Chapter 234
AURORA
Dane and I didn’t make a sound as we readied for bed, other than the soft crackle of the fireplace. I hauled the cover up, and my spine sent a shiver. Not cold–just that there was something nestled ill in my chest.
“Are you good?” Dane asked gruffly as he unbuckled his belt, tossed it over one of the chairs, and started laying out his sword.
He raised only an eyebrow skeptic, but let the matter drop. I turned toward the window where the darkness out there pulled in very long shrouds by moonlight. I almost missed it–just the least susurrus filtering to my ears.
“Listen, do you hear that?” I whispered suddenly, with my fingers tightened into the cover’s edge instinctively.
Dane stopped dead, his eyes–two glinting brown daggers–flew to the window. “Stay here,” he said, grabbing a jacket as he whirled toward the door.
“Dane ”
“Stay.” There was no rise, no fall to the word, no room for discussion.
I sat frozen as he stepped outside. The sound of the door closing
Chapter 234
itself. like the quiet sucking of a sound from the universe. My heart was hard in my chest and listening for anything beyond the pop and hiss of the fire.
2/8
Dane’s heavy feet ground against the dirt as he walked around the cabin. He moved in slow, powerful strides, then stopped.
I didn’t catch what Rowan said in return, but there was an edge to Dane’s tone now. “What are you doing out here?”
A moment of silence fell, then Rowan’s voice was quick, just a shade defensive: “Just checking the perimeter. Thought I heard something and wanted to make sure everything was secure.
Dane didn’t say anything for several seconds. “That’s not your job,” he said finally. “If you’re concerned about security, report to me. Otherwise, keep away from this house unless summoned.”
Another silence, then Rowan muttered something I couldn’t.
catch.
A few minutes later, Dane was back, his jaw clenched. “It was Rowan,” he said simply, closing the door behind him.
“Rowan?” I repeated, puzzled.
“Said he was checking the perimeter,” Dane said, lowering himself heavily onto the edge of the bed. “But something felt… off.”
I frowned, the uncase in my chest deepening. “I’ll talk to him
Chapter 234
tomorrow,” I said softly.
3/8
Dane nodded, though his expression remained tense. “Be careful with him, Aurora.
Convinced, the next morning, which was our time, the pack was summoned to a conclave. Morning was crispy yet light and airy opposite of the chill of winter. The tension of last night refused to go away from me.
I spoke to plans for extending our defenses and binding the community closer together, but Rowan just stood at the back of the room, crossing his arms. His eyes were too bright–a question I couldn’t find the words to answer.
“Luna,” he said suddenly, cutting me off mid sentence.
The pack fell silent; all eyes turned to Rowan. My stomach knotted.
“Yes?” I asked, keeping my tone steady.
“You speak of community, of unity,” Rowan said, his voice, carrying across the silent crowd. “But what is it to us when some wolves are always given favors and others are pushed aside?”
Murmurs swept through the pack.
“Rowan,” I said cautiously, “every wolf in this clearing has worth. If you have felt disrespected, I apologize, but…”
“Spare the condescension,” he cut in, venom coating every word.
Chapter 234
I stuttered, at a complete loss.
4/8
“What’s your problem, Rowan?” Piper asked, striding forward, hands akimbo, eyes flashing bright as a cut blade. “This isn’t about you being ignored; this is about you wanting attention, pure and simple.”
Darkness crossed Rowan’s face. “You don’t know anything about me, Piper.”
“I know enough,” she shot back. “Enough to know this little. outburst has a lot more to do with you than it does with the pack.”
The pack muttered again, eyes flicking from Rowan to Piper.
“Enough,” I said firmly, stepping between them. “Not the time, not the place.”
He turned to me, his jaw tight, then whirled off without another word.
Later in my office, I attempted to let the confrontation with him go–to focus on the stack of reports that lay before me on my desk. My thoughts kept straying back to Rowan–how angry het was, frustrated. Where from?
A sharp knock at the door jerkily pulled me from my thoughts.
“Come in,” I called out.
Chapter 234
5/8
Piper came in, looking a bit sheepish. “Sorry about earlier,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck. “I just couldn’t stand there and let him talk to you like that.”
“I understand,” I said, offering her a small smile. “But next time, let me handle it, okay?”
She nodded, looking relieved. “Got it.
She was gone, and I turned to my desk once again–only to realize that there was now a folded note lying on my desk. I furrowed my face; for I knew clearly there had lain nothing here but a minute before.
She opened it. Shudders traveled down as, in shaking hand scripted, she read aloud:
“You’re not so flawless, they think you are.”
My gaze fixed on the note in my hand, while my heart went on racing. Misshapen letters, words weighing a great deal heavier with me than the ink was written with: “You’re not as perfect as they think you are.”
Who would do this? Automatically, my brain leapt to Rowan, but the suspicion got nixed instantly. This was something. entirely different, because it was planned.
I folded the note with care, slid it into my drawer, and made a mental note to deal with it later. The pack needed me focused, not distracted by some anonymous threats.
Chapter 234
6/8
I tried to shake the feeling of unease for the rest of the day, throwing myself into work. Outside the training grounds, Piper caught up with me, a mixture of guilt and determination on her face.
“Hey,” she said, falling into step beside me.
“Hey,” I replied–my tone light, though my chest could have stayed clutched up all day, honestly.
“About earlier… ” Piper’s voice trailed off; her fingers tugged at the edge of her sleeve. “I shouldn’t have snapped at Rowan like that. I mean, he deserved it, but still.”
I gave her a faint smile. “Your heart was in the right place, but you have to remember, the pack looks to us for guidance. When they see us losing our temper, it sets them on edge.” Piper nodded, her gaze falling.
“You’re right. It’s just I don’t like seeing anyone speak to you this
way.
“I appreciate that,” I said, laying a hand on her shoulder. “But next time, let me handle it, okay?”
“Deal,” she said with a slight curve of the lips.
Much later that afternoon, I found myself wandering into the packhouse library. It was a small space, sunlit and silent; a place to think. I settled into a chair by the window, outside of which came the faint hum of pack life.
Chapter 234
7/8
Words that teased me, playing a macabre waltz in my brain, as if my brain wanted to drive me mad. It was an oversight I wanted dearly to make but couldn’t. Was this a warning, a threat, or something more?
“Luna?”
I looked up to find Joelyn standing in the doorway, and in one second, she had settled me with her serenity.
“Joclyn,” I said, gesturing to her. “What brings you here?
She sat back in the chair opposite me, hands folded neat in her lap. “I couldn’t help noticing that you appeared… distracted, today.”
I did not particularly feel like discussing the note. Still, Joclyn has always shown good sense and experience; above almost anyone else I respect her perception and judgment.
I pulled out the note and passed it to her. She read in silence, expression unreadable.
“This is disturbing,” she said finally, her voice low.
“I don’t know who wrote it,” I admitted. “But it feels… personal.”
Joclyn nodded slowly. “You have made hard choices as Luna, and not everyone will agree with them.
But this…“, She lightly tapped the note with her fingers. “This feels like more than simple dissent.”
Chapter 234
“What should I do?” I asked, barely above a whisper.
