Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 275: Waiting TDrystan's POV I watched Astrid closely as she stared down at the heart-shaped rock in her hand, her expression distant, brows furrowed together as though the small stone held the answers to all her questions.

The cold breeze swept through the night, rustling the leaves and sending a shiver down my spine, but I ignored it. My focus was solely on her.

"What's that?" I asked, trying to break the silence that had settled between us.

But she didn't respond. She was too lost in her thoughts to notice me. I watched as her fingers absentmindedly traced the shape of the stone, and something in her posture felt different-uneasy, troubled.

"Astrid," I called again, this tlouder. "Are you alright?" She blinked, as though she was suddenly pulled back to reality. "What?" she asked, her eyes darting tofor the first tin what felt like minutes. "Oh... yeah, I'm fine. Just... thinking." Her answer was vague, and I wasn't convinced, but I didn't press further. Instead, I took a step closer, hoping my presence would somehow ease whatever was weighing on her mind.

Before I could say anything else, a sudden tightness gripped my chest, and I coughed sharply, struggling to catch my breath for a moment.

My Doctor tried to stopfrom leaving, tellingthat I couldn't leave just yet. My body has not yet fully recovered and I have to rest, but I was too eager to leave so I could meet with Astrid.

Now, I'm finally starting to feel my body weighing down onafter pushing myself so hard.

Astrid immediately turned toward me, her eyes widening with concern. "Drystan, are you alright?" "I'm fine," I managed, waving her off. But she wasn't convinced. She moved closer, her hand already reaching for my wrist.

I tried to pull my hand back, but Astrid was faster, her fingers wrapping around my wrist with a gentle but firm grip.

Her touch sent a jolt through my spine as she gently pressed her fingers against my pulse.

"You're not fine," she muttered, her voice laced with worry. "Your pulse... it's weak. Why didn't you tellyou were unwell?" "It's nothing," I said, trying to brush it off. "Just tired." "No," she insisted, her brow furrowing deeper. "It's more than that. Your wolf... it feels weak." I tried to pull away, but she wouldn't let go, her grip firm as she checked my pulse again, her serious expression softened when she saw how serious my condition was.

"This is my fault, is it?" Her voice was soft but filled with guilt. She looked atwith a torn expression on her face, making my heart twist.

I sighed, my chest tightening again, but not from the cough this time. "Of course not! Don't worry, this is nothing serious. I just needed to rest and my body will recover. I told you, Astrid. I'll wait as long as it takes. I promised you that." Her face fell at my words, and for a moment, I saw something shift in her eyes - guilt, regret, maybe both. She shook her head slowly, her fingers still wrapped around my wrist. "You need to stop, Drystan." The words hung in the air between us, heavy and final.

I frowned, not understanding. "Stop? What do you mean?" "Don't wait foranymore," she said, her voice barely a whisper, but the weight of it hithard. "You're waiting for something that isn't going to happen." My heart sank, but I forced myself to keep my voice steady. "Astrid, don't say that. You know how I feel. I told you I'd be here, no matter what." "I know," she said, her eyes meeting mine, filled with sadness. "But that's the problem. I don't have anything left to give you, Drystan. I'm pulling your hopes up for nothing." Her words were a knife to my chest, but I didn't say anything. I couldn't. I just stared at her, trying to make sense of it all. She looked away, her gaze returning to the heart-shaped stone in her hand.

"You've been hurting yourself because of me," she whispered. "Your wolf... it was damaged because of me. Because I was unsure I made you wait. I've been selfish." "No," I said quickly, shaking my head. "You didn't makedo anything. This was my choice, Astrid. I wanted to wait for you." "I know," she said again, softer this time. "But it's not fair to you. To you, I'm the most important thing in your life, but toyou are not. You deserve someone who will also put you first. I'm only dragging you down with me." I clenched my jaw, frustration bubbling up inside me. "You're not draggingdown. I want to be with you, Astrid. I've always wanted that." "But I can't give you that," she said, her voice breaking ever so slightly. "You are the best person I've ever met in my life. You have always treatedwith kindness, you are perfect, but even with all of that, I couldn't give you my heart.

Her words hitlike a blow to my chest, stealing the air from my lungs. I swallowed hard, trying to keep my composure. My heart twisted painfully at her confession and for a moment, I couldn't bring myself to speak.

Astrid let out a shaky breath, her hand slipping from my wrist. She took a small step back, her eyes filled with guilt and sorrow.

"This is my fault, Drystan. I should

have never let things get this far. I should have told you the truth and made things clear with you from the start didn't want to hurt you so`l gave you false hopes. In trying to avoid it, I've only made it worse," her Voice broke. I felt the sting of her words, the truth cutting deeper than I was prepared for.

"I was only lying to myself, it was my selfishness that madedo this.

You deserve someone who can give you everything, someone who's e not so too consumed by revenge to love you back." Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she looked away. My throat tightened, but I forced myself to speak. "I don't care about that. I care about you."

She closed her eyes for a moment, her grip loosening on the stone in her hand. "And that's why Dean't let you waitinthat's keep waiting. You've been hurting yourself because of me, and I can't let that happen anymore." I wanted to argue, to tell her that waiting for her was worth it, that I didn't care about anything else as long as I had her.

But deep down, I knew she was right. My wolf had been growing weaker, and I had ignored it, thinking that waiting for her would make everything better.

But now, looking at her, I realized that holding on to that hope had been hurtingmore than I had ever admitted.

I sighed, my shoulders slumping. "So... what now?" Astrid looked at me, her eyes filled with a sadness that I wasn't sure I'd ever seen before. "You need to letgo, Drystan. For your own sake." The finality of her words settled in my chest like a weight, and for the first time, I realized that maybe... maybe it was tto stop waiting.