My True Luna

hing Lyra felt when

had ripped through her when Dar

as dif

eat of her heart, as if something had been torn out and the

g above he

bli

ck inf

turned al

d Moon C

ing the Lun

ng before the

old when Lyra dema

en his

of the Blackthorn Pack, rejec

hut he

red somewhere d

ly forced the

o

ceremonial hall, even if none o

ldn't c

re aw

rned he

wooden bowl. The older woman's gray hair was tied behind her

happ

colla

ied sit

tely caught

owl

m f

you'r

Mara. There's

's express

i

ed it in

on

ned. "Don

t me li

e wh

e lost ev

filled t

t the b

te rejection, Lyra. You don't

t prete

ce almo

mo

ed the bl

d to l

stay exactly

can

finding her here mad

ould

rse he

he had chang

n't change his mind o

cause he would f

respectable position that would allow everyone to pretend the rejected woman he'd k

ther sleep be

legs over the

oom m

bbed the

yr

just before sh

ged into h

vered h

ds, she couldn't

her back o

isn't

a humorl

ublicly rejected or

the weakness. It doesn't

ooked

yes had

d you la

morn

yeste

a

he

n't k

een nauseat

a f

not

yr

s st

w l

w mor

w m

d toward t

ritory. The moon hung above the trees

two w

t down the clo

r cy

tightened aro

old moved t

o

backward a

ounted

ince the rejection

artbeat a

N

idn't

Lyra r

e d

ar

down,

in her voice

beneath Lyra's wrist

gently against Ly

ed at the

as imp

had been toge

th

on

tly wondered if the Moon Goddess sim

never pre

n one of the reas

ve

rt more tha

he room and op

re you

ng some

with a small

nst

nized it i

eath s

ar

a prelimi

't nee

'll prov

the moonstone agai

seconds, not

y laughed

e stone

ht spread beneat

r woma

tared

t became

N

had gone str

N

sat

it a

yr

it a

sitioned

ppeared almo

opped b

gna

as pr

ni

could have chosen to reveal

d slowly towa

s nothin

ovem

ttle

er entire worl

ri

his name before

he be

nstinctive that it n

uld have run to h

almost i

g at her in s

d cover

e smile

head aga

r

eyes

y replaced

ing his Lun

oosing an

reje

no "our"

enly lean

ion had cha

ha

r raised

ui

heart h

ressed two fingers against

n

ic

r eyes

filled

t is

idn't

tened Lyr

ng wrong wi

N

you looking at

my steth

ught he

ar

looked do

ll

hesit

rrified Lyra more

eas

ly sat be

t to pregnancy," she said. "It r

swall

kno

glow pulses i

ua

looke

s still pulsing a

ched ca

pu

ano

n't evenl

mouth w

ra.

thoscope and pressed it care

ved it

ai

sto

touched the ol

t I was m

ingers t

ut w

directly i

more th

sappeared a

ha

separate fetal

tared

econd, she couldn't

she

wo

nod

wi

d flew to

f surge

he agony o

mething

tec

i

vision

ba

s's b

had rejected her

ly sounded outsi

av

a

ili

ire body w

nized him befo

ri

ed toward

ous voice came f

e is

owing moonstone resti

at

r handl

him," Lyra

r began