16. The Shrine Of The Sliver Moon.

Adrian’s POV

The night smelled of rain and burning incense.

The Luna Shrine stood tall under the moonlight, silent and silver.

Even after all these years, the place still carried that heavy pull ...sacred, old, filled with memories of the first Luna who blessed our kind.

Caleb and I knelt before the altar, the soft glow of candles dancing across the ancient stone.

I could hear his steady breathing beside me, but my mind was miles away.

Rose’s face kept flashing in my head. Her laugh.

Her eyes.

The way her scent wrapped around me like a drug I couldn’t escape.

I clenched my jaw.

Not now.

I bowed lower and whispered the ancient words of respect to the Moon Goddess, the same words every Alpha spoke when seeking balance. When I finally rose to my feet, Caleb was already watching me with that familiar look ... part curiosity, part concern.

“You’ve been quiet,”

He said as we stepped outside the shrine. The moon hung low, white and cold against the dark sky.

I shrugged. “Just tired.”

He raised a brow. “Tired, or avoiding another conversation?”

I sighed. “Caleb…”

He crossed his arms, smirking slightly.

“Alright, fine. I’ll start, then. You heard what Matthew said , didn’t you?”

I frowned. “About what?”

“About the human girl.”

My chest tightened. “Rose?”

“Yes, Rose.” He kicked at a pebble, sending it rolling across the stone path.

“He said a human can’t mate with a wolf. That it’s unnatural. That the bond would kill her before it’s even complete.”

He turned to me, his tone softening.

“But she’s alive, Adrian. She’s fine.”

I didn’t answer. The silence stretched between us, heavy as the night air.

Then Caleb added quietly,

“You slept with her, didn’t you?”

I froze.

He didn’t say it like an accusation. Just a fact.

I exhaled slowly. “It wasn’t supposed to happen.”

He nodded slowly, his gaze searching mine. “But it did.”

“Yes.”

“And she’s still breathing.”

“Yes.”

He tilted his head. “Then how?”

I rubbed my temples. “I don’t know. Maybe the Moon Goddess is toying with me. Maybe the bond’s incomplete. Maybe…” I trailed off, shaking my head. “I don’t know, Caleb. And I’m not in the mood to figure it out right now.”

Caleb studied me for a moment.

“You’ve been saying that for weeks.”

“Because it’s true.”

He walked a few steps ahead, hands in his pockets. “No, because you’re running.”

I stopped. “Excuse me?”

He turned back to face me, his voice calm but firm.

“You’ve been avoiding her, Adrian. At the meetings, you barely look at her. When she tries to talk to you, you shut her down. You act like she doesn’t exist ...even when she’s standing right in front of you. And everyone’s starting to notice.”

I didn’t respond immediately. The sound of crickets filled the air.

Finally, I said quietly, “It’s for the best.”

Caleb blinked. “The best?”

“Yes, you should understand better , Caleb”

He let out a humorless laugh.

“The best for who? You or her?”

“Both.”

“Bullshit, well I understand,” he muttered.

I turned away, staring into the distant forest. The moonlight caught the edge of the trees, painting everything silver.

“I don’t want to hurt her,” I said finally.

“I don’t even know what’s happening between us. The bond shouldn’t exist. She’s human, Caleb. I’m an Alpha. If anything goes wrong, she’s the one who’ll suffer.”

Caleb stepped closer, his voice low. “You think ignoring her helps?”

“Yes.”

He gave me a sharp look. “ It's hurts you and I know it. I just want the best for you, brother .”

I clenched my fists. “ Let's not talk about it.”

He sighed.

“What are you doing, Adrian? Punishing yourself?”

I didn’t answer. Because he was right. Maybe I was.

After a long silence, Caleb said softly, “You’re not the only one confused, you know. I'm also confused, I'm sharing your pains too.”

“You can't understand,” I muttered.

“Why not?”

“ I really appreciate you…” I stopped. My voice cracked slightly. “I just have to let her go... For everybody's sake.”

Caleb’s expression softened. “ I understand brother, So you're letting her go?”

I looked at the moon again. “Yes. For her own safety. The last thing I want is to make her a target.”

