Chapter 214
Elena followed us inside the packhouse, the three of us moving in slow, heavy silence up the staircase to the family wing.
Elena nudged Aiden’s door open with her hip, carrying him inside
We tucked him into the bed together, smoothing the covers over hin, brushing his hair back from his forehead.
The simplicity of it–the warmth of it–broke something open inside me. A glimpse of the life we might have had if the world hadn’t been so cruel to us. If I hadn’t been so cruel to her.
Aiden mumbled something in his sleep, and Elena bent low, pressing a kiss to his temple.
My heart twisted.
She rose slowly, quietly, turning toward me in the half–light.
For a moment, we just stood there in the darkened room, listening to Aiden’s even breathing.
Then she slipped past me, pulling the door shut behind her.
We stood alone in the hall.
Elena leaned back against the wall, her head tipping up, her throat working as she swallowed hard.
I didn’t push her. I didn’t rush.
Finally, she spoke.
“What was that?” she whispered. “Out in the garden. With our bond. What happened?”
I moved closer, bracing one hand against the wall beside her, careful not to touch her unless she wanted it.
“I think,” I said slowly, “we’re going to need to speak with a spiritual advisor.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
“I think we’re going to need answers neither of us can find on our own,” I went on.
She nodded slowly, her shoulders sagging.
The distance between us still thrummed painfully.
I hated it.
But I would wait. However long it took. However many walls she needed to rebuild first.
“Goodnight, Elena,” I said softly.
And then I turned and walked away, forcing myself not to look back
MAGGIE
The tree branch dug into the backs of my thighs, but I didn’t dare move.
I stayed as still as a stone, binoculars pressed to my face, heart hammering wildly inside my ribs.
Spread out below me, the Moonstone Pack celebrated under a sea of golden lights.
I watched Erin standing at the center of it all, glowing in her wedding dress, Mason beamning down at her like she was the only thing in the universe that mattered.
Gods, she deserved this. After everything we’d survived together the cold nights, the hunger, the fear–Erin deserved to have someone look at her like that.
pter 214
I shifted carefully, just enough to adjust the binoculars for a better view.
should’ve left hours ago.
I shouldn’t have been here at all.
It was stupid. Reckless.
But I couldn’t help myself.
I had to see it. Had to see her safe and happy with my own eyes.
Just one glimpse. That was all I wanted.
I was about to slide the binoculars back into my pack and start climbing down when I heard it.
Voices.
Footsteps crunching through the undergrowth.
Panic slammed into me like a fist.
A patrol
I tucked myself tighter into the crook of the tree, flattening against the trunk, trying to slow my breathing.
Maybe they would pass. Maybe they wouldn’t look up.
The beam of a flashlight swept across the woods–and caught the gleam of the binoculars still clutched in my hand.
I swore under my breath.
Too late.
“Up there!” a voice barked.
I ducked lower, hoping, praying-
-but it didn’t matter.
Shouts rang out.
Weapons were drawn.
And then the wolves surged toward the base of the tree, bristling and furious, eyes gleaming in the dark.
I knew the drill. I knew what came next.
Still, my gut twisted with something too sharp to name as I pressed my forehead against the bark.
I hadn’t meant to cause trouble.
I just wanted to see her one last time.
Before everything I was burned away for good.
ZO DUNES
+25 BONUS
Chapter 215
