Luna Who Broke the Line Chapter 06
New students streamed through the gates. The longer
Gideon stood there, the heavier the dread in his chest became.
He finally went to the admissions office.
“Can you check something for me? Freya Grayson. What program is she in? Which dorm?”
The admissions officer, Ms. Carter, typed for a moment. Then looked up.
“I’m sorry. There’s no Freya Grayson in this year’s freshman class.”
Gideon’s mind went blank.
Impossible. She’d always said she’d go wherever he went.
Talia, trailing behind him, let a flicker of satisfaction
cross her face.
“Gideon. I guess I was right. Maybe she didn’t get into any college at all.”
Gideon turned away, hollowed out.
Behind him, Ms. Carter frowned at her screen.
“Freya Grayson? That name sounds familiar.”
Another staff member glanced over. “The state
valedictorian who got into Silver Coast University’s
honors program this year?”
Gideon stopped dead.
Talia’s face went rigid.
“You’re mistaken,” she said quickly. “Freya is my
sister. She turned in blank tests every exam. There’s
no way she’s valedictorian.”
The staff member pulled up Silver Coast University’s scholarship profile page.
“See for yourself.”
The video loaded. Freya Grayson sat beside the lake at
Silver Coast University. Simple white shirt. Eyes steady and bright.
The headline read:
[Blackthorn Prep State Valedictorian Freya Grayson
Joins Silver Coast Honors Program with Full
Scholarship.]
Gideon’s pupils contracted.
It was her.
She was the state valedictorian.
Before Talia’s jealousy could fully form, something else surged through Gideon first. Joy. She’d done it.
She’d kept the promise. That she’d rise to his level.
Then the regret crashed down. She’d moved forward.
And he’d betrayed every promise between them for Talia.
Father, Mother, and Callum arrived then. Searching
for them. They heard the news at the same time.
All four of them stood in front of the admissions office, staring at the screen.
In the video, Freya faced the camera. Her voice was soft but steady.
When the interviewer asked who she wanted to thank
most, all of them held their breath.
She said, “The person I want to thank most is myself.”
Not her parents. Not her brother. Not Gideon.
“Thank me for not giving up. Even through everything that wasn’t fair.”
She looked into the camera. Light behind her eyes.
“I want to tell the old Freya Grayson: even if the whole
world betrays you, don’t doubt your worth.”
“You weren’t the problem. They were wrong.”
That night, no one in the Grayson estate slept.
They watched the profile video over and over. Freya named no one.
But when she described being deceived by a doctored
Pack adoption record, believing she was an outsider in
her own family, living in terror for fourteen years-
everyone knew exactly who she meant.
Father sat in silence for a long time. Then he went to
his study. He pulled out the original Pack Registry document. The words were clear: [Talia Hale. Adopted
into the Grayson family.]
Freya had never been the outsider. They had made their own daughter into one.
Mother covered her face. A strangled sob escaped her.
Callum’s shoulders shook. Head bowed.
When Freya was born, they had been full of joy. Her young wolf was weak. The Moonwood witch said a fate–compatible girl was needed to stabilize her wolf.
So they brought Talia home.
But over time, the balance tilted. They forgot Talia was brought to accompany Freya. They forgot Freya was the one they were supposed to protect.