55

55

(Kathryn’s POV)

After I finished showering and changing, I found myself pacing in the small sitting room outside Tyler’s office. The packhouse felt so much bigger than ever now that I knew what really went on inside its walls. I didn’t know where to go, or what I was supposed to do.

Celia appeared like she’d read my mind. She gave me a warm smile that actually reached her eyes not like some of the other wolves who looked at me like I might break at any second.

“Luna,” she greeted me, with a slight bow of her head. It still felt strange when people called me that like I was wearing someone else’s crown.

“Hi, Celia. Please… just Kate,” I said, managing a small smile of my own.

She laughed softly. “You can try, but you’ll lose that fight faster than you think. Come on walk with me?”

I nodded, grateful for the company and the excuse to move. We wandered down one of the long packhouse hallways, past wide windows that let in soft morning light.

“Is it always like this?” I asked after a moment, my voice quiet. “All the… chaos, fighting, secrets?”

Celia glanced at me, weighing her words carefully. “Not always. But… our world isn’t peaceful, Kate. There’s always someone trying to take what they want by force. Some packs are stronger. Some want to prove they’re stronger. Sometimes, they just want to break us. But we don’t let them.”

We stepped out onto a stone patio. I could see warriors training in the yard below pairs sparring, shifting, snapping at each other’s heels. It looked brutal, but they were all smiling. Like they loved it.

“And you?” I asked. “Why do you stay?”

Celia leaned against the railing, her dark hair catching the sun. “Because this is my family. Because I believe in what we’re fighting for for a safe home, for the people we love. And… because I believe in our Alpha. And now, in you too.”

I looked at her, startled. “Me? Why?”

She smiled, soft but fierce. “Because last night, you didn’t cower. You stood your ground with Tyler. You didn’t run from him, not really. Most humans would have. Some wolves too.”

I didn’t know what to say. The compliment didn’t feel like it fit me yet. I wasn’t brave. I was just trying not to drown.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, Celia,” I whispered.

She nudged my shoulder with hers. “That’s okay. None of us do when we first step into this life. You just keep standing your ground. That’s enough for now.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. For the first time since the fire, since the fight, since Tyler’s bloody scars and whispered threats I felt a little less alone.

“Come on,” Celia said, hooking her arm through mine. “Let’s check on your cat and then I’ll show you the kitchen. You’re going to need to eat if you want to keep that spine of steel.” I laughed really hard for the first time in days. And for a moment, I let myself believe I might actually be able to survive in Tyler’s world after all.

Celia led me back inside, down a side hallway that felt more like a cozy home than a fortress. She pushed open a door and there, curled up like royalty on a plush blanket in the sun, was Cali.

I dropped to my knees with a grin. “Hey, baby,” I whispered, burying my fingers in her fur. She meowed like she’d been through an ordeal worth at least nine lives, and I murmured promises I wasn’t sure I could keep about never letting anything bad happen again.

“She seems to be adjusting just fine,” Celia teased, arms crossed as she leaned against the doorframe.

“Unlike her human,” I muttered, but I was smiling.

“Come on, the kitchen are next. I promise there’s coffee strong enough to wake the dead.”

We left Cali napping in the sun and wandered down the stairs to the packhouse kitchen. Several people bustled around like a family cooking, laughing, teasing each other. When they saw me, they paused, a few nodded politely, some ducked their heads.

“They’re not sure what to do with me,” I said under my breath.

“They’re watching to see if you’ll stay,” Celia said gently, handing me a mug of coffee. “Most of them have never seen the Alpha so wrapped up in someone before. You matter to him, Kate. So you matter to them.”

I opened my mouth to respond but a soft voice beat me to it.

“Luna?” A young woman stood there, barely out of her teens by the look of her long braids, wide eyes. She was holding a plate piled high with fresh muffins.

“Yes?” I said, a little awkwardly.

“I just wanted to thank you. You spoke up for my little brother when the elders thought he wasn’t shifting fast enough. Because of you, Alpha Tyler gave him more time before training. He’s happier now. So… thank you.”

My mouth dropped open. “I… I didn’t do that,” I said, confused.

But Celia’s smile told me otherwise. “You did, Kate. Tyler told the elders it was your request.”

Before I could say anything, the young woman set the plate down in front of me. “These are for you. Anything you need, you just ask, okay?” She ducked away before I could find the words to answer.

I stared at the muffins like they were made of gold. “I didn’t know…” Before I could gather my thoughts, a new voice cut through the kitchen noise low, commanding, too familiar.

“Kate.”

I turned. Tyler stood in the doorway, one hand braced on the frame, his eyes locked on mine like I was the only thing in the world worth looking at. He was still exhausted. I could see it in the lines around his eyes but there was a softness there too. Something that hadn’t been there last night.

“Can we talk?” he asked quietly, ignoring the curious eyes on us.

I nodded, heart hammering as he crossed the kitchen and offered his hand. For a moment, I hesitated, then I slipped my fingers into his. Warm. Solid. Dangerous and safe all at once.

“Later, Celia?” I asked, glancing back at her.

“Of course, Luna,” she said with a wink. “Go handle your Alpha.”

Tyler’s grip tightened just a fraction, and he leaned close enough that only I could hear him. “Thank you for staying,” he murmured, so quiet it almost broke my heart. I squeezed his hand in answer and together we stepped out of the kitchen, into whatever came next.