Page 68

The walk down the ancient cathedral steps was quiet-stone underfoot, the spiral narrow and echoing. Hagan's hand brushed hers occasionally, his thumb grazing her knuckles as if afraid she'd vanish if he let go. But she didn't pull away.

Not yet.

They stepped out into the cool dusk, streetlights flickering on in halos of amber. As they neared the bus stop, the silence between them was oddly comfortable, filled with the soft hum of city life.

Then Hagan's phone buzzed sharply as soon as he turned it on.

He pulled it free, thumbed it on, and answered. "Yeah?"

His whole posture changed.

From beside him, Seren watched his back straighten, the softness in his shoulders vanish.

A pause.

Then Hagan's voice, low and tight. "Tell me."

She could just barely hear the voice on the other end. Veyr.

"I've been trying through the tribelink," Veyr was saying, his tone clipped. "But we are not on the tribe land. The magic's too weak and you were too far away. "

"What happened?" Hagan demanded, already pacing a short circle, hand on his forehead.

There was a pause on the line. Then: "Come home. We'll talk."

Seren stepped closer, concern pricking the edge of her heart. She didn't need to hear more to know something was very, very wrong.

Hagan ended the call and turned back to her. "I'll walk you home."

She didn't protest, though a sinking feeling twisted in her gut.

When they reached her doorstep, he gave her a faint smile. "Thank you... for today."

She nodded.

Then she watched him turn and walk away.

She waited a heartbeat. Then two.

And followed.

The apartment door was slightly ajar when she reached it. She slipped inside silently, the voices carrying from deeper in the flat. Her fingers hovered on the doorframe.

Veyr's voice was unmistakable, calm but urgent. "There were more bodies along the border. The same. Throats slit, disembowelled. No scent trail again. Highclaw Draken went to investigate. "

A pause.

"There was an ambush," he said bluntly. "He's alive, but barely. Jorik too. The land's unrest is getting worse. We need to go home."

Seren's breath hitched.

She couldn't move.

Inside, Hagan's voice was quieter. Rougher. "Why didn't you tell me that in the first message?"

"You needed to hear it from me directly," Veyr replied. "And I couldn't reach you. Seren's phone has been off, too."

Veyr added softly, "You need to tell her."

"No." Hagan's answer came too fast. Too hard.

Veyr raised a brow. Hagan cursed under his breath.

"She's happy here, Veyr. I can't... I can't drag her back into that.

She bled to be free. How can I ask her to come back just to suffer again?

She's only starting to smile again. Starting to live.

I won't drag her back into this—to be used like some solution, some sacrifice. "

Veyr's voice dropped. "She's not just anyone, Hagan. She's the Lunara. She's connected to the land. This is bigger than us."

Silence. Hagan's head was all over the place .

Veyr's expression darkened. "The land's failing faster than we thought. Crops are yellowing before harvest. Forest game has vanished. The rivers in the northern ridge are gone - just cracked beds now."

Hagan stilled.

"There haven't been any successful births in months," Veyr continued. "The last three ended in miscarriage. The healers are baffled. The earth... it's grieving. And we both know who it's grieving for. Seren would want to know."

Silence.

"It's not about using her," Veyr continued, quiet but firm. "It's about telling her the truth. About letting her choose."

Hagan turned away, pacing. "She gave everything up. Her home. Her family. Her power. And what did we give her in return? Scrutiny. Silence. A half-hearted mate and a tribe that never saw her worth."

His hands clenched into fists. "I won't ask her to come back to fix what we broke."

Veyr let the silence hang for a beat. Then, "You won't have to ask. Just tell her the truth. And let her decide if she wants to be part of it. We need her, Hagan. There are innocents involved - the cubs"

Hagan seemed to straighten up. "I'll go back. I'll handle it. And then... I'll return. Then I will tell her. Let her decide. "

Seren couldn't stay quiet any longer. Hagan was so distracted; he had not scented her yet. Or maybe, they spent the day together, so he must be smelling her on himself.

"No."

They both turned. Hagan's eyes widened-shocked, caught. She ignored it.

Veyr seemed less surprised. He had known she was listening.

"What's going on in the tribelands?" she asked, voice even.

Neither of them spoke.

So, she repeated, slower, firmer.

"What. Is. Going. On?"