Rejected Luna Returns with Secret Twins (Lysandra) novel Chapter 98

Chapter 98

“That bastard!” 1 hurled my phone across the room. It hit the wall with a satisfying crack before tumbling to the floor. My hands shook with a mixture of rage and terror as I paced my bedroom, pulse pounding in my ears.

First my daughter disappears from the park. Then I get a call from Varian saying Tristan has her. Now Tristan was demanding answers about the twins‘ father? The universe couldn’t be this cruel.

“He knows,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Somehow he knows.”

“Lysandra?” Kieran burst through my bedroom door without knocking, his face tight with concern. “What happened? Your parents said you got a call about Lyra-”

“Tristan has her.” The words came out strangled, halfway between a snarl and a sob.

Kieran froze, his expression shifting from concern to cold fury. “What? How?”

“She wandered away from the park. He found her and now…” I swallowed hard, trying to force down the panic clawing at my throat. “He’s using her as leverage. Wants to know who the twins father is.”

My knees suddenly felt weak. I sank onto the edge of my bed, head spinning. “I have to go get her.”

“I’ll come with you,” Kieran said immediately. “Where is he keeping her?”

“He hasn’t sent the location yet.” I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back tears. The thought of my little girl in Tristan’s hands made me physically ill. What if he’d already figured out the truth?

“That man,” I hissed, jumping to my feet and yanking open my dresser drawer. My fingers closed around cold metal–the silver dagger I’d kept hidden since leaving Silverblood. “I swear I’ll kill him.”

Kieran moved faster than I thought possible, his hand clamping around my wrist. “Lysandra, stop.”

“Let go.” I tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened.

“Think about what you’re saying,” he urged, voice low and steady. “If you attack Tristan, you’ll start a war between packs. Alaric would be dragged into it. Our entire territory could suffer.”

“That man has my daughter!” I snapped, baring my teeth.

“And you need to get her back safely,” Kieran countered, gently prying the dagger from my fingers. “Going in there threatening to gut him won’t help Lyra.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks as reality crashed over me. “That man says he wants to know about the children’s father. I think he’s figured out something. Maybe noticed how much they look like him.”

Kieran’s eyes softened. “Lyss-”

“No, I can’t.” I hugged myself, suddenly cold despite the warm room. “You think after knowing the truth he’ll just let me walk away with them? He’s Tristan Wolfbane. That man will never let me and my children live in peace. He’ll either hurt them or take them from me. I… I can’t lose them.”

“He won’t ever know the truth, Kieran said firmly. “Your children have been spelled.”

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Chapter 98

I blinked, momentarily distracted from my panic. “Spelled? What do you mean?”

Kieran guided me to sit on the edge of my bed, his expression serious. “At the moment they were born, Alpha Caspian summoned the Moon Shadow Messenger to bless them. At the same time, your mother asked him to take certain measures to prevent their father from recognizing them.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s powerful magic, Lysandra. Ancient wolf magic that creates a perception barrier anyone looking for their father in them simply won’t see it. Only those who already know the truth can see the resemblance.”

I stared at him, stunned. All this time, I’d been terrified Tristan would take one look at Orion and know immediately. I’d spent years dodging questions, hiding photos, keeping the twins away from anyone who might recognize them.

“That’s why I’ve been able to take them out in public,” Kieran continued. “Why we could create the story that I was their father without anyone questioning it, despite you never marking me as mate. The spell disrupts the normal scent and visual recognition.”

My phone chimed from where it had landed on the floor. I scrambled to retrieve it, hands still shaking.

A text from an unknown number–a hotel address.

“He sent the location,” I said, already pulling on my boots. “I have to go.”

***

“I’m going to find Mom.” The memory of Orion’s serious little face twisted my heart as I crossed the living room. My son had been devastated when I returned to the park without Lyra, his small shoulders hunched with guilt. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left her.”

“We’re going to get her back,” I’d promised him, kissing his forehead. “You stay with Grandma and Grandpa, okay?”

Now I paused at the front door, my parents and Orion watching me with identical worried expressions.

“I’m going to bring Lyra home,” I announced, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

My father frowned. “Where is she?”

“She’s with…” I hesitated, not wanting to frighten Orion further. “She’s safe. I just need to pick her up.”

My mother stepped closer, lowering her voice. “Is she with him?”

I nodded once, jaw clenched.

“Let me call Alaric,” my father said immediately, reaching for his phone.

“No,” I stopped him. “He doesn’t need to worry more. I can handle this.”

Before they could argue further, I slipped out the door where Kieran was waiting with his car. He held the passenger door open, his expression grim.

“Let’s go.”

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Chapter 98

I hesitated, a sudden realization hitting me. “I need to go alone.”

“No way in hell.” Kieran’s voice was flat, brooking no argument. “I’m not letting you face Tristan by yourself.”