Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 291: Stranger The nurses beside him kept their heads bowed, silent tears streaking their faces, their fear like a palpable force in the room.

They offered no words, no excuses, just the raw terror of those who knew their lives hung by a thread.

I could barely hold back the fury that threatened to erupt. Every word he spoke only twisted the knife deeper, the realization of how deep the betrayal went, how many lies had been spun around me.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to keep a grip on my control. The truth wasn't complete yet, but I had a new, more dangerous puzzle to unravel.

A stranger, a missing child, a woman who had playedfor a fool for years. My mind raced with questions, but one thing remained clear: Giselle had gone too far, and now, I would find out exactly how deep her treachery ran.

I took a step back, my voice turning cold, final. "You've toldjust enough to save your miserable lives for now. But if I find out that you're still hiding something, I'll make sure you suffer every moment of your last breath." I turned my attention to Ryder. "Ryder, get them out of my sight. Keep them locked up until I decide what to do with them." Ryder nodded, his face a mask of grim determination, and moved to drag them out. Their desperate cries and pleas faded as the heavy door of the dungeon shut behind them, leavingalone in the darkness.

I stood there, the weight of their words pressing down onlike a suffocating shroud.

My fists clenched so tightly that my nails bit into my palms, but I barely felt the pain.

All I could think of was the betrayal, the lies, and the burning need for justice.

I tried to steady my thoughts, but they spiraled back to the squestion, over and over: Who was the stranger that the Pack Doctor spoke of? Who would help Giselle and why would anyone help her with something like that? "Who do you think the stranger was, Alpha?" Ryder's voice cut through my thoughts, low and urgent.

He stood just a few steps away, his expression as tense as my own. It was clear that the revelations had shaken him too, but now he sought answers with the sdetermination burning inside me.

I let out a slow, heavy sigh, feeling the frustration coil tighter around my chest. "I don't know, Ryder," I admitted, my voice rough with anger that hadn't yet cooled.

Whoever that stranger was," I began, my voice rough with barely controlled anger, "they were working for a reason. No one would just walk into a pack and risk crossingwithout something to gain." Ryder's jaw tightened, and he crossed his arms, shifting his weight as he considered my words. "It must've been planned, Alpha. Whoever they are, they knew exactly what they were doing. Swapping the babies, altering the records... they went through a lot of trouble to make sure Giselle kept that child-and that you thought Ryker was hers.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, and I shook my head. "Giselle thought she could manipulatewith a child that wasn't even hers. But that means she wasn't the one holding all the cards. Someone else was pulling her strings. And she's been hiding behind that person all this time." Ryder's expression darkened, his jaw tightening as he glanced toward the closed dungeon door. "Whoever that stranger is, they must be powerful. Maybe even someone in the pack, or someone close enough to slip in and out unnoticed." I felt a chill crawl down my spine at the thought. Someone in the pack, someone who wants something against us.

I had always thought of the pack as my family, a place where loyalty and honor meant everything.

But now, it seemed those very principles had been used against me.

Ever since Giselle beca Luna, my power and authority as the Alpha is no longer absolute anymore which means I have to be careful.

As Ryder turned to leave. I stopped him with a sharp command. "Ryder, before you go-one more thing." He paused, turning back to face me, his expression attentive and focused.

I met his gaze, letting the weight of my decision settle into my voice. "I want you to put surveillance on Giselle. Monitor every movement she makes. Her routine, the people she talks to, anyone she seems close to. I don't care if it's a fleeting conversation or someone she lingers near for a second too long - I want to know about it." Ryder's eyes sharpened, a fierce determination flashing through them. "You want her watched round the clock?" "Yes," I replied, my tone leaving no room for doubt. "I don't want her to take a single step without us knowing about it. If she's hiding something, if she's slipping ameet with anyone connected to this, wett be ready." Ryder nodded firmly, the shadows of the dungeon casting his face into hard lines. "I'll see to it personally, Alpha. She won't make a move without us knowing."

"Good," I said, a grim satisfaction settling in my chest. "Keep it discreet. She can't know we're onto Ger. the ve moment she suspects, she'll try to cover her tracks. But we'll catch her in the act, and whoever she's meeting with - we'll get them, too."

Ryder's mouth curled into a tight, humorless smile. "I'll make sure she thinks everything's as it always is. But it in the shadows, we'll be watching. Whatever she's hiding, we'll find it."

I nodded, a dark determination settling into my bones. "We'll give her enough rope to hang herself with, Ryder. Let her think she's still in control But when the tcomes, we'll bring her whole world crashing down." With a final nod, Ryder turned and disappeared up the steps, leavingalone with my thoughts.

I took a deep breath, letting the chill of the dungeon seep into my lungs.

Giselle thought she could keep her secrets buried, but she was wrong. I would dig them up, one by one, and make her pay for every moment she'd stolen from me.

The truth was a weapon, and I intended to wield it with the precision of a blade.

And when I was done, there would be no more lies, no more deceptions - only the cold, hard reckoning that had been long overdue.