He was quiet for a long moment. “You really think you can protect her by keeping her in the dark?”

“Maybe.”

He shook his head. “You’re lying to yourself, brother.”

I gave a small, tired smile. “Maybe I am.”

We started walking again, down the stone steps leading away from the shrine. The night wind brushed past us, carrying the faint scent of pine and rain.

After a while, Caleb spoke again. “So… what exactly are you planning to do?”

“Focus on the pack,” I said automatically. “There’s a lot going on .... council pressure, rogue activity, internal disputes. I don’t have time for...”

“For feelings?” he interrupted.

I gave him a dry look. “Exactly.”

He chuckled softly. “You’re terrible at lying, you know.”

I didn’t respond.

“Adrian,” he said after a pause, his tone more serious now. “You’re trying to make decisions like an Alpha, not like a man. But when it comes to her… maybe you need to be both.”

I frowned slightly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means stop thinking like you’re some emotionless leader and start remembering you’re allowed to feel. You can’t just turn it off.”

His words hit harder than I wanted to admit.

We reached the edge of the shrine grounds. Our motorcycles waited by the gate. Caleb leaned against his, folding his arms again.

“Look,” he said, “I’m not saying you should rush back to her. But stop punishing yourself for something that wasn’t wrong. The bond chose you both for a reason.”

“The bond shouldn’t have,” I said quietly.

He gave a half-smile. “Maybe the Moon Goddess disagrees.”

I started the engine, the sound rumbling in the still night. Caleb did the same.

Before I put my helmet on, he added, “One more thing. Whatever’s going on between you and Rose .... it’s not over. You can ignore it all you want, but it’s still there.”

I didn’t reply.

Because deep down, I already knew.

--

Caleb’s POV

Adrian drove ahead, the engine of his power bike roaring through the forest road. I followed behind, the cold wind brushing against my face.

I knew him too well. When he got quiet like that, it meant he was torn apart inside.

The great Alpha Adrian Wolfe ...strongest of our kind ...and yet one human girl had him completely undone.

I could still remember the first time he talked about her. The way his voice softened. The way his aura shifted. That wasn’t lust or curiosity. That was something deeper .... something even he didn’t understand.

But now, seeing him fight it, watching him keep her at arm’s length ....it was like watching someone drown themselves slowly.

We stopped by the cliff that overlooked the city lights. Adrian sat on his bike, staring into the distance. I leaned against mine. The silence stretched between us again.

“You really think you can keep pretending you don’t care?” I asked finally.

He didn’t answer. His eyes stayed fixed on the horizon.

“Because from where I’m standing,” I continued, “you’re not avoiding her to protect her. You’re avoiding her because you’re scared.”

His gaze flicked toward me, sharp. “Scared of what?”

“Of what she makes you feel.”

He didn’t deny it.

I took a deep breath. “You’re not a machine, Adrian. You’re still a man ... a man who’s in love with a woman the world says you shouldn’t have.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “You make it sound simple, it is against everything. Try to support me here.”

“It is simple,” I said. “You love her. She loves you. The rest is noise.”

He gave a low, humorless laugh. “You make it sound easy to ignore the fact that I could destroy her.”

“You already are,” I said quietly.

That shut him up.

He stared at me for a long time, then looked back at the city lights. “Maybe one day you’ll understand, Caleb. Sometimes love isn’t enough.”

I sighed. “Or maybe you’ll understand that sometimes, it’s the only thing that is.”

He didn’t respond again.

The wind carried the scent of rain and something faintly sweet — lavender and honey. Rose’s scent.

Adrian noticed it too. His grip on the handle tightened. He didn’t have to say it, but I knew what he was thinking.

She was out there somewhere, probably thinking about him too.

And he was here, convincing himself staying away was the right thing.

The moonlight reflected off his face ...strong, haunted, lonely.

I’d known Adrian for years, fought beside him, bled beside him. But I’d never seen him look this human.

I didn’t say anything else. There was nothing more to say.

We stayed there for a while, silent under the moon, two wolves trying to find peace in a world that refused to give them any.