Chapter 7 - Waiting for Tomorrow

Penelope's POV

I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see Timothy's face from tonight. The way his eyes went wide when I touched his hand. The way he pulled back like I'd shocked him.

He felt it too. I know he did.

I roll over in my narrow bed and stare at the clock. 2:47 AM. The Moon Ceremony is tomorrow night, and Timothy said he'd tell me something important later. My stomach flips every time I think about it.

"You're being ridiculous," Lyra, my wolf, grumbles in my head. "He clearly felt the mate bond. Stop overthinking it."

"But he's engaged to Madison," I whisper into my pillow. "What if that doesn't change anything?"

"It changes everything," she snaps. "The Moon Goddess bond trumps human politics. He knows that."

I sit up and hug my knees to my chest. The tiny apartment is quiet except for Mom's soft snoring from the next room. She worked a double shift at the diner again. Her hands are always red and cracked from washing dishes, and she never complains.

Timothy's engagem