the sealed parchment that had arrived with the morning courier. The wax bore the mark of the Donovan bloodline, but not Matteo’s. This was from my other brothers. The ones who hadn’t raised swords against me. Not yet, at least.Fayne sat across from me in the war room, arms crossed as I read silently, lips pressed into a thin line.Dearest Emily,We write not in conflict but in the hope of healing.The death of our father has opened a wound in the Donovan name, but for the first time, we find space to breathe, to think beyond his shadow. You have proved yourself more than just Alpha of Galahad. You’ve proved your strength in the face of betrayal, your wisdom in war, and your restraint in moments when blood would have been easier than peace.*We do not wish to be your enemies. Not anymore.Let us meet. Let us speak not of territories and legacies, but of so
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-17The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Fifty six
Emily's POV The council hall was filled with tension as sharp as steel.Allies, former rivals, uncertain observers — they were all gathered here in Galahad’s chamber of unity, carved from ancient stone and lit with braziers that crackled like beating hearts. My pack members stood tall behind me, their loyalty etched into the ground beneath them. My brothers were given space at the central table, not as intruders but as guests with something to prove.I stood at the head, the stone beneath my feet warmed by the morning sun spilling through the high windows.“This council,” I began, voice strong and unwavering, “is not merely a conversation. It is history in the making.”Fayne was at my side, silent but fierce. I could feel the weight of his gaze steadying mine. The pregnancy had brought a new rhythm to my days—more caution, more thought—but it hadn’t taken my fire. It had only stoked it.My first brother stepped forward first.“I am not here to ask for forgiveness for Matteo,” he said
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-17The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Seven
Emily's POV I had started walking more, slower than I was used to, often with Melissa at my side. She kept teasing me about how I still looked like a warrior even in a maternity cloak. I told her it was because I was one — just one with a new battlefield to navigate.Fayne had become… quieter, but not distant. Protective, without being overbearing. He spoke to the pack more now, taking some weight from my shoulders. He was patient with me — patient when I snapped for no reason, patient when I cried without warning, and patient when I needed silence instead of comfort.In the mornings, he would leave flowers by my bedside — wild ones, not arranged, just gathered. I never asked where he found them, but I always knew they were from him.One evening, as I sat on the balcony that overlooked the training grounds, I felt a soft movement beneath my ribs. A flutter — then a stronger nudge.My hand flew to my belly.The baby had kicked.The realization hit me like a storm of light, and my brea
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-18The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Eight
Emily's POV “You’re sure?” he asked, voice hoarse.“I am.”He pressed his forehead to mine. “Emily, you’ve already given me so much. But this… this is everything.”We stood there for a long time, wrapped in silence and a joy too sacred to speak of. Then he kissed me—tender and slow, reverent like he was kissing the future itself.When we pulled apart, I took his hand and placed it over my belly. “We’re going to raise her in a world better than the one we inherited.”He nodded, jaw set with purpose. “We’ll protect her, always.”“No,” I said, smiling faintly. “We’ll *prepare* her. She’s not meant to be shielded. She’s meant to lead.”He blinked, and I knew he understood.I wasn't just thinking of names or lullabies. I was thinking of legacy. Of laws that needed changing. Of villages still recovering. Of the young females in our pack who would need to see their Alpha not just as a ruler, but as a mother forging a new path.I spent the following days drawing plans for education, for heal
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-18The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Nine
Emily's POV Months later***The pain started like a whisper—a cramp low in my belly that made me pause mid-sentence while discussing border security with the council. I brushed it off at first, placing a hand to my side and continuing. But when the second wave came, sharper, deeper, I knew.Fayne was already standing when he saw my hand trembling over the armrest of my chair."Emily?" he asked, voice tight with concern.I nodded slowly, trying to breathe through the growing discomfort. “It’s time.”Everything moved quickly after that.The halls of Galahad filled with soft footsteps and hushed voices as healers prepared the birthing chamber. Melissa was at my side within seconds, holding my hand while Fayne cleared the path ahead. I had trained for battles, stood bleeding on battlefields—but this... this was different. This was creation and destruction all wrapped in one blazing storm of pain.The first scream tore from me as I was lowered onto the birthing bed, sweat already beading
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-19The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Sixty
Emily's POV Two weeks after Aerlyn’s birth, the throne room called to me like a restless ghost. The air in the Great Hall hadn’t changed—same stone, same banners, same sunbeams catching the dust like gold in motion. But I had changed. My body still ached, and the memories of pain clung to me like the last breath of winter. Yet, I stood tall, cloak draped over one shoulder, my daughter asleep in the bassinet beside my chair.Fayne stood at the back of the room, arms crossed, jaw tense.Meetings resumed. Reports came in. Supplies. Border patrols. Concerns from allied packs.Everything was as it used to be—but I was someone else now. Not just Alpha. I was a mother. The two identities didn’t war within me, but they pulled in different directions. One forward. One inward.After the final advisor left, Fayne approached. His gaze flickered from me to the bassinet, then back again. He waited until the doors shut behind the last guard before speaking.“You should be resting.”I looked up fr
