The Alpha's Borrowed Luna (Abigail Hayes) novel Chapter 266

The Alpha’s Borrowed Luna

Chapter 266

Frost lived on in my dreams but waking up to the painful reminder ways left me in tears. There was this hole Frost had left behind, one that I feared even time couldn’t heal.

A month had passed since my mother’s visit, and nothing had changed between Kalus and me. He still avoided me, still acted as if I didn’t exist. The pack functioned mechanically around us, everyone refully navigating the chasm that had formed between their Alpha and Luna.

But I’d found a solution: a terrible, perfect solution.

The cottage looked exactly as it had when I’d first visited with Kieran so many months ago–moss–covered stones, gnarled trees surrounding it, that sense of ancient power humming in the very air approached slowly, both dreading and desperate for what awaited inside.

The door swung open before I could knock, revealing the sorceress’s ageless face.

“Welcome back, Queen,” she greeted, her milky eyes somehow seeing right through me despite their blindness.

I stepped inside, the scent of herbs and magic overwhelming my senses. “You know why I am here,” I said, getting straight to the point.

She moved to her worktable, bony fingers arranging various vials and dried plants. “Yes, I do, but I am afraid I cannot help you.”

“Please… The word came out more desperate than I’d intended.

“You seek to fight fate, to fight nature itself. You cannot revive one that is already dead.” Her voice carried the weight of centuries, of immutable laws I was asking her to break.

My fingers curled into fists at my sides. “You can’t or… you won’t?”

“I can’t give life, Queen.” She turned to face me, her expression grave

“But there is something you can do, isn’t there? I will pay handsomely for your services.” I reached for the pouch of gold I’d brought the last of the blood money Kaius had given me before everything fell apart.

She waved away my offering. “I don’t need anything from you; you’ve given enough.” Her head tilted slightly as she studied me.

“Who is he to you?”

The question caught me off guard. “A… friend.”

“He is more than that. You want to have them both, but you can only have one.” Her words struck with uncomfortable precision.

“This is not about me or what I want.” I shook my head, trying to convince myself as much as her

“Then it’s about the Alpha King; you seek to please him, desperate for his forgiveness, and you believe raising back his dead second in command would do that.”

I gripped the edge of her table, cutting to the heart of the matter. “Can you? Can you bring Frost back to life?”

“Of course not. I could bring him back, but he wouldn’t be alive; he would be the creature you dread–a demon.” Her lips twisted into a grimace.

“I don’t care…” I began, but she cut me off with a sharp gesture.

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Chapter 266

*No. You’ve rushed into things before and you regretted it, I won’t le you make the very same mistake. If he awakes as a demon, he might not be the same man you knew; he might end up becoming your worst… nightmare. The emphasis she placed on the word sent a chill down my spine.

I swallowed hard, refusing to be ileterred. “I guess there is a price for that?“.

“A price? No, there is no price, but an exchange. You cannot upset fate without giving something in return.” She moved closer, her withered hand reaching out to touch my face with surprising gentleness.

“And what would I have to give? I asked, though some part of me already knew the answer.

“Your life.” The words hung in the air between us, heavy with finalit

“My life?” 1 echoed, momentarily stunned despite having suspected is would be the cost.

“Yes. Now you see, it’s too much a sacrifice to make,” she said, withdrawing her hand.

“Wait.” I grabbed her wrist, my decision already made. “Do it. I am willing to give my life in exchange.”

Surprise flashed across her ancient features. “There is too much at risk; you would lose your life, and if he ends up a monster, it would be a wasted sacrifice.”

“And I don’t care.” The certainty in my voice startled even me.

She studied me for a long moment, something like sadness crossing her face. “I don’t want you to die without a course; it’s not worth it. But I’ll give you a span of two dawns to make your decision, and if you choose to go through with this after this time, then I will be waiting.”

Relief mixed with dread inside me. “Thank you.”

sy

As I left the cottage, my mind was already made up. Two days to say my silent goodbyes, to put my affairs in order. Two days until I could finally make amends for all I’d done.

I had already made my decision and that’s all I couldn’t think about when I returned to the Pack. I couldn’t be able to revive all those Kaius had lost because of me, but at least I could bring back Frost; maybe things could go back to how they were before I came into the picture. Maybe Kaius would move on, and maybe–just maybe he would forgive me.

The thought of never seeing Kaius again, of never feeling his touch or hearing his voice, cut deeper than I’d expected. But what was my pain compared to what he’d suffered? What was my life worth against Frost’s?

I wish I could tell my mother one final goodbye, but maybe it was better this way. She would be happy; Gabriel would be by her side. I stopped by Kaius’s office. How I wish I could go to him; how I wish I could kiss him one more time, but I couldn’t. So I could only stage at him from afar.

He looked exhausted–dark circles beneath his eyes, a tension in his shoulders that hadn’t been there before Frost’s death. He was still heartbreakingly beautiful, still everything I’d ever wanted. And would never have him again.

I forced myself to turn away, to continue toward the one place I needed to visit before the end: Frost’s quarters.

No one had touched them since his death. A layer of dust covered the surfaces, but everything remained exactly as he’d left it- books stacked neatly on the desk, clothes hanging in the wardrobe, the bed made with military precision.

I would have broken down in tears if I had any more tears left to cry The longing in my heart grew worse. I pulled open his drawer, and a small smile stretched on my lips when I saw the book ‘Barbara’s fantasies‘. He did find it in the end, but he never kept it in

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the library.

I moved to his wardrobe, pulling out one of his shirts and pressing to my face. It still smelled faintly of him: that clean, winter pine scent.

I couldn’t let go of his clothes. 1 laid on his bed, his clothes fisted in my hand, and I fell asleep.

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