The Vampire's Luna

Magnus groaned dramatically and shifted, removing his elbow from his eyes to squint up at her.

King Magnus hadn’t slept a wink.

His trip to see Morvakar had gnawed away the hours. By the time he’d returned to his kingdom, his mind had gone through every possible version of events.

So there he was, sprawled on the throne room sofa. His eyes fluttered open to a face he hadn’t expected to see so soon: Luna.

He blinked up at her, half convinced he was hallucinating from fatigue and residual vampire dread.

"Baby!" he gasped, sitting up.

Luna flinched at his excitement. That was not the reception she expected. She had mentally prepared herself for wrath. A five-minute lecture minimum. Instead... hugs?

Before she could say anything, Magnus surged to his feet and pulled her into a tight, fatherly hug.

"Oh my baby..." he whispered into her hair.

"Father?" she mumbled against his chest. "You’re acting weird..."

Magnus chuckled, holding her a second longer before pulling back to look into her face. "I had a weird night. Humor me."

Luna narrowed her eyes. "Oh my God. Kyllian told you."

She stepped back with a gasp of mock betrayal, and Magnus nodded.

Instead, he just said gently, "I wasn’t expecting you back yet. Did something happen?"

"No... I just..." Luna paused, biting her lip as she searched for something that sounded reasonable. "I missed home."

"Of course," he said. "I’ll notify your mother you’re back. She’s been—"

"Can we not tell her yet?" Luna interrupted. "I just need... Father... please... I just need..."

And just like that, the tears she had fought all night, the ones she wrestled with in the back seat of the car finally broke free.

Her lip trembled. Her eyes glazed. And then, she broke.

Magnus wrapped her in his arms again, this time tighter. Firmer.

Her shoulders shook with every sob.

Magnus stroked her hair, murmuring, "It’s okay," and "I’ve got you," and "We’ll figure this out, baby girl." But none of those words mattered as much as the warmth of his arms, the steadiness of his heartbeat, the quiet comfort of being safe.

"It’s okay. Take all the time you need, baby. It’s okay."

His arms stayed wrapped around her, protective and strong. He didn’t rush her. He didn’t ask questions.

"I’m sorry..." Luna sniffled.

"Sshhh... That’s what fathers’ shoulders are for."

And she used that shoulder with full abandon, burying herself in it. She cried until her voice went hoarse, until her knees ached from standing.

*****

"Magnus... how long will you stay mad at me?" she asked, the frustration in her voice barely masking her guilt.

Magnus stood by the window, arms folded. He didn’t turn to face her. That, in itself, was punishment enough.

"How did you expect me to know that Morvakar would do anything wrong?" Ravena continued.

"Shouldn’t that be expected?" he snapped, turning to glare at her. "The man was banished from the Blood City for a reason, Ravena. He practices dark magic. What part of that screamed ’reliable fertility doctor’ to you?!"

Ravena folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. "He was the only one who could do something about the situation we were in! You forget...I was desperate, Magnus. We both were. You just buried yourself in work and left me to deal with it!"

"And you kept it from me," Magnus said, quieter this time. "For twenty-one years. Our daughter has lived her entire life not knowing the full truth of her own existence. And today..." He paused, the weight of the memory threatening to crush his voice. "I watched her heart break into tiny pieces. I watched her crumble in my arms, and I couldn’t do anything. Do you know how that feels?"

He took a breath. "The helplessness I felt?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Ravena’s anger faded. She stepped forward, guilt seeping into every graceful movement. "She’s... she’s back?" she asked, almost afraid to believe it.

Magnus nodded.

"Did you tell her?" she asked.

"No."

Ravena’s lips parted in relief and regret all at once. "She didn’t come to see me."

"She needed to be by herself," Magnus said, and it wasn’t accusatory. Just... matter-of-fact.

"I am her mother," Ravena said quietly, but the words were laced with defiance, a crumbling fortress of maternal instinct and guilt holding itself upright.

"Ravena..." Magnus said gently, his eyes softening. "Luna is torn. She’s broken in ways even I can’t fully understand. She’s connected to two men... and one of them happens to be the heir to the vampire throne. There’s nothing we can do about it."

She gave a slow nod, her mouth pressed into a tight, bitter line. Her spine remained straight, but it was a fragile sort of dignity. She turned her back on him, walking away.

"Rave?" Magnus called after her. "I’m not mad at you..."

She paused in the doorway, shoulders stiff. "If you say so," she replied over her shoulder, the words slicing cleaner than any blade. And just like that, she was gone, taking the air out of the throne room with her.

*****

Kyllian arrived at the werewolf castle the next morning

.Strolling through the corridor, he saw Luna coming out of her bedroom heading towards her parents’ quarters, hair braided simply, posture poised... but her eyes. Those eyes held the weight of moons and unsaid things. A sadness that made him want to punch fate in the throat.

"Princess?" he called out, a little too eagerly.

Luna looked up at him, and a smile bloomed on her lips. She stopped a few feet away from him, and the distance between them felt larger than all the oceans in all the worlds.

"When... when did you get back?" he asked, trying not to sound like he’d been counting the minutes since he last saw her.

"Yesterday," she replied quietly.

"Did something happen?" he asked, inching closer, trying to read her face. "I thought you needed more time... so you could see the sage Damien spoke about."