His Rogue Luna is a Princess (Mia and Derek) novel Chapter 189

Chapter 189

DEREK

The room still smelled like fresh paint.

The new bedding hadn’t quite lost its store scent either–crisp fabric, a little too new, the faint chemical undertone of being unboxed that morning.

But it didn’t matter. Aiden was already halfway under the covers, head turned toward the window, blanket clutched in one hand, the other gently brushing the plush moon–and–stars comforter that Caroline had helped him pick out that afternoon.

I stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, watching him settle in.

“This one’s just for you,” I said quietly. “Whenever you come visit Silverclaw, this will be your room.”

He turned to look at me, eyes half–lidded but bright. “Really?”

I nodded. “Really. Yours. No one else’s.”

He smiled softly and glanced around. The walls were still bare, but there was a framed print of a wolf howling at the moon above the headboard, and the bed was already scattered with pillows shaped like stars and one slightly deformed stuffed rocket ship.

“You think about how you want to decorate the rest of it?” I asked, walking in and sitting beside him.

Aiden nodded sleepily. “Yeah. I want space stuff.”

“Space stuff, huh?”

“Mmhm.” He blinked slowly. “Stars. Planets. Constellations. Like a whole sky.”

I smoothed a hand over his hair. “Why space?”

His voice was small, barely above a whisper. “Because space is quiet. And far away. No one can come and get you in space.”

That hit harder than I expected.

“If I was in space,” he said, “I’d be the only one up there. Just floating. Safe.”

I swallowed hard.

how fast they bounced back–but moments like this reminded me

It was easy to forget sometimes–how resilient kids were, that the cracks were still there. Still forming. Just beneath the surface.

I could still see him in the firelight, blanket wrapped around his shoulders, shaking but trying not to show it.

This was the first time he’d been alone with me overnight. The first time since his world had turned upside down–again.

“You want to go back to Moonstone?” I asked gently. “Tonight, I mean. You can. I’d understand.”

His eyes opened fully, and he looked up at me, serious. “No.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.” He reached out and clutched my arm, as if he thought might disappear. “I want to stay here.”

The words warmed something in me I didn’t even know had grown cold.

I nodded and tucked the blanket around him more tightly. “Then here you’ll stay.”

Aiden yawned, turning onto his side to face me. His voice was soft, curious. “Why is it called Silverclaw? That’s a weird name. Silver’s bad for wolves, right?”

I smiled faintly and nodded. “Yeah. It is. For most.”

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Chapter 189

He blinked at me, eyes big and waiting.

+25 BONUS

leaned back against the headboard and looked up at the ceiling, letting the shadows stretch above us like a starless sky. “You want to know the story?”

Aiden gave a sleepy nod. “Yeah.”

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