Laurel returned to her tent and got ready for bed, but her mind wouldn’t rest. The scent of blood was still lingering in the air. The bonfire had burned out, but the fear the display had evoked in the soldiers remained. She didn’t hear anything outside of her tent beyond the quiet footsteps of the patrol. Her mind kept turning over what she knew, trying to make sense of it. Adolph’s gentle smile and warm words didn’t match the cold fury she’d seen in his eyes. How could he embrace her so gently and use those same hands to kill a vampire slave so quickly and brutally? How could his sweet voice that made her swoon order Daniel’s fingers to be cut off? From fury to tenderness and ruthlessness to tenderness: what made him change for her? Being his mate couldn’t be enough. Was it a real change or just a mask to keep her at his side? How long would it last?Those beautiful women were dragged out of the camp so roughly by the soldiers, the same way that Sarah had been at Basil’s order. She

Laurel hid from Adolph for the rest of the day, barely sneaking to get something to eat before returning to her tent. She had to be careful since his tent was right next to hers, but it seemed that something was keeping him away from his tent for most of the day. She hoped her luck held out. The next day, Laurel decided to brave leaving the tent to go see Sam. The guilt was gnawing at her from not seeing him the first time she heard about him being unwell. After dressing for the day, she listened for any sign of movement from Adolf’s tent. She thought she heard Adolph leave his tent much earlier, but she had to be sure. It sounded as though the coast was clear, so she left her tent and headed towards Sam’s tent, but Adolf stepped from behind another tent and into her path with a little smirk. She guessed her luck had to run out sometime.*Mate!* Alice cheered. Laurel wanted to roll her eyes and sneer at Alice’s excitement, but she remained still as Adolph approached her. It seemed

Basil beamed up at his father, overjoyed to see him. He didn’t think he could have ever been happier than the moment the news came that his father had defeated the vampires, but seeing his father back in the Imperial City and being able to hug him made his heart swell with joy. When the news had arrived, he embraced Delia and commissioned new gowns for her to celebrate how much luck she seemed to have brought to the kingdom and prepare her to meet his father. Their wedding would be the perfect capstone and celebration of the werewolf kingdom’s victory. “Father,” Basil said, placing his arm around Delia and presenting her to Adolph proudly. “This is my mate and soon-to-be wife, Delia.”She trembled a bit but didn’t resist. Delia had been nervous since that morning. She’d washed her hair three times, changed at least five times, and went through her entire jewelry collection trying to find an outfit that would make her look like the perfect daughter-in-law-to-be. Basil had tried to t

“Are you alright, miss?”She couldn’t answer the guard or acknowledge his concern. She didn't have the words to express what she was feeling. It was threatening to burst out of her chest. She couldn't face Adolph like this."I think you can enter now."She shook her head, whirled around, and ran back to her room as fast as she could manage. If the soldier meant to follow her, she didn't hear him.Grief and relief warred in her. If only Adolph had been around to say such things when she was Laura. If only things had been different, they would have been in a completely different place and she would have never had to suffer the last few moments of her past life regretting being luna. The goddess had given her a chance to live again, but the affirmation of her worth and her efforts had come too late. She was grateful that Laura would be remembered by at least someone as having a meaningful life, but it wasn’t enough to lay her to rest. She reached her room and closed the door behind her.

She tried to push the thought away, but it persisted and morphed, drawing up the potential ways they had found where she ran to. Had they been lying in wait for her in the forest? Had they bribed someone to follow her and kill her? What did they get out of her? Was it possible that they were in league with Basil?The more she thought about it, the darker her mood became. None of the questions were answered easily and she despaired at the thought of any of it being true. Sarah seemed to notice it and stood with a cheerful smile. “My luna is in a better place now, and she wouldn’t want us to spend such a lovely day inside discussing such morbid things.” Laurel looked at her, a little hopeless but charmed by her change in mood. Sarah had always been able to brighten her mood. “Let’s go for a walk! I can show you around the castle.”Laurel smiled and agreed. She was right. Had she remained dead, she would have wanted Sarah to find all the happiness she could. As it stood, Laurel wanted