Hades' Cursed Luna novel Chapter 387

Chapter 387: They Are Not The Enemy

"Some survived," Maera said quietly. "Some didn’t. Some..." She exhaled. "Some didn’t even get to scream before their lungs burned from the inside."

The world tilted slightly beneath my feet.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt ashamed of breathing.

Ashamed of walking through this place as if I hadn’t benefited from the time Darius bought himself on the backs of the forgotten. As if my silence hadn’t made it easier.

I looked to Maera, trying to speak—but no words came.

She shook her head gently. "You can’t fix what’s been done, Alpha of Obsidian. But you can see it. That’s the first step. This is their sanctuary." Her voice softened, a tremor sneaking beneath the calm.

"But for how long?"

The weight of that question hung heavier than any accusation.

A moment passed.

And then she gestured ahead. "Your friend - your beta---is down in the infirmary. We did what we could for him. He’s stable... for now."

I nodded, though my chest tightened at the thought. Kael was one of the few I trusted, one of the few I still called brother. Seeing him broken would be just another tally mark on the list of things I had failed to protect.

We continued walking.

But now, eyes followed me.

One by one, people began to look up from their makeshift tables, from their bowls of soup, their games of stone and string, their quiet knitting circles and carved wood projects. Some faces scowled, a low distrust simmering behind narrowed eyes and tight jaws.

Others just looked... confused.

As if trying to reconcile the beast they had been taught to fear with the man standing beside Maera, clothed in plain pants.

A small boy clutched a woman’s skirt, staring at me like I was a bedtime monster that had stepped off the page.

A young man in the corner squinted, muttering something to his companion. Another older, bent slightly from what looked like a healed spinal fracture. He nodded toward me with guarded curiosity, like he wasn’t quite ready to hate me until I gave him a reason to.

None of them moved closer.

But none turned away.

I felt like a storm cloud passing through a village that already knew too much rain.

"Don’t speak," Maera said under her breath, barely audible. "Not unless someone speaks to you first. Bringing you here was already chaos."

I nodded once. The truth was that I didn’t have anything to say anyway.

We passed through another archway, then down a narrower hall carved deeper into the rock. The air grew cooler. Quieter. The life from the open chamber slowly muffled behind stone walls and time.

Maera paused at the threshold of a carved wooden door. Simple, unadorned, but clean. Her hand rested on the edge of it.

"Your beta is inside," she said, her voice losing some of its firmness. "He hasn’t said much. He asked about you... once. Then he passed out again. You can see him. But I won’t let you make promises you won’t keep."

She opened the door.

The scent of herbs hit me first—lavender, crushed mint, and something metallic beneath. I stepped inside, heart thudding against my ribs.

And there he was.

Kael.

Lying on a cot with bandages wrapped around his chest and neck, his face bruised, lips dry and cracked. One of his arms was strapped to a wooden splint. His dark hair was soaked with sweat, clinging to his forehead.

But he was breathing.

Barely.

His chest rose and fell in slow, careful motions like his body wasn’t sure if it wanted to keep trying.

I moved to his side, fingers twitching at my sides.

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