The Rivers Heart

Rose's POV

The afternoon sun was warm on my face as I walked along the riverbank. Training was over for the day. Gunnar had worked me until my arms shook and my legs felt like water. But I was getting better. Faster. Stronger.

I found a flat rock near the water's edge and sat down. The river moved past, dark and deep, carrying leaves and twigs toward the sea. I watched it for a while, letting my mind go quiet.

The hum was there. Beneath everything. The Old Moon blood, waiting.

I closed my eyes and tried what Aiden had taught me. Breathe. Feel. Don't push.

The hum grew stronger. Just a little. Like a pulse I could almost touch.

"Mind if I join you?"

I opened my eyes. Helen stood there, a basket in her hands.

"Of course," I said.

She sat down beside me, her movements slow and careful. I noticed the way she held herself—like she was in pain. Old pain. The kind that never fully healed.

"You're getting better," she said. "I can feel it. The bloodline waking up."

"Gunnar says I'm too stiff. Too much thinking."

"He's right." She smiled. "The Old Moon power doesn't come from thinking. It comes from feeling. From letting go."

I looked at the river. "How did you survive? When everything fell apart?"

Helen was quiet for a long moment. "I almost didn't. I wanted to die. My mate was gone. My oldest son. My pack. I had nothing left to live for."

"But you stayed."

"Because I had Aiden." Her voice softened. "He was just a boy. Barely twelve. He'd watched his father die. His brother. He'd carried their bodies to the funeral pyre himself. When I found him, he was covered in ash and tears and he wouldn't speak."

Something twisted in my chest. I'd been so focused on my own pain. I hadn't considered what Aiden had survived.

"How did he recover?"

"He didn't. Not really." Helen shook her head. "He became hard. Cold. He built this pack because he needed something to control. Something that couldn't be taken from him."

I thought of Aiden's words. I decided I was going to build something. Something that couldn't be taken away.

"He told me I needed purpose," I said. "Not revenge. Purpose."

"He's right." Helen looked at me. "But purpose isn't just about building. It's about healing. About letting yourself feel something other than pain."

"Easier said than done."

"Much easier." She smiled again. "But you're young. You have time."

We sat in silence for a while. The river moved on. The sun crept lower.

"He's different around you," Helen said finally. "Aiden. He watches you. He smiles sometimes. Not often. But more than I've seen in years."

I didn't know what to say to that. The thought made something flutter in my chest. Something I didn't want to name.

"He told me I'm just useful," I said.

"He lied." Helen's voice was soft. "He's good at that. Lying to himself. He's been doing it for so long, he's forgotten how to stop."

I looked at the water. "What am I supposed to do with that?"

"Nothing. Not yet." She stood up, brushing off her skirt. "Just know that you're not alone. That's what I came to tell you. Whatever happens, Rose. Whatever battles you face. You have people who care about you. People who love you."

She walked away, leaving me alone with the river and the hum.

Love. I hadn't thought about love in a long time. It felt like a luxury I couldn't afford. Like something I'd lost and might never find again.

But sitting here, with the water moving past and the sun on my face, I wondered.

Maybe I could find it again.

---

Edwin's POV

I found Rose at the riverbank. She was sitting on a rock, her eyes closed, her face peaceful. She looked different than she had the day she'd stumbled into our territory. Less hunted. More present.

I didn't want to disturb her. But she opened her eyes before I could turn away.

"Edwin." She smiled. It was small, but it was there. "Come sit."

I sat beside her on the damp grass. "You're making progress. I saw you with Gunnar today. You actually dodged him a few times."

"Only a few. He still threw me into the dirt more than I'd like."

"That's progress. When I started, I couldn't dodge him at all."

She laughed. A real laugh. The sound surprised both of us.

"Sorry," she said. "I don't know why that's funny."

"It's fine. It's good to hear you laugh."

She looked away, her cheeks flushing. "I feel different. Lighter. I don't know how to explain it."

"You don't have to explain. Just feeling it is enough."

She nodded slowly. "Helen talked to me. She told me about her son. About Aiden's past. She said I should think about healing. About purpose."

"She's wise."

"She is. But I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. To let go of everything I'm carrying."

"You don't have to let go all at once." I reached over, taking her hand. "Just a little bit at a time. The River Wolves are patient."

She looked at our hands. The way our fingers laced together.

"Thank you," she said. "For being here. For not expecting anything from me."

"I expect you to survive. That's all."

"That's not nothing."

"No." I squeezed her hand. "It's not."

We sat there until the sun disappeared behind the mountains. The air grew cold. The river turned silver in the fading light.

"Come on," I said finally. "It's getting dark. We should get inside."

She stood, pulling me up with her. Her hand stayed in mine all the way back to the fortress.

I didn't let go. Neither did she.

---

Rose's POV

Aiden was waiting in the great hall when we returned. His eyes flickered to our hands. I let go of Edwin's, something twisting in my chest.

"Rose." Aiden's voice was flat. "A word."

I glanced at Edwin. He nodded and walked away.

I followed Aiden to his study. The room was dark, lit only by a fire in the hearth. He stood with his back to me, staring into the flames.

"What happened?" I asked.

"The Silver Creek Pack is moving." He turned. "They're amassing troops near the border. Ethan and Fiona are building an army."

I felt the world tilt. "They're coming here?"

"They're preparing. They know you're with us. They won't attack outright—they don't have the numbers for a full assault. But they'll test our borders. Probe for weaknesses."

"How do you know this?"

"I have spies. Wolves who still have loyalty to your father's memory." He stepped closer. "This is what I was talking about, Rose. Purpose. You wanted revenge. It's coming."

I met his eyes. "What do you need me to do?"

"Train. Get stronger. The Old Moon blood will be the key to this war. If you can master it, you'll be unstoppable."

"Master it in time?"

"Before the snow falls." His voice was hard. "We have months. Maybe less. You need to be ready."

I felt the weight of his expectations. The weight of everything.

"I won't fail," I said. "I can't."

"I know." His hand lifted. Touched my cheek. "That's why I chose you."

The touch burned. Not painfully. But deeply. Like something ancient recognizing something equally old.

"Tomorrow," he said, dropping his hand. "We start the real training. Not just Gunnar. Me. I'll teach you to command the blood."

I nodded, unable to speak.

He walked away, leaving me alone in the firelight.

War was coming. But standing here, feeling the hum of the Old Moon blood beneath my skin, I felt something I hadn't felt in weeks.

Ready.