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-19The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Sixty One
Emily's POV It had been a blissful month of spit-up cloths, baby yawns, and a throne room that hadn’t seen blood in weeks—a miracle by Galahad standards. I was finally settling into something that resembled balance: ruling by day, rocking Aerlyn to sleep by night, and squeezing in brief moments of peace in between.Tonight, I finished my evening rounds a little earlier than usual and found myself wandering to Fayne’s room. I missed him.Not in the way a mate misses her partner after a long absence—but in the way one misses a good laugh, a steady hand, and the feeling that someone’s watching your back even in the middle of a storm. I missed the him I knew before things got… complicated.His door was slightly open, and curiosity tugged harder than caution.I peeked.And immediately froze.Fayne stood in the center of his room, shirtless, muttering under his breath like someone trying to recite a spell while wrestling an invisible bear. Wisps of shadow coiled around his feet, and he was
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-20The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Two
Emily's POV I stood by the window of my office, fingers wrapped around a mug of herbal tea that had long gone cold. The sky was overcast—its color muted, but not yet heavy with rain. It was strange how silence had become such a rare guest in this house.A knock echoed at the door. My heart lifted slightly.“Come in,” I called.Melissa stepped in first, breathless and damp from the journey. Behind her stood a figure cloaked in a faded shawl, hood pulled low, but there was no mistaking the strength in her stance or the sharp glint in her eyes. Her presence alone brought a ripple of something warm into the room—like sage smoke on an old wound.“It’s good to see you, Emily,” the healer said softly, lowering her hood.“Likewise,” I murmured, stepping forward. My gaze held hers for a heartbeat longer than expected. “You haven’t aged a day.”“You have,” she said, but it wasn’t an insult. “In the best way.”I gestured for her to sit, and Melissa quietly left us, the door shutting behind her
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-20
Bab terbaru
The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Two
Emily's POV I nodded. “Exactly. A joint council. One that unites the packs and keeps decisions balanced. Aerlyn will lead the Galahad and Red Cross packs, yes. Kael will govern Donovan when the time comes. But their power won't lie in their territories. It’ll lie in their ability to come together for decisions that affect all of us.”“Smart,” Fayne admitted, brushing a hand across my shoulder. “Give them shared stakes so there’s less room for rivalry.”“And more room for respect,” I added. “We’ll train them to make decisions together. Mediate conflicts. See each other as equals, even when their paths differ. We’ll show Kael that his role isn’t smaller, just different. He’ll grow into a protector, a strategist, a voice for the more volatile edges of the packs.”Fayne gave a small smile. “That sounds like you’ve been planning this for years.”“I have.” I turned toward him fully, letting the weight of my thoughts settle. “Because I know what it’s like to be raised in a world that pits s
The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Seventy One
Emily's POV The sun had dipped low, brushing golden light across the glass windows as I stood at the edge of the balcony, overlooking Galahad’s inner gardens. The breeze was gentle, tugging at the silk of my robe, and in the distance, I could hear laughter—Aerlyn training the younger wolves again, just as she always did.Behind me, I heard Fayne’s footsteps, quiet but heavy with thought. He came to stand beside me, his arms folded, gaze cast out toward the horizon. For a moment, we stood in silence, listening to the world we had carved out together. The peace we had fought for. Bled for.I sighed. “We have a family.”Fayne looked at me, his expression softening.“There were nights,” I continued, voice low, “when I didn’t think that would ever be our truth. That we’d ever survive long enough to see it. But now we have two children. A daughter who's strong enough to lead, and a son with a heart that's still learning to shape itself.”His hand slid gently over mine, warm and grounding.
The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Seventy
Aerlyn’s POV I sat at the edge of the long stone table, the parchment map spread before us rippling with age and memory. Every scar on its surface marked a past battle, a lesson etched in ink and blood. Now it was my turn to leave a mark.Alpha Dante from the southern border was mid-sentence, proposing a joint patrol with his fastest wolves. Normally, I would’ve deferred to my mother—but today, I leaned forward.“That route won’t hold,” I said, surprising even myself with how calm my voice was. “The rogue movements I tracked followed wind pockets and low paths. They’re avoiding open terrain. We’d be leaving our flank exposed.”The room went still. A few of the elders exchanged glances. One even scoffed under his breath. But my mother said nothing. She didn’t have to. Her silence was her faith in me.Dante grunted, pointing at a different section of the map. “Then you suggest we close in here?”I nodded. “And reroute the scouts to this ridge. It’s narrow but provides full visibility.
