Katrina’s POVLuna Marie gently took my hand and led me inside the Red Moon pack house.The moment I stepped through the door, I felt it.Warmth.Not just from the heat inside the house, but from the way it looked and smelled and felt. The soft golden lights, the polished wooden floors, the quiet crackle of a fireplace somewhere nearby—it all made the space feel welcoming. Like a real home. Like the kind of place where people laughed and cried and made memories together.There were pictures on the walls. Smiling faces. Families. Pack members hugging each other. It was different from Silver Moon, which always felt a little too big, too clean, too… cold sometimes. This house had heart. You could feel it.“Your home is beautiful,” I whispered, my eyes still wandering.“Thank you, dear,” Luna Marie said, giving my hand a small squeeze. “We do our best to make it feel like one.”She paused in the hallway and turned to me.“Have you eaten dinner?”I shook my head shyly. “No… not yet.”She g
Katrina’s POVWe arrived at Red Moon Pack when it was already dark.The ride had been quiet for the last few minutes no more music, just the gentle sound of the tires against the road and the trees whispering as we drove by. I was leaning against the window, half asleep, when I felt the car begin to slow down. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, blinking out into the night.The pack border came into view, marked by two tall stone pillars with lanterns on top. The warm, flickering light made the woods around us glow in a golden haze. There were warriors standing by the gate, dressed in dark uniforms. One of them stepped forward defensively as we pulled up but the moment he saw Liam, his stance relaxed, and he gave a respectful nod.Liam rolled down his window. “Hello.”“Welcome, Alpha Liam” the guard said, bowing his head. “Alpha Raymond is expecting you.”The gate creaked open, and we drove through slowly.As soon as we crossed the border, I felt it a shift in the air. Like we had entered so
Katrina’s POVThe drive to Red Moon Pack turned out to be something I didn’t know I needed.For once, everything felt… still. Not in a boring way, but in a calm, quiet way that wrapped around me like a warm blanket. The kind of peace you don’t realize you’ve been craving until it settles into your bones.When we first left the pack house, I thought I’d be too nervous to enjoy the ride. But sitting beside Liam in the car, hearing nothing but the hum of the engine and the occasional sound of wind brushing against the windows, I felt my muscles slowly begin to relax.We didn’t speak for the first few minutes. He kept his eyes on the road, his jaw tight like it always was when he was thinking deeply. I didn’t want to bother him. I just leaned my head against the cool window and watched the dark trees pass by like shadows slipping across the night.Then, without a word, he reached forward and turned on the radio.Static filled the air for a second, then a song started playing. It was soft
Katrina’s POVEvening came slowly, like the sun didn’t want to leave the sky. The light outside had turned soft and golden, bleeding into pinks and purples as the day faded into night. I stood near my bedroom window, staring at the sky, my small bag already packed and waiting by the bed.I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know what Red Moon would be like. But Iwould at least find the answers I was looking for. A soft knock sounded on the door, then it creaked open slowly.Liam stepped inside.He looked calm. His eyes scanned the room before settling on me.“You ready?” he asked, his voice low and steady.I nodded and reached for my bag, but he crossed the room in a few strides and took it from my hand. His fingers brushed mine for the briefest second. They were warm. Solid. And my heart did a tiny flip.“Thanks,” I whispered, trying not to sound nervous.He nodded, then turned and walked toward the door. I followed him out of the room, glancing around the hallway one last time. I
Katrina’s POVI blinked, trying to understand what he just said. “Wait. What? Me?” My voice came out smaller than I meant it to. I wasn’t sure if I was surprised, scared, or both.“Yes,” Liam said firmly, his silver eyes locked on mine. “I’m not leaving you here.”I stared at him like he’d just said the sky turned green. “But… why?” I asked, confused. “You have warriors. You’ve got Beta Johnson, the patrol guards, even your pack commanders. You don’t need me there. You have protection.”He shook his head slowly, and I noticed the tightness in his jaw. “I know,” he said, but his voice was softer this time. “It’s not about who I have to fight with me. It’s about you.”He looked down for a second, and when he looked back up, something in his expression had changed. He wasn’t just serious—he looked haunted. “I already lost one mate, Kat,” he said, his voice lower, rougher. “I made the mistake of thinking I could protect her from far away. I thought I had time. But I didn’t.”My breath cau
Katrina’s POVSlowly, I slid out from under Angie’s bed, careful not to knock anything over or make noise. My arms felt like jelly, and my legs were cramped and sore. I had stayed curled up in that tight space for too long. My shirt clung to my back with sweat, and dust clung to every inch of my clothes like I’d rolled around in flour. I coughed once, quietly, and tried not to breathe too deep.I stood up and brushed myself off with shaky hands. The dust was stuck everywhere—on my jeans, in my hair, even in the creases of my elbows. I wiped my face with the back of my sleeve and walked back over to the drawer where I found the diary. I picked it up gently, hands trembling, and smoothed the cover. Then I carefully placed it right where it had been before, trying to remember the exact angle so nothing looked out of place.Before leaving, I took a step toward her mirror. I leaned close and checked my reflection. My face was flushed, my cheeks streaked faintly with dirt, and my braid had