them stretched until

nial jacket he had not yet removed after leaving the council meeting. The parchment in Elara's

indows, the moon h

that same moon and thanked the

ens were watching her wor

at the council d

s had no

ssolve his current marriage befor

sion b

the tears befor

e she wasn

to cry before she

ted her eyes to

lready

w tigh

es

how l

pproached me t

eath c

ee d

nodde

t would strength

ly, but the soun

ingdom by breakin

is more complic

N

recision before placing it upon the tab

tually ve

e remain

er than

another woman sta

k a step t

asked f

didn't

tsteps

the strongest Alpha in the northern kingdo

y, filling the room with warm

d a hand acr

nted

for

another s

ched his e

en able to tell w

n't ly

n't telling h

en't you

d toward the window be

alliance has b

every tra

n't abou

me what i

remaine

irmed what she ha

ssing from the

ad suddenly become i

ke it h

len

his eyes for a

es

ck her harder than a

e, as though gathering his th

allied pack believed the As

kno

edged loyalty to Mooncrest becaus

d without i

ene has

nd

ne bloodline should once again hav

a fr

why they expect you

does

are we dis

tics rarely f

ared a

aking like the council

n lingered

ked genuin

opped being y

ve

ips p

swer

ded at the c

of the

knock

Kaelen cros

steward sto

Ki

t is

hether the evening t

en n

in her s

you

before disappearin

od perfec

y turned bac

sor

iled f

gized several

ean

kno

hing about the co

ask whethe

esit

you to k

oward the mo

g had begun to cra

't really

tters

his ga

one questio

wil

arrived ye

ice so

t did y

't answer i

s as though searching for

y, he

t reli

art ti

lie

ved she

kno

that guilt

dded s

hing

ered before his

sleep refu

room window while moonlight sp

ur earlier to meet Selene an

romised

ved he in

beside her felt

rifted toward

nside her was still

l to und

had begun changing before they had

interrupted

Maje

personal

ay com

arrying a silver tray wit

ht need something

nk y

d the tray on the tab

hing I think yo

look

t is

lowered h

looking fo

never

hear some of the old

aited p

Selene used to l

heard

n't merely

htened inside

do you

d visibly u

ne believed the Moon Goddess had c

ttled over

nouncements had al

lowly tightened a

stoppe

e w

aelen became

had ever entered M

walked thes

tended roy

ained besi

d festivals with

ready begun calling

lverfan

been killed while protecting

nearly three days after

inally re

carefree young Alph

ulled Elara bac

ays said His Majesty ch

herself to br

d t

ter... he

hed Elara's lips d

emem

u brought him

ould have co

filled her w

ealed Kaelen's

ed the empty place someo

e in the

the western balcony ov

d lifted strands o

approached

ked to

d beside the

wante

iled g

d to tha

is no

ere

ward the glow

ned I'd see Mo

elong

ile fa

o

remaine

pause, Selene

l visited m

ession h

houldn'

ld me ev

looke

ed to di

kno

ned to

so re

ack at her,

reason another wom

t reflected

ady lost m

evening, Kaelen's shou

nk y

shook h

t tha

ecame almos

hey believed such a proposal w

ith Kaelen long after

e balcony, staring at t

nd h

e royal c

sat awake with una

re h

ned as dead had unexpect

len realized he was no longer fi

f his life had begun