The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Nine
Aerlyn’s POVThe gates of Galahad came into view just as the sun began to rise behind them, casting long gold shadows across the valley. Home. Safe. But not for long—not if what I found in Hollowpine was any indication.I dismounted quickly, handed my reins off to a stable guard, and headed straight for the central hall. My clothes were caked in dust, and my mind still raced with what I saw, what I *felt*.Guards nodded as I passed, their expressions shifting from relief to concern when they caught sight of my face. I must’ve looked like I hadn’t slept in days. I hadn’t.At the doors to the throne room, I didn’t wait to be announced.“Open the doors,” I told the sentries.They did.Inside, Mother stood near the map table, Fayne beside her. The room fell quiet as I entered, scroll still sealed in one hand, and a bloodied sash from Hollowpine in the other.Emily’s eyes locked on mine. Calm, but alert. “You’re early.”I dropped the sash onto the table. “Because Hollowpine isn’t there any
The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Eight
Emily’s POVThe stars were starting to blink into the sky when I found her in the training yard, alone, her sword still strapped to her back. She was sitting on the edge of the stone bench, shoulders relaxed now, legs swinging softly like she had when she was younger. She heard me before she saw me—her ears were always sharp—and looked up with those fierce, storm-hardened eyes I’d given her.“You handled it well,” I said, stepping toward her.“I wasn’t sure I did,” she murmured, eyes flicking back to the horizon.I sat beside her, our shadows stretching long behind us. “You didn’t lash out. You didn’t act for pride. You made a decision, and you stuck by it. That’s leadership, Aerlyn. It’s not always about winning—it’s about keeping everyone alive long enough to understand what the game even is.”She tilted her head, a small smirk curling her lips. “I sounded like you today. I said something and immediately thought, ‘that’s something Mom would say.’”I laughed softly. “Is that a compli
The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Seven
Emily’s POVYears drifted by like petals on the wind—soft and fleeting.Aerlyn was sixteen when her gifts sharpened like the edge of a blade. She stood taller than I remembered, with my fire in her voice and Fayne’s focus in her eyes. Her command in the training fields grew more precise, and pack members had started turning their heads when she spoke.Kael, eleven now, was all light-footed charm and quicksilver wit. He followed her everywhere, not out of need, but out of devotion. Their bond had matured into something more formidable—no longer just childhood closeness, but a powerful understanding. Where Aerlyn was disciplined, Kael was inventive. She wielded strength with clean precision. He wielded unpredictability like a weapon. I’d once feared their differences would push them apart. Instead, they balanced each other like twin stars circling the same sun.One morning, I watched from the tower balcony as they sparred in the courtyard. The sun cut across the stone in long shadows,
The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Six
Emily’s POVThe storm rolled in just after midnight. A low rumble of thunder echoed across the mountains as the wind whispered through the trees outside our window. But inside Galahad’s walls, all was warmth and glowing lanternlight—and urgency.Fayne held my hand tightly as another contraction surged through me, sharp and steady, a rhythm I knew all too well. The midwife moved with calm precision, and Melissa hovered nearby with a basin of water and quiet encouragement. “It’s time,” the midwife said softly, eyes on me. “He’s ready.” I gritted my teeth and nodded, gripping Fayne’s hand even tighter. His thumb brushed my knuckles, grounding me. I looked into his eyes and saw the same unwavering strength I had leaned on through wars and peace, darkness and light.And then… there he was. The room went silent for the briefest second before the baby’s first cry broke through, loud and clear, small lungs announcing his arrival to the world. “He’s here,” I whispered, tears already sl
The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Five
Emily’s POVIt started again—the quiet changes. The deeper breaths, the lightheaded mornings, the soft flutter beneath my ribs like a quiet reminder.I’d known this feeling before.I sat in the garden, right where Aerlyn had once tumbled through her first steps. The leaves danced around me, the wind soft, the earth warm beneath my feet. I placed a hand gently over my belly and closed my eyes.This time, there was no mysticism, no rush of visions or prophecy.Just calm. Just presence. Just… life.And in that stillness, I felt it again—*him*.A boy.There was nothing otherworldly about it, no strange pull of power or fate. Just the simple, beautiful truth of a new life growing inside me. And yet, there was something else, too. A softness. Not weakness—no. A gentleness in the way his presence settled into my awareness, quiet but certain. A soul that didn’t roar for attention, but didn’t shrink from it either.I breathed in, and smiled. A boy. Just a boy. Whole. Real. Enough.Later that n
The THORN LUNA Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Four
Emily’s POVThe world outside our windows was quiet for once.I watched the breeze tug gently at the curtains, sunlight spilling in to kiss the stone floors of our chambers. The scent of lavender drifted in from the gardens, mingling with the faint, sweet aroma of milk and warmth. A rare serenity clung to the air, and I cherished every second of it.Our daughter lay nestled in her crib, swaddled in soft linen, her little chest rising and falling like the steady rhythm of a song I didn’t know I’d always needed. She had my eyes. Fayne’s hair. And the fierce expression of someone born with purpose already etched into her bones.“She looks like she’s plotting something,” Fayne said behind me.I turned, finding him leaning against the doorway with a grin that softened the usual steel in his features.“She’s a Galahad,” I said, walking over to him. “Scheming is in her blood.”He chuckled and reached for me. I melted into his embrace without hesitation, resting my head against his chest as h
