“Help! Alden, Draven, it hurts! Please!”
Selene. Always Selene.
I did not wait. I turned away, crossed the threshold and walked on, leaving them behind.
My wolf body ached from head to toe, every bone and muscle begging for rest. Instead of leaving the healing chamber as I had planned, I remained pressed into the bed, letting the dull pain keep me still. I did not weep. There were no tears left with me.
When I opened my eyes again, pale sunlight slipped through the cloth curtains, warm against my skin. And there, standing at the foot of the bed, were Alden and Draven.
“Good moon, Luna,” Alden said, a nervous smile pulling at his lips as he held a wooden tray. “We brought you morning food.”
Draven carefully placed the tray on my lap. Toasted bread, soft eggs, sliced fruit and a cup of pressed citrus drink. All of it was slightly cool, without care.
“We thought you should eat, Luna Liora,” Draven added, sitting at the edge of the bed.
I looked at them. Their wolves were calm, relaxed. Almost content. As if the last few painful moons had never happened.
Alden rubbed the back of his neck. “Listen, Luna… we regret what happened. Selene told us she saw a crystal image from that night. She thought you were at a gathering while she was wounded. Robbed by rogues, attacked and wounded. She believed you ignored her on purpose.”
Draven nodded. “She truly believed that, Luna. So… perhaps you should apologize to her. Just to smooth things over in the pack.”
I stared at them, stunned, before letting out a short laugh.
“Perhaps you should apologize to your Luna.”
They both blinked.
Alden frowned. “Why would we? I am the Alpha! And we did nothing wrong. You never told us what happened. If you had spoken, we would have gone to you.”
I laughed again, empty and sharp. “Must I beg to be seen now? I vanished for several days and not once did either of you reach out through the mindlink.”
“Do not speak that way,” Draven said firmly. “Selene was attacked. She needed us.”
“And I did not?” I asked. “So if I am not bleeding in front of you, I hold no value as Luna?”
Before either Alpha or Beta could answer, the chamber door creaked open.
She entered.
Selene wore a loose wool sweater, her steps slow, a slight limp to her walk. Her face was pale, lips trembling, eyes filled with tears.