62. Silence Before The Gods.

Adrian POV

I woke up on cold stone.

That was the first thing I felt.

Cold. Hard. Unforgiving.

The altar of the Luna God pressed against my back, the carved symbols beneath me familiar, ancient, and silent. The shrine smelled the same as it always did...burned herbs, old incense, damp stone, and something heavier that always reminded me of duty.

I had fallen asleep praying.

No.

Not sleeping.

Waiting.

Waiting for a sign.

Waiting for a voice.

Waiting for anything.

I slowly sat up, my head pounding, my chest tight. The candles around the altar were almost burned out. Wax had melted and hardened like frozen tears on the stone floor.

Nothing had changed.

No vision.

No warmth.

No whisper.

No answer.

I stared at the altar, my jaw tightening.

“Nothing?” I asked the empty shrine.

My voice echoed back at me, weak and lonely.

I clenched my fists.

I had done everything right.

I had prayed.

I had knelt.

I had begged.

I had called the Luna God with every ounce of faith left in me.

And still...nothing.

Anger rose fast, sharp, and hot.

“So this is it?” I said, standing abruptly. “You stay silent while my life falls apart?”

The shrine remained quiet.

The gods always were.

I laughed, but it came out bitter.

“Fine,” I muttered. “Keep your silence.”

I turned my back on the altar and walked out of the shrine without looking back.

The air outside was cool, early morning light stretching over the land in soft gray and pale blue. Birds sang like nothing was wrong. Like the world wasn’t breaking apart for me.

I walked.

I didn’t know where I was going at first.

My feet carried me on their own.

Through the path lined with ancient trees.

Past the old stones that marked forgotten rituals.

Until I stood before two graves.

My parents’ graves.

I stopped.

My chest tightened again, this time slower, heavier.

I lowered myself onto the grass in front of them, ignoring the dampness soaking into my clothes.

“Father,” I said quietly. “Mother.”

The words felt strange in my mouth. They always did.

I hadn’t spoken to them like this in a long time.

I stared at the carved names, my fingers brushing over the stone.

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” I admitted.

My voice cracked.

“I don’t understand this path you left me. I don’t understand these choices.”

I swallowed hard.

“I did everything the way you taught me. I followed the rules. I carried the burden. I put the pack first.”

My hands trembled.

“And now I’m being forced into something I don’t feel. Something that doesn’t make sense.”

I shook my head slowly.

“There’s a mark where there shouldn’t be one,” I whispered. “A bond without love. A future that feels like a lie.”

The wind moved through the trees, leaves rustling softly.

Still no answer.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, my head dropping.

“Father,” I murmured. “If you can hear me… help me.”

For the first time in a long while, I felt truly lost.

I turned my head slightly.

And froze.

Someone else was there.

Caleb POV

I hadn’t expected to see him.

I stood in front of my parents’ graves, my hands buried in my pockets, my shoulders heavy with things I never said out loud.

I came here when my thoughts got too loud.

When being strong felt like too much work.

“Mother,” I whispered. “Father.”

I exhaled slowly.

“I’m tired.”

The words fell from my lips before I could stop them.

“I’m tired of watching people I love carry pain they don’t deserve.”

I shook my head, staring at the stone.

“I’m tired of pretending I have all the answers.”

The ground was quiet beneath my feet.

Then I felt it.

That familiar presence.

Strong.

Broken.

I turned my head.

Adrian stood there.

He looked exhausted.

Not the kind of tired that sleep could fix.

The kind that sat deep in the bones.

He walked toward me slowly, his steps heavy.

I didn’t say anything.

Neither did he.

When he reached me, he stopped.

For a moment, we just stood there.

Two men carrying too much.

Then suddenly...

He hugged me.

Tightly.

Unexpectedly.

His arms wrapped around me like he was afraid to fall apart if he let go.

“I’m tired,” he said quietly.

His voice was rough.

I didn’t move away.

I didn’t joke.

I didn’t tease.

I just lifted my arms and held him.

“I know,” I said softly. “I’m tired too.”

He exhaled shakily against my shoulder.

“It feels like everything is closing in,” he muttered. “Like no matter where I turn, there’s another wall.”

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see it.

“It’s not only you,” I said honestly. “You’re not carrying this alone.”

We stood there like that for a long time.

The wind passed.

The sun rose higher.

The world kept moving.

And for once, neither of us tried to be strong, forgetting we almost fought which day is that again?.

Adrian POV

Caleb didn’t ask questions.

That was what broke me the most.

He didn’t demand explanations.

He didn’t tell me what to do.

He just stood there.

With me.

I closed my eyes, breathing him in like an anchor.

“I don’t know how much more I can take,” I admitted.

“You don’t have to know,” Caleb replied calmly. “Just don’t carry it by yourself.”

I slowly pulled back, looking at him.

His eyes looked just as tired as mine.

“You’re hurting too,” I said.

He nodded once. “Yeah.”

We stood side by side, facing the graves.

“I asked the gods for help,” I said quietly. “They said nothing.”

Caleb sighed. “They do that.”

“I’m angry,” I confessed. “And scared.”

“That’s allowed,” he said.

I let out a weak breath that almost sounded like a laugh.

“Since when did you get so wise?”

“Since everything stopped being simple,” he answered.

I nodded.

We stayed there.

No plans.

No solutions.

Just silence.

And somehow, for the first time in a long while, that silence didn’t feel so heavy.

Caleb POV

When he leaned against me again, I let him.

Some battles didn’t need words.

Some moments only needed presence.

We stayed there until the sun fully rose.

Until the world felt a little less sharp.

And even though nothing was fixed—

At least, he wasn’t alone.