1

Twilight settled softly over the garden, painting the sky in streaks of rose and violet. The jasmine was in bloom again, and the scent clung to the warm air, sweet and dizzying. My favorite scent. I sat on the stone bench under the archway, cloaked in a shawl I didn’t need, my fingers picking at the frayed hem while my mind spun in quiet circles.

Across from me, sprawled on the grass with her hair free falling in light waves and a peach in her hand, Maris Calder, the daughter of the Beta, looked like she had no weight in the world pressing down on her. Her laugh floated through the evening like it belonged in a memory, not the present moment.

“You’re brooding,” she said, wiping juice from her wrist. “Again.”

“Am I that obvious?” I question.

“You look like a very tragic poem. All shadows and sighs.” She grinned. “Either the Alpha forgot your name again or you’re plotting to run away and join the rogue packs.”

I tried to smile, but it barely held. “Just thinking.”

“Mmm. Dangerous pastime.”

I sighed. “It’s Kael. He’s been… distant.”

She sat up slightly, tilting her head. “Distant how?”

“He’s been leaving before dawn. Coming home late. And when he’s here… it’s like I’m not.” I looked down at my hands. “We haven’t really spoken in days, not unless it’s about pack matters. He barely looks at me anymore. You know, like really look at me. Hell, doesn’t touch me.”

Maris’s expression softened into something carefully composed. “Selene, you’re overthinking it. You know what Kael’s like when the full moon approaches. Tense. Moody. Hyper focused. Hell, he trains as if the empire of wolves is about to fall,”

“I’ve seen him tense before. This feels… different.” I hesitated, then whispered, “I keep wondering if there’s someone else.”

Her eyes flickered. It was quick, but I caught it. She laughed immediately after, too fast.

“Kael? Cheat on you?” She shook her head. “That man worships the ground you walk on. You’re his Luna, for the moon’s sake. Beside, he’d be stupid to cheat on someone as gorgeous as you,”

I wanted to believe her. I really did.

“I don’t know. It’s just—he used to see me. Really see me. Now it’s like I’m invisible. And it hurts.”

Maris scooted closer and linked her arm through mine. “You’re not invisible. You’re tired. Overwhelmed. And probably hormonal from all those tonic herbs that old healer’s forcing on you.”

I snorted. “Those herbs taste like wet dog.”

“I’ve been saying that for weeks!” she said dramatically. “You’re just now agreeing with me?”

We laughed, and for a second, it felt like old times again. Like before I was Luna. Back when we both went to Werewolf war college. Before every step I took was judged and measured. Now I’m gulping tonics because according to the healer, they are supposed to help me get pregnant with a strong werewolf boy. 

I nudged her with my elbow. “Speaking of things, you don’t tell me, are you ever going to introduce me to this mystery man you’ve been sneaking around with?”

She blinked. “What?”

I gave her a knowing smile. “Don’t play dumb. You’ve been slipping away during meetings, showing up late for patrol, blushing every time I ask where you’ve been. You’re not as subtle as you think.”

Maris laughed, shaking her head. “You’re imagining things.”

“Oh, come on,” I teased. “We’ve shared everything since we were pups. Who is he? Someone in the pack? A warrior? A council member?”

She glanced down at her hands. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated? That sounds exactly like something someone in love would say.”

She gave a short laugh, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s… not what you think.”

That gave me pause. “So it’s not serious?”

Maris was quiet for a breath too long. “It is. But it can’t be public. Not yet.”

I tilted my head, more curious now. “You don’t trust me?”

“It’s not you,” she said quickly. “It’s just… if people found out, there’d be trouble. For both of us.”

“Is he mated to someone else?” I joked, but her flinch was almost imperceptible. I didn’t register it fully at the time.

She smiled tightly. “You’ve been spending too much time reading those scandalous romance scrolls in the library.”

I grinned, letting it go. “Fine. Keep your secrets, mysterious lady. But when you do introduce me, I expect details. Lots of them.”

“You’ll be the first to know,” she said.

We both sat in silence after that. Her arm still hooked around mine, her head tilted toward the darkening sky. Somewhere in the distance, the pack’s howl rose, echoing through the trees like the voice of something ancient and wild.

I leaned into her a little, grateful to have someone who felt like home. Someone who wasn’t staring through me, or expecting me to play a role.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I murmured.

She didn’t answer right away. Just reached out and tuc

ked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

“You won’t ever have to find out.”