Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 263: Real Mother Astrid's POV The sun hung low in the sky, casting a soft glow over the playground. Giselle sat on the edge of a park bench, her posture stiff, watching her son, Ryker, who stood a few feet away, transfixed by the swing's rhythmic motion.

He didn't climb onto it; instead, he observed the world around him fading into the background. Giselle didn't bother to approach her son or to keep him company.

Vanessa, sitting next to her, laughed softly as her daughter, Hazel, darted around the playground, introducing herself to other children with ease and grace that cnaturally to her.

"That girl," Vanessa mused, smiling fondly, "She could make friends with anyone." Giselle nodded her smile tight. She watched Hazel charm another group of children, their laughter reaching her ears like an echo that she wished she could hear from Ryker.

I watched as Giselle's fingers tensed on the edge of the bench as she glanced at her son. He wasn't interacting, wasn't joining in, leaving her nothing to boast about him.

"Ryker is just shy," Giselle replied after a moment, her voice distant as if she felt embarrassed to give that answer. "He's not good with people." Vanessa waved her hand dismissively. "Oh please, He's just fine. We all have our pace." Her smile was bright; it was so easy to see how delighted she was to rub it on Giselle's face that her daughter was better than hers. Giselle's shoulders tensed. If they hadn't been at the public playground and no people were watching, she would have responded negatively to Vanessa's words. It's clear what she's doing here.

"Hazel is a talented child," Vanessa spoke boastfully. "She could play both the piano and the violin, and she also knows a little ballet from her recent ballet lessons." I glanced at Giselle, expecting to see her annoyed. Instead, I saw a different reaction on her face, a hint of sadness and happiness at the stime, almost sentimental.

"How about Ryker? I heard that sautistic children are born geniuses. What is he good at?" Vanessa questioned, pulling Giselle out of the thoughts she had.

"Ryker is not good with strangers, and it's hard to keep him focused on something," Giselle replied. "Killian tried hiring tutors to teach him something and gain his interest, but none of them worked." Vanessa let out a sigh, though it coff more as a mockery than genuine concern. "As the future Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack, this couldn't carry on," she muttered, her brow furrowing.

Giselle shot back with a mischievous glint in her eye. "You don't have to worry, Ryker's health is improving with his therapy sessions. The Crimsonbane Pack won't raise up in the ranks anytsoon," she quipped, a playful challenge hanging in the air between them.

Vanessa's eyes widened in surprise, her composure faltering, not expecting that Giselle would respond negatively to her in front of the public.

Just as the atmosphere threatened to spiral into an open confrontation, Giselle's defenses softened, her expression shifting from sharp to contemplative.

"You mention that Hazel knows ballet and can play the piano and violin," she said, her voice taking on a more genuine tone. "I'd really like to watch her performance." I followed Giselle's gaze and saw her eyes narrowed, tracking Hazel as she played with the other kids, chatting and laughing as though they'd known each other for years.

Her gaze lingered too long on Hazel, her face softening for a moment - until she caught sight of Ryker again, standing motionless.

I sat next to them, observing the tension growing like a dark cloud between Giselle and Ryker.

Giselle wasn't simply frustrated with her son's silence or discomfort about strangers; it was something colder.

I noticed how Giselle sat with her body angled away from Max as though his mere presence was something to endure rather than embrace.

My unease grew as I watched Vanessa smile warmly at her daughter while Giselle's face remained taut, her attention clearly elsewhere.

I couldn't understand. Is Giselle just amused with Hazel, and that's why she is looking at her so intently? Then, a sudden cry split through the air. Hazel had tumbled off the edge of the jungle gym, landing hard on her knees. Before Vanessa could even react, Giselle leaped to her feet, rushing toward the girl. "Hazel!" she gasped, kneeling beside her, her hands trembling as she gently examined the scrape. Her face was a mask of fear as if it were her own daughter lying there hurt.

Vanessa arrived a moment later, chuckling lightly, "It's alright, she's tough." But Giselle lingered, running her hands over Hazel's hair, her breath coming fast. "You have to be more careful, darling," she murmured, her voice laced with more concern than I had ever heard her use with Byker.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" Giselle's voice was thick with concern when she saw Hazel's knees were bleeding. She hurriedly pulled a tissue from her pocket to dab at Hazel's knee.

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Hazel looked up at Giselle with wide eyes, not knowing how to react. om Giselle froze as shexocked gazes With Hazel a with Hazel as if she had caught herself doing something she shouldn't have done.

"It's alright, Giselle. She just scraped her knee. She's fine, aren't you m sweetie? Vanessa spoke up, oblivious to the connection they had.

My brows furrowed when I saw the way Giselle's hands trembled, her attention fixed entirely on Hazel.

She cares more about Hazel than her own son, Ryker. She could put her own son in harm, but she couldn't even bear to see Hazel get hurt.

Giselle lingered by Hazel's side longer than necessary, brushing a stray curl from the girl's forehead. "You need to be careful, sweetie." My frown deepened. 'Why is she so worried about Hazel?' I wondered.

When Giselle finally returned to the bench, she still looked frazzled, her gaze briefly touching Ryker before slipping away.

That brief interaction only raised more questions in my mind.

my mind. How could a mother act so cold and detached towards her own son? Is she even Ryker's real mother?