Night settled over the pack lands like a soft blanket, quiet and heavy.
It was the first night after Lewis and I got married.
Earlier that day, I watched Julian and Camilla get taken away by the pack enforcers.
I saw the Morrigan elders break down, their sadness echoing through the clearing like lost howls. In front of us, their whole pack structure fell apart.
And strangely... that confusion brought a calm to my chest. Finally, the weight I had been carrying for so long for two lives ca off. It didn’t erase what happened to , but it eased the sting.
For the first ti in many years, I thought:
I might be able to sleep tonight without being afraid.
Even though this wasn’t my old den, I didn’t feel uneasy.
My wolf may have known Lewis wouldn’t hurt because it could sll his steady, cool, and controlled scent.
Lewis had already set up my room when I got there. The covering was a soft pink, the kind a young she wolf would find warm and sweet. The kind i liked before life took that away from . White lace edged the covers. The whole space felt gentle like a dream-den.
I was twenty again, a young wolf reborn...
That could be why I was drawn to light colors that I never used to like.
In my past life, I wore stiff clothes and pulled my hair back. I was always trying to be "mature" and be the perfect Luna Julian wanted to be.
Even though I died at twenty-eight, I felt old...
Quite worn out.
Burned out from trying to be everything except myself.
but now?
Now I didn’t owe anyone anything.
I picked a long sleeved pink lounge wear set from the closet a modest, soft outfit. Since Lewis and I shared a den, I needed sothing comfortable but also proper.
The only weird part was the shared bathroom, which I quickly got used to.
It was big, functional, the kind a pack Alpha’s house would have. A big bathtub was in one corner. And two mirrors. There are two sinks. The wet and dry parts were separated for ease.
His side of the bar was built a little lower for his wheelchair.
His things were simple just soap, water, a razor.
My side looked like the pack’s training hall had exploded:
Body balm, oils, cleansers, skin care kits...
Towels are soft.
Warm lights.
Soaps with scents.
Lewis had a cool, detached wolf look, but inside he was very warm. The more ti I spent with him, the more I realized this. A thoughtfulness that most people would miss if they didn’t pay close attention.
After taking a shower, I put waterproof pads over my cuts to help them heal.
Very carefully dried off.
Applied lotion to my skin.
After that, I put on my clothes.
Lewis was by the window when I ca outside.
He sat in his wheelchair and looked out the window at the snow falling on the moonlit plains. He stood with his back to and was calm and still.
He wasn’t paying attention to yet because he seed to be so deeply involved in his own thoughts.
I moved closer and stood still because I didn’t want to break the mont too soon.
In a past life, Lewis could always feel as soon as I walked into a room.
Too sharp were his wolf senses, and his gaze would hold like a shadow I couldn’t get away from.
At the ti, it scared .
Sotis I’m even scared.
Now, though, sothing felt different.
I slowly approached him and put my hand on his shoulder.
A soft touch.
This is how wolves say "I co in peace."
My voice was soft.
A little wary.
"Mr. Hale, it’s late." Aren’t you ready to rest? "My touch scared him."
At that mont, he blinked and woke up from his thoughts.
His shoulder moved a little away from my hand, and his voice was calm but far away.
"The room is down the hall." Call Gune if you need anything.
I gave a soft nod. "All right."
After so thought, he added:
"Because soone in the pack has died, our mating ceremony will have to be put off." I hope it’s okay with you.
It was almost like he could read my feelings by the way wolves can read each other’s heartbeats. He kept his eyes on while he said it.
I laughed a little. There’s no problem with that.
To be honest, I wasn’t excited about any of the ceremonies.
My last effort to connect with Julian during my almost-Luna ceremony broke .
I only decided to beco close with Lewis so Julian would feel so guilty and ashad that he would drown in it.
The wolf in would not forget the wound from that day, though. It was like a scar that would not go away.
I said, "I fully understand," and this ti I ant it.
Lewis looked at my face for a short ti.
His eyes beca a little less hard.
After that he just said:
"Relax."
"I will," I said in a whisper.
Maybe they were too tired.
It’s possible that my wolf finally felt safe.
But I went to sleep so fast that I didn’t even dream.
..
After so ti, I woke up with a sore throat.
I slowly got up and reached for the glass on the nightstand, but I stopped moving.
Soone stood at the foot of my bed.
Lewis.
He stood there in silence, with shadows and snow light from the window casting a shape around him.
He had an awkward look on his face, like he felt bad that I had woken up and caught him.
His dark eyes t mine, and they were focused and hard to read.
We both kept quiet for a mont.
The air seed denser.
The quiet was broken when I swallowed.
"Mr. Hale, what’s wrong? "
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