Chapter 91: She is Not Luna Redgrave, but the Shadow King
Chapter 91: She is Not Luna Redgrave, but the Shadow King
(God’s POV)
The plane’s engines wound down to a halt as the convoy blocked its path. The cabin door opened with a mechanical hiss.
Killian Vance rushed up the stairs, his face etched with desperation. Behind him, little Elara stumbled on her short legs, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Olivia!” Killian called out, his voice breaking.
Elara threw herself into Olivia’s arms before anyone could react. Her small hands clutched at Olivia’s coat with desperate
strength.
“Pretty aunt, please don’t leave!” the pup sobbed. “Don’t go away like Mommy did!”
Olivia’s heart clenched as she held the trembling child. Something about Elara’s features nagged at her consciousness- the shape of her eyes, the curve of her nose.
She looked up at Killian, then back down at Elara. A terrible suspicion began to form in her mind.
“Killian,” she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. “Is Elara your pup?”
Killian’s colleagues had advised him to use this moment, to let Elara forge a new bond with Olivia. He gave a silent nod,
unable to speak.
The confirmation hit Olivia like a physical blow. Her breath caught in her throat as the devastating truth crashed over her.
This innocent pup was the daughter of the operative who had died in the European incident. The operative whose death
was caused by her own misjudgment during her time as “Cipher.”
Tears welled in her eyes as the weight of her past mistake settled upon her shoulders. The guilt she had carried for years
suddenly had a face–this beautiful, innocent child.
Elara looked up at her with wide, hopeful eyes. “Pretty aunt, can you be my mommy?”
The simple, heartfelt question hung in the air like a prayer. Both Killian and Matthew Kane held their breath, waiting.
Olivia wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She looked down at the pup and smiled through her pain.
“Of course, I can,” she replied, her voice thick with emotion. “From now on, I am Elara’s mother.”
It was a promise to herself as much as to the pup–a way to atone, to give this child all the love she had been denied.
Elara’s face lit up with pure joy. She threw her arms around Olivia’s neck, pressing her small face against her shoulder.
“Mommy!” she whispered, the word filled with wonder and happiness.
Olivia reached into her coat and pulled out the Ocean Star necklace. The stone caught the cabin lights, glowing with an ethereal beauty.
She placed it carefully around Elara’s neck, her fingers gentle as she fastened the clasp.
“This was designed by my mother, Lyra,” Olivia explained softly. “It symbolizes unwavering love. Now it’s yours.”
Elara touched the pendant with reverent fingers, her eyes shining with tears of happiness.
Killian watched the exchange, his heart soaring with renewed hope. This was his chance–his opportunity to build something real with Olivia.
15 Points)
Before he could speak, one of Matthew’s staff members appeared at the cabin door.
“Sir, we need to depart immediately,” the man announced urgently. “Air traffic control is demanding clearance.”
Killian understood. The moment was ending, but he had gained something precious–hope.
He knelt down beside Elara, his voice gentle but firm. “We have to go now, little star. But Mommy will see you again soon.”
Elara nodded bravely, though tears still clung to her lashes. She gave Olivia one last fierce hug.
“I love you, Mommy,” she whispered.
“I love you too, my darling,” Olivia replied, her voice breaking.
After they left, Olivia watched through the window as Killian led Elara away. Her feelings for him were complex and unresolved, tangled with guilt and newfound purpose.
She turned back to her seat and shut down her laptop with decisive clicks.
“Sir, the signal disappeared!” a Sentinel exclaimed as Theodore’s convoy screeched to a halt at the airstrip entrance.
The tracking device in his hand showed nothing but empty space where the red dot had been moments before.
“It vanished right at this airport!” the Sentinel continued, his voice tight with frustration.
Theodore’s eyes burned with cold fury. His jaw clenched as he stared at the blank screen.
“Find her,” he commanded, his voice like ice cutting through steel.
His Sentinels swarmed toward the airstrip but were immediately blocked by a wall of security guards.
“This is neutral territory,” the head guard warned, his hand resting on his weapon. “No entry without proper authorization!”
In the distance, planes began their takeoff sequences, engines roaring to life.
Theodore’s desperation boiled over like molten metal. His control snapped completely.
“Break through!” he roared, his Alpha command echoing across the tarmac.
He would not lose her. Not now. Not ever.
As his men engaged the guards in fierce combat, Theodore stormed toward the control tower. His only thought was finding her on the surveillance footage.
Killian led Elara away from the airstrip, his hand protective on her small shoulder. The moonstone pendant caught the light as she walked.
Suddenly, their path was blocked by a towering figure. Theodore stood before them, his eyes wild with rage and desperation.
“Are you insane?” Killian demanded, instinctively pulling Elara behind him.
Theodore’s gaze fixed on the pendant around Elara’s neck. Recognition flashed in his dark eyes like lightning.
“That’s my mate’s favorite pendant,” he snarled, his voice dangerous and low. “She must be here. Hand her over.”
Killian stood firm, his body a shield between Theodore and the frightened pup.
“Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you,” he retorted coldly. “She will never go back to you. Not after what you’ve done to her.”
Theodore’s face contorted with rage. His fist connected with Killian’s jaw in a devastating blow that sent him crashing to the ground.
“My mate will listen to my explanation,” Theodore declared, his voice a chilling mix of obsession and delusion. “She will
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forgive me, and she will come back to me.”
Inside the control tower, Theodore and his men frantically reviewed the surveillance recordings. Screen after screen showed dignitaries and officials boarding various aircraft.
They saw Matthew Kane clearly, but the person beside him was nothing but distorted pixels and magical interference.
“Luna is not here!” a Sentinel reported, his voice filled with defeat.
Theodore ignored Killian’s shouted warnings about consequences and bolted from the tower. His feet pounded against the concrete as he sprinted onto the active runway.
He had to see for himself. He had to know.
A plane accelerated down the runway, its engines screaming with power. Theodore ran alongside it, his heart hammering against his ribs.
A crushing sense of loss washed over him–a certainty that she was on board, leaving him forever.
His eyes scanned the small windows desperately. For a fleeting moment, he thought he saw her silhouette, a face turning
to look back.
“My love, don’t leave me!” he screamed into the roar of the engines.
His voice was swallowed by the wind and the mechanical thunder. The plane lifted into the night sky, becoming a distant
speck of light.
Then it was gone.
Olivia stared out the aircraft window as the lights of the airstrip fell away below. She was finally free.
She was no longer Luna Redgrave, but herself–the Shadow King, “Cipher.” Theodore was just a mountain she had passed,
not worth lingering on.
Theodore exhausted his last bit of energy and collapsed on the runway. His chest heaved as he gasped violently, his face
a mask of unbearable pain.
That figure in the window had vanished in the blink of an eye, as if it had never existed. He was on the verge of complete
collapse.
The Sentinel Captain approached cautiously, worry etched on his weathered face.
“Alpha, we found Luna’s phone,” he reported. “The data is being recovered, and we’ve found several mysterious calls.”
Theodore suddenly stood up, his dark eyes deep and cold. His mate wouldn’t leave him–she was just angry and didn’t
want to see him.
It would be fine once he found her. His eyes held a resolute determination to achieve his goal at any cost.
“Bring me my mate’s phone!”
