Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 294: Setback Giselle's POV As I continued my display, crying into my hands and letting my shoulders shake with every false sob, I felt a small flicker of satisfaction.

It was working - the sympathy of the pack was turning toward me. I could hear their murmured reassurances, feel the gentle pats on my back and shoulders as they tried to comfort me.

"It's okay, Luna. We'll find him. The warriors are searching." "He's a strong boy, Luna, just like his father. He'll be all right." Their words were fuel, encouragingto keep playing my part. My tears flowed even harder, my voice breaking as I whispered, "He's just a child... what if the rogues... what if-" I let my voice trail off, turning my face away as if I couldn't bear to finish the thought.

Then, amidst the chaos of the crowd, I heard another voice rise above the anxious murmurs - a voice that cut through the noise like a knife.

It was Vanessa, her tone sharp with rising panic. "Wait - has anyone seen Hazel?" The shift in the air was immediate. Heads turned, eyes widening with fresh alarm as people began to murmur again, this twith a different kind of urgency.

A ripple of confusion passed through the gathered pack members, their attention swinging fromto Vanessa. The concern that had been centered on Ryker only moments ago now divided, doubling the sense of unease in the air.

Vanessa pushed through the crowd, her face pale, her eyes wide as she scanned the faces around her. "I don't see her! Hazel... she was just here a moment ago. Has anyone seen her?" Her voice wavered, breaking slightly, but she wasn't the sobbing mess I had made myself out to be.

She was clearly worried, but she kept a thread of control in her voice, as if trying to convince herself that this wasn't as bad as it seemed.

I watched her through a haze of my own panic, my breath catching as I struggled to maintain my composure. Vanessa's concern was genuine-I could see it in the way she wrung her hands together, the way her voice strained and broke as she called out Hazel's name.

Her fear was raw, unpolished, and real, unlike the performance I'd been putting on.

For a moment, I found myself frozen, staring at her as if the reality of the situation hadn't quite sunk in. And then, like a crack in a dam, the realization hit me. My tears abruptly stopped, and I blinked, my mind whirling with a new and unexpected fear. Hazel? Missing? The only person who should be missing right now is Ryker I dropped my hands from my face, the sobs cutting off mid-breath as I turned sharply, scanning the crowd with a sense of rising confusion.

My heart pounded in my chest, and for a moment, my mask slipped entirely, leaving only the raw panic that clawed at my insides.

"What do you mean, Hazel is missing?" The question slipped from my lips, sharper than I intended, barely above a whisper, as if the words themselves might shatter something fragile within matter I glanced around wildly, my gaze darting over the faces of the pack members, searching for any sign of my daughter. "No, that can't be she was supposed to be here!" But then, amidst the chaos, I noticed an Omega hurrying toward me, his expression tight with panic.

He pushed through the crowd, reaching my side with a quick, nervous glance at the guards around me.

I forced my breathing to slow, keeping up my performance of grief, but my eyes sharpened as I waited for him to speak.

The Omega leaned down, his voice barely a whisper as he spoke into my ear.

"Luna, there's been... a complication," he stammered, his words coming out in a rushed hiss. "Hazel... she followed Ryker into the forest. We had no choice but to take them both."

A cold knot formed in my chest, but I kept my face buried in my hands, we pretending to wipe wipe away my tears as he continued. "Something went VI wrong, Luna. The rogue attack it disrupted everything. We lost them. Both of them." The blood drained from my face, and for a moment, everything aroundseemed to blur.

I froze, my entire body going rigid with shock as his words sank in. My mind struggled to process what he was saying. Hazel? Lost? How could they have let this happen? This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't part of the plan! My breath caught in my throat, and my hands fell away from my face as I stared at him, the panic in my eyes no longer an act.

I felt the world tilt beneath me, the ground slipping away as the Omega's words echoed in my mind.

Hazel. My daughter. Out there, alone, with the rogues. My stomach twisted painfully, and for a moment, I couldn't think, couldn't breathe.

The carefully constructed mask I had worn so well slipped, revealing a flicker of raw fear.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. I had meant to use this moment to ruin Astrid, to drive her away once and for all.

But now, with Hazel missing, everything was spiraling out of my control. The rogue attack, the O missing children-it was a nightmare unfolding, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I tried to keep the tremor out of my voice, but I could feel my control slipping, the panic seeping through despite my efforts to hold it back.

"How could she be missing?" I murmured to myself, my voice barely a breath. This wasn't supposed to happen.