188

188
“I understand,” he said into the call. A pause. Then, “Luca just got here, yes, I’ll hand it over.”

Before I could even react, he was already passing the phone to me.

“Lucien is heading to Moonblood,” Cassius added quickly. “We’re leaving immediately.”

That changed everything.

I took the phone, still trying to process the sudden shift, then brought it to my ear.

This was the moment we had been working toward for so long reuniting the Howling Evergreen pack. But instead of relief, I just felt unsteady. Like I wasn’t fully ready for it yet.

Still, I pushed that feeling aside.

“Lucien,” I said, falling back into command mode. “What’s happening with Frost Fang? Any remaining threats?”

“They’re gone,” he answered. “Elara’s loyalists are either dead or exiled. A few from my brother’s side resisted, but they’re no longer a problem.”

There was a tired edge in his voice.

“Did Cassius brief you on Bloody Dawn?” he asked.

“He did,” I said. Then, “But I might not be coming to Moonblood.”

A short silence followed.

“I think my father is tied to the disappearances in Elder Forest,” I continued. “I want to take over Rowan’s investigation if you allow it.”

The line went still.

“Your father?” Lucien and Cassius said at the same time.

I explained what I overheard: the witches, the shipments, the “risk” he claimed he was paid for.

“That… doesn’t sound like coincidence,” Lucien said slowly.

The silence that followed felt heavy.

I could already feel the weight of the decision forming. If Lucien ordered me to Moonblood, I would go. That was the law. But something in me refused to let this go. This wasn’t just politics anymore.

It felt like something worse was hiding underneath it.

Finally, Lucien spoke again.

“If you stay and take Rowan’s place, I won’t stop you. But the rest of the pack is still meeting me in Moonblood.”

He paused briefly.

“We won’t stay long. Once things are settled, we’re returning to Frost Fang.”

“Then I’ll meet you there after,” I said.

Cassius immediately frowned.

“I don’t like this, Luca.”

“Neither do I,” I admitted. “But this is my father. I can’t ignore it. And I think this goes deeper than we realize.”

There was more I wanted to say about the runes, about Selena, about everything we had discovered but Lucien cut in before I could continue.

“I need to go,” he said. Then, softer, “I’m glad Selena’s bond with you is strong. Give her my regards.”

That last line lingered longer than it should have.

I ended the call, trying to steady myself.

Cassius exhaled slowly. “She’s not going to be happy about this.”

“I know,” I said. “But our wolves already accepted it. We’ll come back to each other soon.”

Cassius gave me a skeptical look. “Luckily there was no true moon bond that night.”

A faint, bitter smile crossed my face.

“If she had been fated to me… I’d consider myself the luckiest man alive.”

True fated bonds were rarely sealed by moonlight, unbreakable once formed. Selena had once been part of a false one, so I knew the difference. Real bonds didn’t allow distance like this.

Then something else crossed my mind.

“Maybe she can’t have a fated bond at all.”

Cassius raised a brow. “Because she’s not an alpha?”

“No,” I said quietly. “Because she’s part witch… and part Odinswolf. Witches don’t follow fate the same way wolves do.”

Cassius only gave a quiet nod when I said it like he already understood what it meant without needing more explanation.

But the moment shifted when Selena walked into the kitchen.

Her eyes moved between us instantly. “Were you talking about me?”

I let out a slow breath and turned fully toward her.

“There you are,” I said, softer now.

Then I didn’t waste time.

“I’ve got two things to tell you. One you won’t like.”

Her expression sharpened. “Start with the bad one.”

So I told her everything that I overheard in my father’s study, the witches, the deals, the missing wolves, all of it. Cassius didn’t interrupt, but his anger filled the room anyway.

“He’s not fit to lead anyone,” he muttered.

Selena stayed focused on me.

“So the bad news is what?” she asked quietly.

I squeezed her hands. “I’ll be gone for a while.”

That made her pause.

“I need to handle this properly. Rowan’s investigation isn’t enough anymore. I’m taking over but doing it my way.”

Her brows pulled together. “You’re leaving?”

I didn’t dodge it.

“Only because the second part changes everything,” I added. “Lucien is meeting you in Moonblood soon. You won’t be alone.”

A faint, teasing smile crossed my face. “And that means you and I don’t need to stay attached at the hip for now.”

The second I said Lucien’s name, her reaction changed her energy lifted, eyes brightening.

Something in me tightened immediately.

I told myself it was nothing.

But it didn’t feel like anything.

It felt like I was standing too close to something I didn’t want to name.

I had been too focused on missions, too focused on my father, to really sit with what all of this meant. Now it was catching up.

And I didn’t like how loud it was getting in my head.

I forced it down, careful not to let it slip through the bond.

Selena frowned slightly, like she still caught a trace of it anyway.

She tried to speak, then stopped when she noticed Cassius watching.

“That’s… thoughtful,” she said carefully. “And I get why you’re staying behind, but ”

She didn’t finish.

She never said what she was thinking.

I pulled her into me instead, cutting the tension short.

Cassius took the hint immediately. “I’ll handle packing.”

And just like that, he gave us space.

When he left, Selena’s voice dropped lower.

“I know it’s hard for you… Lucien and everything.”

I exhaled slowly. “I’m still coming back. That doesn’t change.”

She studied me for a moment, then sighed like she didn’t fully believe me but wanted to.

“You better,” she said.

I gave a short nod. “Let’s get everything ready.”

And we moved boxes, gear, supplies like normal, even though nothing about this moment felt normal anymore.

Leaving Elder Forest behind should have felt like closure but it didn’t.

Instead, everything felt like it was tightening.

Lucien had already reshaped Frost Fang after dealing with Elara, turning us from a drifting hired pack into something more structured again. Part of me hated how much I missed real missions like this. Investigation, tension, danger made me feel useful.

While Selena and Cassius handled supplies for the road, I went back to the guest quarters.

I wasn’t alone for long.

I sensed Rowan before I saw him.

When I turned, he was already there in the doorway human form, tense like he’d forced himself into it. He clearly hated it, which meant this visit wasn’t casual.

A stupid, unwanted thought crossed my mind him and Selena together. I shut it down immediately, turning back to the bed like I was busy folding clothes.

“Here to argue or say goodbye?” I asked without looking at him.

Rowan didn’t bother with soft words.

“You bonded her,” he said. “And now you think you can just walk away?”

That hit differently than expected not because of what he said, but because of how strongly he felt it.

I kept my tone flat. “Lucien already knows. I told him.”

His reaction shifted instantly. “This is going to fracture the pack.”

That got my attention.

“Explain.”

Rowan’s voice dropped. “I crossed a line with her too.”

I finally looked at him.

“But I didn’t bite her,” he added, sharper now. “You did. And Lucien ”

“Stop,” I cut in. “Selena isn’t bound by one bond. She has more than one connection.”

Rowan looked like he didn’t want to accept that.

“That’s not normal pack structure,” he said. “Wolves don’t share mates.”

“She isn’t just a wolf,” I replied. “She's a hybrid. Witch blood changes the rules.”

That only made him more rigid.

“Then Lucien will reject it,” he insisted.

“He won’t,” I said firmly. “He understands what she is.”

Rowan let out a slow breath, but it wasn’t relief.

It was a warning.

“When Frost Fang sees this,” he said, “when they see their Alpha tied to a mate who carries other marks… you think they’ll just accept it?”