CHAPTER 334: LUNA’S PATH

Despite how calm Lily looked, Luna couldn’t help but be worried for her best friend. The dark side that she normally ignored and suppressed was on full display now.

Yet Luna was undeniablely grateful that Lily still held onto some semblance of normality and only killed those that had betrayed and killed their comrades. Those who had betrayed her and her family.

Luna wasn’t afraid of the Elders of the family as Lily and Luna stared them down, but she was afraid that by walking on her path, Lily would come to regret it. Just like how Lucian did. Her father was tied to a chair in the room, beaten, covered in his own blood and unconscious.

When Luna first began her job as Lily’s bodyguard, she was given the opportunity to speak with Lucian back then.

The impression she had when she first met him was that he was a loving and doting father.

And he was. But he had also been very meticulous and blunt.

He had confessed his doubts about her competency and his worries about Luna’s commitment to Lily. He had even offered her money to leave Lily alone.

While they were best friends now, would that always be the case? Lucian had brought this up and Luna had failed to rein in her temper and had told him what was exactly on her mind then.

"Lily saved me when I was at my lowest. I will do whatever I can to protect her and I don’t need some old decrepit asshole doubting me! You can take your money and shove it up your ass!"

Looking back, it was definitely not the sort of tone that you would use with a mafia boss, even of he was technically a former one.

The silence that had followed her outburst was nerve racking when Luna’s brain caught up to her mouth.

She had glared at him but below the surface, she was getting scared. She nearly jumped when Lucian began to laugh.

It wasn’t a mocking laugh. It was tired. Worn down. Almost relieved.

"You’ve got a sharp tongue," he had said, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "But I admire your dedication to my daughter. Please continue to look after her."

That conversation had stuck with her. Not just because of how surreal it had been to yell at one of the most feared men in the underworld, but because it was the moment Lucian truly accepted her. Not as a bodyguard. Not as an employee. But as someone worthy of standing by Lily’s side.

The Elders had been against letting in a ’stray’ to protect the Young lady but Lucian had one sidedly shut them down. He had been Luna’s greatest supporter within a house that despised her.

She knew Lucian had done terrible things in his life. There was no denying that. But she also acknowledged that he had tried to change. He had tried to protect what little he had left. And now, everything he feared was coming to pass.

Luna turned her gaze back to Lily. Her best friend stood tall, arms at her sides, eyes cold as frost. She wasn’t trembling. She wasn’t hesitating. If anything, she looked more certain than ever.

And that scared Luna more than anything.

She had seen Lily angry before. She had seen her hurt, cornered, and bloodied. But never like this.

Never so calm. Never so certain.

Her gaze flicked briefly to Lucian, still slumped in the chair, unconscious and barely breathing. The man who had once ruled the underworld without flinching. The man who had once terrified half the continent with a whisper of his name. Now reduced to this.

Luna swallowed hard.

She remembered the conversation they had the night before her first official day.

It had been late. The moonlight was pouring in through the balcony window, and Lucian had stood there with a glass of dark liquor in his hand, the weight of years carved into his shoulders.

"Promise me something," he had said without turning to look at her.

Luna, still new, still unsure of where she stood, had straightened up instinctively. "Anything, sir."

He had finally turned to face her, and in that moment, she saw something she hadn’t expected in his eyes. Regret.

"Don’t let her become me."

The words had been simple. Quiet. But the way he said them made her chest tighten.

"You think she will?" she had asked after a long pause.

Lucian nodded slowly. "If left unchecked, yes. She’s got fire in her. Righteous fire. And she’ll burn everything to the ground if she believes it will protect the people she loves. That’s not strength. That’s poison."

Luna hadn’t responded at the time. She hadn’t known how. But she had nodded.

And now, years later, with the scent of blood in the air and judgment in Lily’s eyes, that promise clawed its way to the front of her mind.

She had sworn to stop this. To never let Lily become the very thing Lucian once was. To be her shield not just in battle, but from herself.

Luna breathed in slow, steadying herself.

She couldn’t just stand there anymore, silent and watching. Not if she meant what she said back then. Not if that promise still mattered.

Lily was strong. Too strong. And if no one reminded her of where her heart used to be, she’d march straight into that abyss and never look back.

So Luna took a quiet step forward.

Not to pull her away. Not to scold or question her. But to stand close enough so Lily could feel her presence.

Because if she was going to keep that promise, it meant more than protecting her from knives and bullets. It meant protecting the part of her that laughed. The part that forgave. The part that still saw beauty in the world, even when it was ugly.

She wouldn’t lecture. She wouldn’t beg. Lily would never respond to that anyway.

Instead, Luna spoke softly as a white light struck her heart from behind, filling her with warmth. Her voice was just loud enough for Lily to hear.

"You don’t have to do this alone. Nor do you have to stoop to their level. They have already lost."

Lily didn’t react at first.

Her eyes remained fixed on the Elders. Her posture didn’t waver. But Luna saw the smallest twitch in her fingers. A barely-there motion that most would have missed, but Luna saw it.

She patted her friend on the shoulder and whispered again

"Your dad will be fine. Go give him a potion and let me handle this."

For a few long seconds, Lily didn’t move.

Then, slowly, her head turned. Just enough to meet Luna’s eyes.

There was no anger there. No resistance. Just a deep, lingering weight behind her gaze, as if part of her had been holding its breath this entire time and was only now realizing it.

She gave the slightest nod before turning away from the Elders.

One of the elders finally snapped and roared at the gunmen who had just finished reloading

"What are you waiting for?! SHOOT THESE BITCHES!"

However, even that shout was drowned out by a low growl from Luna.

"If any of you even twitch, I will paint the room red."

The bloodlust from Luna terrified the men and not a single one or them even dared to hold onto their guns, tossing them away as a sign of surrender.

The elder was flabberghasted, mouth opening and closing but no words came out.

He couldn’t understand how this ’stray’ was giving off such pressure.

Her presence alone made her feel like an untouchable queen.

The elders realized then that they were trapped in a room with a monster and a beast.