Chapter 31The tension between them was chilling, but there was no time for Laurel to tell him her mind, for which Earl was grateful. The last thing he wanted at the moment was a nagging wife. They rode back home in silence, Laurel insisted on riding with Gregg and Earl said nothing to argue the point, he simply rode behind them at a galloping pace.Gregg was motionless and his skin had gone pale white from all that loss of blood. His blood was still dripping, leaving a trail on the road as they rode. Sitting closely behind him, Laurel tried her possible best to keep pressure on the wound. Earl watched them in silence, and he found himself wondering whether she would have tended to him like that if he was the wounded one. When they arrived in the pack, guards and servants fussed over Gregg, as they tried to revive him. It was another thing Earl was grateful for, a blessing in disguise, this way, most of them would not pay too much attention to his return. He hated to think that his f

Chapter 33They rode silenty through the trees, avoiding any contact with each other as much as they could. Earl sat behind while Laurel was huddled in front of him, but he made sure to follow very closely behind her, which was something he knew that she did not like. He had suggested that they do not to take any horses, but she insisted on not taking so he in turn insisted that they would only take one, his horse. Now, riding beside with her felt so warm and charming, and somehow, he liked it. This was like going hunting with her, only that she would never agree. But he tried his best to hide his enthusiasm, he kept his hands to himself and his thoughts focused. The woman riding with him now was so much different from the grieving woman he had met a few months ago. Maybe being his Luna came with it's own changes, because he noticed she was more commanding now, more authoritative. And again, he found himself liking it. Could he read his mind? He was still unsure, while her own thou

Chapter 35They found him in the courtyard where he was training with his men, Laurel was the first to spot him among the various men he was effortlessly throwing to the ground without even trying."He is surely swinging the sword with a vengeance." Kristen noted with admiration. Laurel knit her brows in deep thoughts, "He is skilled. But I fear he has this hidden anger brewing inside him, it is that vengeance that drives him." "Did he tell you anything else about his brother?""We haven't had a chance to get that personal, not when he avoids me like that."Kristen's mouth tightened in disappointment, "You are safe with him, but you will be safer if you get to know him well enough. He has to let you in, Laurel. He has to trust you." Laurel spared her sister a careful glance, "Careful now. He might just be listening.""Nay, he hasn't sensed us yet." "You don't know that. The man is still as confusing as ever, I struggle to understand him, but he pushed me away so hard that…" she tr

Chapter 37Laurel saw her sister to the gate when she came out from Asher's chambers. Her mood was much better, though her thoughts on the peace talk did not change, Laurel was only glad she did not try to talk her out of it. Any offer for her to have some guards escort her proved abortive, so she gave up. "Extend my greetings to Rick, and stay out of trouble. Avoid Lambert even if he comes at you." "I'll definitely not let him hurt my people.""Kris…"Come on, Sis. Unlike you, I'm not the silver wolf, it's not like he's looking for my blood!"Laurel shook her head and placed one hand on her sister's shoulders, "I won't have anything happening to you simply because you can't stand Lambert. Sacred Moon needs you. Obviously, my place is here now. Lambert is the only trouble we have, and we have to calculate our risks if we are going to take him down. Don't think for a second that you can do that on your own.""I never said I could." She laughed, but only to ease her own stress. "Tell

Chapter 39That morning when he woke up, Earl was feeling very refreshed, he felt like he had had enough drinks last night and had simply slept off while still drowning in the euphoria of his intoxication. As he lay wide awake grinning sheepishly, he tried to pinpoint the exact reason for his mood, but all he knew was that he had slept off with Laurel brooding next to him. He chuckled as the now familiar scent of her hair coming from the pillow beside him had his head turning in that direction. That scent, it was the sweet scent that was calming his nerves, and for the first time in weeks, he had slept without a nightmare. Laurel was not in bed, but the pillow and the part of the bed where she had slept in was still warm. Stunned at how much he enjoyed the scent, Earl grabbed the pillow and inhaled deeply, he could go back to sleep like this, he thought. And then it dawned on him, the memories of what happened last night came rushing back to him. Lambert had come here, he knew it,