The Luna's Second Chance

Chapter 23: The Weight of Pain

**Isla's POV**

The cool night air hit Isla's face as she stepped outside Damian's house, her heart pounding with hurt and confusion. She held the phone to her ear, Harper's voice a distant hum as she barely registered the conversation. All she knew was that she needed to escape-to get away from the dinner, from Damian's words, and from the overwhelming feeling that she didn't belong.

"I'm coming," Harper said firmly, her voice cutting through Isla's haze. "Stay where you are."

Minutes later, Harper's car pulled up in front of the house, and Isla slid into the passenger seat, her chest tight with unshed tears. Harper didn't ask any questions as she started driving, her brow furrowed in concern.

The silence in the car was unbearable. Every second that passed felt like a weight pressing down on Isla's heart, and finally, she couldn't hold it in anymore.

"He didn't tell me," Isla whispered, her voice cracking. "He didn't tell me about her... about Lyra's funeral. How could he keep that from me?"

Harper glanced at her, worry etched across her face. "Isla..."

"I feel like I'm drowning," Isla continued, her breath hitching as the tears started to fall. "I thought I could do this-I thought I could be enough. But no matter what I do, I'll never be her. I'll never be Lyra."

Harper's hands tightened on the steering wheel, and she glanced at Isla again before pulling the car to a stop near a grove of trees. They were just outside Blackwood Ridge, the woods silent except for the wind rustling the branches. The soft moonlight filtered through the trees, casting long shadows across the road.

"Come on," Harper said gently, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Let's get out for a minute."

Isla followed her, stepping out of the car, her legs shaky as they made their way through the trees. Ahead, the forest opened up to a cliff that overlooked the valley below. The night stretched out in front of her, vast and endless, but instead of feeling free, Isla felt trapped-trapped by her own emotions, by the weight of being second to someone who was already gone but never forgotten.

Her breath caught in her throat as the pain she had been holding inside for so long finally surged forward. Before she could stop herself, Isla ran toward the edge of the cliff, the overwhelming need to release the agony she had been holding in for weeks consuming her.

When she reached the edge, she fell to her knees, her sobs breaking the silence of the night.

"I'll never be her!" Isla screamed, her voice raw with anguish. "No matter what I do, I'll never be Lyra!"

The tears came in waves, her body shaking as she gasped for air, the pain of feeling second, unwanted, and unloved pouring out of her in jagged cries. She felt like an outsider in Damian's world-a world that still revolved around Lyra and the life they had planned together.

"I can't... I can't do this anymore," Isla sobbed, pressing her hands to her chest as if she could physically pull the pain out of her heart. "Why did I think I could ever be enough for him?"

The wind whipped around her, the world feeling both too large and too small all at once. She screamed again, her voice echoing off the cliffs as if the earth itself was answering her pain. "Why wasn't I enough?"

Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, pulling her back from the edge. Harper was there, her hands gripping Isla tightly, trying to ground her through the storm of emotions.

"Isla, stop," Harper whispered, her own voice shaking. "You are enough. You are more than enough."

But Isla couldn't hear her. The pain was too overwhelming, too all-consuming. She collapsed into Harper's arms, sobbing uncontrollably, her tears soaking Harper's shirt.

And then, in a flash of light, Isla's aunt appeared beside them, her face filled with anguish. Selene didn't hesitate for a second. She knelt beside Isla, pulling her into her arms, her hold tight and unbreakable.

"Shh, Isla, I'm here," Selene whispered, pressing a kiss to Isla's forehead as she rocked her gently. "I'm here, baby. Let it out."

Isla sobbed harder, her body shaking as she clung to her aunt. "I can't do this," she cried. "I can't be second. I'm not her-I'll never be her."

"You don't have to be," Selene murmured, her own voice thick with emotion. "You are Isla, and that's enough. You don't have to be anyone else."

As Isla broke down in her aunt's arms, another flash of light appeared nearby, and Luca stepped out of the shadows. He had felt Isla's pain too, his own heart breaking as he watched her crumble under the weight of everything she had been carrying.

Selene held her tighter, whispering soothing words as Isla screamed her pain into the night. The sound echoed off the cliffs, raw and visceral, but it was a release-one Isla desperately needed. And as she let the tears fall, as she let herself feel every ounce of the hurt and grief, she began to feel lighter, even if just for a moment.

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**At Damian's House **

Back at Damian's house, the atmosphere had grown tense and uncomfortable after Isla's sudden departure. The dinner that had started with laughter and light conversation was now marked by awkward silence.

Draven, sensing the weight of the moment, leaned forward, his sharp eyes locking onto Damian's. "Blackwood," he said in a low, steady voice, "I think it's time you let go."

Damian tensed, his jaw tightening as he met Draven's gaze. "Let go of what?"

Draven's expression softened slightly, though his tone remained firm. "Lyra. You've been holding onto her memory like a crutch, but it's time to move forward. Isla deserves more than a man who's still living in the past."

Astrid placed her hand on Draven's arm, her eyes kind as she looked at Damian. "She's right for you, Damian. We can all see it. But she's hurting because you haven't let go."

Damian's throat tightened, his mind racing. He hadn't expected the conversation to turn like this, hadn't realized how deeply he had been hurting Isla by keeping her at a distance.

His mother, Liana, spoke softly from the end of the table. "Damian, it's time to let Lyra rest. You've held onto her memory for too long."

Damian felt his defenses begin to crumble, the weight of his grief pressing down on him like a physical force. He couldn't keep pretending that he was fine-that he wasn't still haunted by the loss of Lyra and their unborn child.

Ethan, who had been silent up until now, placed a hand on Damian's shoulder. "We all lost her, Damian. But you can't let that loss keep you from living."

Vivienne, her usual playful demeanor gone, nodded in agreement. "It's okay to grieve, but you need to let Isla in. You need to let her be part of your life."

The words finally broke through, and Damian felt the dam inside him burst. His vision blurred as tears filled his eyes, the pain he had buried for so long finally breaking free. He stood abruptly, his body trembling as he turned toward his mother, the only person who had always been able to comfort him.

"Mom..." Damian's voice cracked as he broke down, collapsing into his mother's arms.

Liana held him tightly, stroking his hair as he wept, her own eyes filled with tears. "Shh, my son. Let it out."

And for the first time in years, Damian allowed himself to mourn-truly mourn-for the life he had lost with Lyra. The memories of her smile, her laughter, and the child they never got to meet flooded his mind, and he cried, his body shaking as the grief overtook him.

Marcus quietly escorted Draven, Astrid, and their entourage to the door, offering them a silent nod of understanding. They left without another word, leaving the Blackwood pack to comfort their Alpha in his moment of vulnerability.

As Marcus returned to the house, his heart heavy, he glanced at Ethan. "I'm going to check on Isla," he said quietly.

Ethan nodded, his expression solemn. "Go. She needs someone."

And with that, Marcus left, heading toward the cliffs where Isla had gone, hoping that she, too, would find comfort and healing in the arms of those who loved her.

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