29. The Weight Of Advice.

Caleb’s POV

Morning light always felt different after nights where the world didn’t make sense. The air didn’t feel fresh. The sunlight didn’t warm anything. Everything was quiet in the wrong way.

And today… was one of those mornings.

I stood in front of Matthew’s residence...less of a house, more of an ancient sanctuary carved into stone and tall dark trees. Wolves didn’t just live here. They listened here. Learned here. Souls came here to remember who they were.

Matthew had sent for me alone.

Which never happened.

I breathed out slowly and stepped forward. The old wooden doors opened on their own...no sound, no wind, no footsteps. Just a quiet welcome.

The scent inside was always the same....old books, moon herbs, and a faint trace of magic. The kind that came from the earth itself.

Matthew stood near the center of the hall, his back to me, hands behind him. His robe was deep blue today....meaning this wasn’t just casual talk.

This was business.

“Alpha Caleb,” he said without turning.

“I’m here,” I replied and approached him.

When he turned, his eyes were… tired. More tired than I’d seen in years. And Matthew was not a man who got tired easily. His expression alone made my chest tighten.

“Walk with me,” he said.

We walked through the hallway into the garden. No birds. No wind. Just stillness.

Like the world was holding its breath.

He finally spoke.

“You must be wondering why I called for you alone.”

I nodded. “Yes. And since you didn’t request Adrian… I’m guessing this is something you don’t want him to hear.”

Matthew exhaled softly. “Correct.”

I didn’t like the sound of that.

At all.

“What is this about?” I asked.

He stopped walking, turning to face me fully.

“It’s about Adrian,” he said.

I already knew.

“It usually is,” I muttered.

Matthew didn’t smile. Not even faintly.

“This situation with the Luna bond,” he continued, “it is growing more complicated than the council is admitting. And we do not have time.”

I clenched my jaw. “He cannot force a bond that doesn’t exist. The LUNA marks appear naturally. The ritual happens naturally. It’s spiritual. It’s not just… mating.”

Matthew nodded. “Yes. You are correct. But you also know what will happen if the bond is not formed before the Lunar Eclipse.”

Cold. Heavy. Real.

I did know.

The protection barrier over our lands would fall. The vampires would rise in numbers never seen in centuries. The clans would become targets. War. Death. Blood.

Chaos.

“He knows the risks,” I said. “But he doesn’t have a Luna yet. He can’t complete what can’t be completed.”

Matthew stared at me for a long time.

“I called you here because Adrian will not listen to me,” he said. “He will not listen to the council. He will only listen to you.”

My chest tightened.

I didn’t like where this was going.

Matthew’s voice lowered.

“You must convince him to accept Lucy.”

I blinked.

No.

Not like this.

“You want me to advise him to mate with her? To perform the ritual?”

Matthew nodded once.

I shook my head immediately. “What if she’s not his Luna, Matthew? You know what happens when the Alpha bonds incorrectly. His strength....his power....it will collapse. His wolf will go silent. He could die.....”

Matthew lifted a hand. Calm. Steady. Unshaken.

“She is not his Luna. Everyone knows this. Including her. Including him.”

My heart dropped.

“Then why....?”

“Because,” Matthew said softly, “sometimes leadership is not about what is destined. It is about what is necessary.”

I stared at him. The words didn’t sit right in my bones.

“You want him to fake the bond,” I whispered.

Matthew’s eyes didn’t waver. “Yes.”

I stepped back. “That’s not just untraditional. That’s.....”

“A sin? A betrayal of the moon? A violation of heritage?” Matthew said quietly. “Yes. All of that. I know.”

His voice carried something I rarely heard.

Pain.

He continued, slower this time.

“But we do not live in normal times, Caleb. The vampires are preparing something. We can feel it. And if the moon’s blessing weakens before the Eclipse, every wolf on this continent will suffer.”

I swallowed.

“Adrian won’t do it.”

“I know,” Matthew said. “Not unless someone he trusts asks him to.”

Meaning me.

I scrubbed my hand over my face. “You’re asking me to push him into something that will break him.”

“No,” Matthew corrected softly. “I am asking you to help him survive. To help all of us survive.”

I didn’t know what to say.

I didn’t know if there was anything to say.

Matthew’s POV

I watched Caleb struggle....not with understanding, but with conscience.

He cared for Adrian deeply. He always had. They were bound not by blood, but by trials. War. Pain. Loyalty.

So of course this would hurt him.

But leadership was pain. Survival was pain. Duty was sacrifice.

“There is something else,” I said.

Caleb looked up.

“I understand Adrian more than he realizes,” I continued. “He is not the only one suffering. You asked earlier… ‘What if Lucy is not the Luna?’”

Caleb nodded.

“She is not,” I said plainly. “We all see that. The bond does not exist between them. It never will.”

He closed his eyes.

“So why force her into the position?” he asked, voice hollow.

“Because she is strong,” I answered. “Strong enough to survive it. Strong enough to carry the ritual energy. Strong enough to act the part and lead our wolves when darkness comes.”

I stepped closer.

“And because the Lunar Goddess is not cruel. She sees necessity. She understands survival. She can acknowledge chosen bonds when destined ones fail to align in time.”

Caleb’s breathing changed. I watched realization hit him. Hard.

“You’re saying the Goddess will permit a chosen Luna.”

“Yes.”

He stared at me in disbelief.

“You… you believe that?”

Matthew didn’t look away. “I do. And I would not say it if I were not certain.”

Caleb’s voice dropped to barely a whisper.

“You’re speaking like someone who knows how it feels.”

Silence.

My chest tightened.

“I have found my Luna,” I said quietly. “And she is gone. I waited. I hoped. I prayed. But the bond never returned to me.”

His face softened.

“I do not want Adrian to experience that same pain,” I said. “But more importantly....we do not have the time to wait for fate to be kind.”

The wind finally moved, brushing the leaves.

A sign the world was listening.

I looked Caleb directly in the eye.

“Talk to him. Not as a soldier. Not as a pack member. Not as a wolf. But as his brother.”

Caleb swallowed hard. His voice was rough. “What if he hates me for it?”

Matthew placed a hand on his shoulder.

“He can't hate you long as he lives.”

Caleb didn’t move.

Didn’t speak.

Just breathed.

Slowly.

Accepting the weight.

Caleb’s POV

The world suddenly felt heavier than before. Like the air itself was pressing against me.

I didn’t want this role.

But I was the only one who could take it.

Finally, I nodded.

“I’ll talk to him,” I said quietly.

Matthew’s eyes softened....not in relief, but in gratitude.

“Do it soon,” he said. “Before time starts running faster than we can follow.”

I took one step back.

Then another.

But Matthew’s voice stopped me before I reached the door.

“For everyone’s good, Caleb,” he said.

I didn’t look back.

But I felt the meaning of it in my bones.

For everyone’s good.

Even if it destroys us.