Rebirth Of The Rejected Luna Chapter 230: A Mistake

Tiana's POV

Peter’s expression softened, but I could still see the worry in his eyes. He was thinking hard and seemed torn between wanting me to let this go completely, and also wanting to know what was really wrong.

“What do you mean, worse?” he asked, more quietly now, adjusting on his foot. His eyes seemed distant for a while before he locked eyes with me.

“I’ll explain soon,” I said, glancing down, unable to maintain eye contact with him. The words were also quite hard to say. “But it’s not just stress that is messing with his mind or the fact that he lost his mate and a part of him still yearns for her. Yes, he misses her but someone did something to Theo’s mind. I don’t know who, or why. But I can feel it. It’s like they made him forget who he was. Like they took over his mind.”

Peter stared at me, eyes widening in slight surprise. "You mean… like what happened to Layla? When she forgot everything? But Theo didn't forget..."

His words hit me like a shock. Layla. Of course. How could I not have thought of her?

I nodded slowly. “Exactly like that. Someone erased part of him. Wanted him to forget something but it was not fully possible and that thing they tried to do changed him. And if we don’t stop it… he won’t be the same person much longer. He might already be gone.”

Peter stood in silence, not knowing what to say. His arms were crossed tight against his chest, and his eyebrows were pulled down like he was worried. The hallway around us was quiet—so quiet it made my skin crawl. The only sound came from the torches on the wall, their flames moving gently, casting shaky shadows across the stone.

"You spend time with Theo during the day," I said quickly and full of urgency. "Have you not noticed anything strange about him lately? Like he’s not really himself?"

Peter looked surprised. He blinked and let his arms loosen a little. He didn’t answer right away. “Talia… what do you mean?”

I stepped closer to him, closing the gap between us. I could smell the scent of cinnamon coming from his cloak. I lowered my voice even more. “Have you seen how he avoids certain things? Some days, he won’t talk about anything real. It’s like he’s hiding something. Doesn’t he feel different to you? Even if he looks and sounds the same, something about him is off. Don't you attend meetings in the throne room? Can't you see how different he is than he used to be? Can't you see how different he is sometimes as a friend to you?"

"Talia—"

"Remember the day he sentenced that soldier to the dungeons. That was the real Theo but you saw him yesterday, he seemed like himself but he was not. And then at night, the screams came. He's trapped within his own soul."

Peter opened his mouth to reply but said nothing. His countenance changed like he didn’t want to believe me but a part of him maybe already did.

“Sometimes,” I continued, my voice calmer now but still serious, “he might seem like Theo. But I don’t think it’s him. Not always.”

Peter didn’t speak. He just stared at me, like his brain was trying to catch up. His jaw was tight. The flickering torchlight made the shadows on his face look sharper and harsher.

“I know you’ve been trying to act like everything’s normal,” I said more softly now. “But it’s not. And I don’t want to stand by and do nothing. I want to help Theo. I know this sounds strange, but I swear I’ll explain it all. Just not yet.”

Peter took a long, deep breath. It sounded like it hurt to let go of whatever he was holding in. His body relaxed a little, but I could tell he was still unsure. His eyes searched mine, looking for some kind of truth or maybe a lie.

I reached into my cloak and pulled out the small object that Thessaly gave me. It was cold in my hand but began to slightly warm up and pulse with magic. The talisman caught the light, its edges shining a little.

“This fell from Theo the night I was poisoned,” I said, quietly then I hesitated, my stomach twisting as I realized what I had just said. “I mean… the night Tiana was poisoned.”

Peter’s eyes snapped up to mine. I saw the change immediately. He had caught my mistake. His face didn’t change much, but I noticed the way his mouth tightened and how his eyes narrowed slightly, looking at me as if suddenly expecting Tiana to show up in his front or expecting my body to morph into that of Tiana.

But instead of calling me out, he let it go. He didn’t ask. He just looked at me a little longer, like he was trying to understand what I wasn’t saying.

“How do you know it’s his?” he asked, his voice rough now like it was hard to speak.

“I can’t explain it,” I said. “Not yet. But I know it was planted on him, I don't know what it's supposed to do but it might have been the beginning of his problems, or maybe him dropping it has helped to stop some of his problems. And I’m going to find out what this talisman is.”

Peter looked away. He rubbed the back of his neck. His jaw tightened as he stared at the wall. I could see how hard he was thinking. He didn’t want to believe any of this but he also didn’t want to ignore it.

“Okay,” he said finally. “How are you going to do that?”

“There’s someone who might know,” I said. “A friend’s grandmother. She knows things. I think she can read these symbols. But to go see her, I need to leave. I need you to give me an official leave to make it look like I’m on duty, so no one asks questions.”