LOGINI left the room and spent the next several hours reviewing patrol reports with Caleb, who noticed I was quieter than usual and waited until we finished discussing the eastern rotation before asking about it. “Is something bothering you?” he asked.“Just a poor night’s sleep.”“Another dream?” Asked Caleb.I looked at him. “How did you know?”“You’ve been staring at the same report for several minutes, which is not like you.”I closed the document. “I had another strange dream, and Damon arranged for a healer to examine me this morning.”“Did she find anything?” “Nothing she could explain.” I said.Caleb leaned back. “If you need to rest, we can finish these reports tomorrow.”“I don’t need to rest. I need to understand what is happening.”He studied me before nodding. “Then we’ll keep working, but just don’t ignore it if the symptoms get worse.”“I won’t.”By evening, I was exhausted, but I refused to let the approaching night make me anxious, having spent enough of my life allowing
I woke the following morning with the strange certainty that I had not been alone in my dreams, knowing the feeling stayed even after I sat up to look around my room where the curtains were drawn, the fireplace had burned low, and the chair beside my bed was empty. Damon had left sometime during the night, just as he had promised if I needed to rest, yet the memory of the temple remained so vivid that I could almost feel the cold stone beneath my feet.I rubbed my palms together, remembering the faint silver shimmer I had seen beneath my skin the previous night, though there was nothing unusual about them now to reassure me. A soft knock came from the door. “Come in,” I called.Elara entered carrying a tray. “Good morning, Luna. Alpha Damon asked me to make sure you had breakfast before you started your duties.”I glanced at the tray. “Did he also ask you to tell me what time I should eat?”Her expression turned cautious. “No, Luna. He only asked me to make sure you didn’t forget.”I
After the meeting, I went to the training grounds to inspect the equipment replacements Caleb had arranged. He greeted me as I approached “Luna, the western team has delivered the borrowed training blades. We’ve checked them, and they’re in good condition.”“Excellent. Make sure they’re recorded before distribution.”“I’ve already instructed the quartermaster.” Said Caleb.I nodded and examined the equipment. Everything appeared to be in order, but as I reached for one of the blades, a sudden wave of dizziness forced me to grip the table. Caleb immediately stepped closer. “Luna?”“I’m fine.”“You don’t look fine.” He said.“I stood up too quickly.”He glanced at the other warriors before lowering his voice. “Should I call the healer?”I hesitated, then accepted the chair he pulled out for me. After a few moments, the dizziness passed, Caleb remained beside me. “You should tell the Alpha.”“I’ll speak to him if it happens again.” I said.He looked unconvinced but didn’t argue. I return
For one night, Damon had chosen me without asking me to choose him in return, and for the first time in a long while, I hadn’t felt the need to punish myself for finding comfort in that.I woke the following morning with an unfamiliar feeling lingering in my chest. It wasn’t happiness exactly, but I felt calmer than I had in weeks. I had finally begun to understand that I could allow Damon to make an effort without surrendering the boundaries I had fought so hard to establish.However, that peace did not last. The first strange dream came that night, I found myself standing beneath an enormous silver moon, surrounded by a forest I had never seen before. The trees were unusually tall, their branches stretching across the sky like dark fingers, and a narrow stone pathway led through them toward a distant structure.At first, I thought it was a temple. Its towering columns were made of pale stone, and a crescent moon had been carved above the entrance. Strange markings covered the walls,
The answer was simple enough that I found myself agreeing. We walked through the corridor together, talking about nothing important until we reached the staircase leading to our private quarters. I expected Damon to turn toward his own study, but instead he stopped beside me. “I should let you rest, as you’ve had a long day.”I nodded, then hesitated. “Are you going back to work?”“I have some reports to finish, but they can wait until morning.” Said Damon.“Then why not go to bed?” I asked.He studied me briefly. “I can, if that’s what you’re asking.”I felt a small, unexpected smile tug at my lips. “I’m not asking you to do anything; I was simply wondering.”“I understand.”I turned toward the stairs, but before taking the first step, I noticed the faint tension in his shoulders. “Damon, is something wrong?”He shook his head. “Nothing is wrong; I’m just trying to decide whether I should tell you somethin
Damon was learning to carry his regret himself, and perhaps that was the first thing I needed from him: not another promise that he would win me back, but the patience to accept that I might never return to him as the woman I had once been. For the next few days, I continued with my responsibilities in Shadowfang, attending council meetings, reviewing patrol reports, and working with Caleb to improve the warriors’ training schedules. Damon remained consistent in his own way, as he consulted me when decisions affected my duties, respected my opinions when we disagreed, and never treated my willingness to share a meal or conversation as an invitation to demand more from me. I was beginning to appreciate the quiet difference, although I still reminded myself that consistency over a few days could not erase years of disappointment. On the evening everything changed, I had planned to finish reviewing the eastern patrol reports befor







