Abandoned Luna: Now Untouchable-Chapter 356 The Reckoning

Cecilia ’s pov

I stumbled through the darkness, every step shaky and unsure.

In my rush to chase after Harper, I hadn’t even thought to grab a flashlight.

Thankfully, the moon was bright enough that my eyes slowly adjusted.

I could just make out the shapes of cracked headstones and mossy angel statues rising from the weeds.

"Harper! Stop! Please!" I shouted at the shadowy figure ahead. "Let’s go back!"

I’d been running too long. And being pregnant wasn’t helping.

My chest ached. My lungs burned. My legs felt like they barely belonged to me.

Finally, I stopped and pressed my hand against the nearest column to steady myself.

That’s when I looked down and froze.

It wasn’t a column.It was a gravestone.

Old, chipped, and leaning at an angle, half-buried in the dirt like it was trying to disappear.

I’d been bracing myself against someone’s actual grave.

My stomach flipped. I jerked back, hands up like I’d just touched something electric.

"Sorry," I mumbled automatically. "Didn’t mean to... uh... sit on you."

The place looked like no one had visited in decades. Weeds had taken over, headstones leaned at odd angles, and the silence pressed against my skin like something alive.

I was just about to move again when a scream shattered the stillness.

"AHHH!"

My head snapped up.

I saw Harper’s silhouette vanish into the darkness like she’d been pulled into a void.

I took off running. Panic drowned out everything else.

"Harper! HARPER! Where are you ?"

My voice echoed off stone and trees, but there was no reply.

Only the wind and the soft creak of old branches.

I reached the spot where she vanished. A group of ancient trees stood there, their thick branches blocking out the moonlight.

The space beneath them was pure black.

I hesitated, then stepped closer.

"Harper ? It’s me. Say something!"

My voice cracked. I hated how scared I sounded.

Still nothing.

My body couldn’t decide if it was hot or freezing. My heart pounded so hard, I was sure anything with ears could hear it.

I called out again. And again. Until my throat hurt.

How could she just disappear ?

Unless someone took her. Or something did.

I dropped into a crouch behind a tall gravestone.

My fingers found a loose rock on the ground, and I held it tight against my chest like a weapon.

All around me, the wind whispered through dried leaves.

A distant night bird let out a call that raised the hairs on my neck.

The shadows twisted everything. My sense of time slipped. It felt like I’d been crouched there for hours.

Then I heard it.

"Cecilia..."

Someone was calling my name.

The voice was deep. Familiar.

It was the voice I’d heard more than anyone else lately.

Sebastian.

My heart leapt.

Then I froze.

Wait... that couldn’t be right. He was supposed to be in Denver.

This cemetery was miles from anywhere civilized.

There was no way he could be here.

Every instinct screamed. Something was wrong. Really wrong.

But I hadn’t eaten the cake. This couldn’t be a hallucination... could it ?

Maybe I got it all wrong. Maybe the cake wasn’t the problem. Maybe it was something else.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Don’t respond, I told myself.

This isn’t real. It’s just your brain playing tricks.

But then I heard footsteps.

And I smelled him.

That familiar, clean scent.

Great. Just great.

I was next in line for tonight’s madness parade.

Perfect timing for my personal hallucination arc to kick off.

Author ’s pov:

Meanwhile, Alpha Sebastian was combing the area with Cassian and a few team members.

They heard something when they first walked into the cemetery. Maybe it was rustling. Maybe a voice.

But now it was dead silent.

Too silent. Like the whole place was holding its breath.

Alpha Sebastian slowed his steps. Something felt off.

He signaled the others to spread out, then doubled back.

In situations like this, logic didn’t help much.

If they were hallucinating, they could still be nearby. Just hidden in plain sight.

He stopped calling out and lowered the beam of his flashlight.

Moving carefully, he swept through the shadows, checking behind trees and monuments one by one.

Then he saw her.

Curled up behind a tall headstone, Cecilia sat motionless, hugging a rock to her chest like it was the only thing keeping her grounded. Her eyes were closed.

Her face looked almost... peaceful. Too peaceful.

Alpha Sebastian crouched beside her. His voice was low, gentle.

"Cece, hey. It’s me. Come on, let’s go home."

She didn’t speak. Her fingers tightened around the gravestone like it was the only thing keeping her grounded.

He gave a quiet laugh. "Seriously ? This place is giving me the creeps. Didn’t you tell me once you hate ghosts ? Let’s not hang out in a graveyard, yeah ?"

That made her pause.

Her grip loosened.

Sebastian didn’t wait. He gently scooped her up into his arms.

He sat down beneath a nearby tree, holding her close, letting her rest against him.

His scent wrapped around her like a memory. Familiar. Calming. Real.

Cecilia melted into him with a soft sigh.

Fine. Real or not, this version of reality felt better than the one where she was curled up alone in the dark.

Now she understood why Tang and Harper hadn’t wanted to snap out of it. She wouldn’t have either.

She buried her face against his chest and breathed him in.

Alpha Sebastian looked down at her.His breath brushed her cheek, warm and soft.

She reached up and touched his face, fingertips trembling.

"Wait... are you actually real ?"

He didn’t answer right away. Then he leaned in and kissed her. Light at first. Familiar.

"Does it matter ?" he murmured. "If it feels real, isn’t that enough ?"

The kiss deepened.

His mouth moved with hers like it had a hundred times before.

The heat and rhythm felt like home.

It was too real to be fake.

That’s when reality snapped back.

Cecilia pushed him away, blinking hard.

"Wait...how did you even get here ? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming ? Harper’s missing! I followed her and then she just vanished!"

Sebastian didn’t flinch.

"She’s fine. So is Tang. They’re both back at the house now."

Cecilia stared at him.

"What ?"

Alpha Sebastian nodded. Calm as ever.

"You were the last one affected. You didn’t eat the cake, but the air must’ve carried something. A hallucinogen, maybe. You’ve been seeing things."

Of course it wasn’t true. But he couldn’t just leave her out here. She was pregnant, trembling, and stuck in a graveyard that felt colder with every breath.

It was obvious—she wouldn’t leave without Harper.

So if lying was the only way to get her out of here, then fine. He’d lie.

Her mouth fell open.

She looked at him like he had three heads.