Chapter 36 Chapter 36

Chapter 36 Chapter 36


I must have fallen asleep from sheer emotional exhaustion, because when I opened my eyes again, moonlight was streaming through the windows. My phone showed it was just after midnight. Three new texts waited, one from each brother, but I couldn't bring myself to read them.

Instead, I opened my conversation with Marcus, confirming our coffee meetup tomorrow. Something about his straightforward friendship felt like a lifeline in the chaos my life had become.

I got up and moved to the window, gazing out at the moon hanging full and bright above the pack lands. My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin, drawn to the night and the forest beyond. She wanted to run, to feel the earth beneath our paws, to howl our confusion to the stars.

"Not tonight," I whispered to her. "We need to rest."

But rest wouldn't come. My mind kept replaying everything: Xavier Silverclaw's cold eyes, the Williams brothers' confessions, the Goddess's presence flowing through me like liquid fire. How had my life changed so completely in just two days?

I pressed my forehead against the cool glass, watching my breath fog the window. The guest room suddenly felt too small, too stifling with the weight of everything that had happened.

Making a split-second decision, I changed into the clothes Elise had brought; the jeans and soft sweater fit perfectly, and I slipped out of the room. The hallway was dark and silent; everyone was presumably asleep at this late hour.

I padded down the stairs on silent feet, years of trying to be invisible serving me well as I navigated the unfamiliar house. The front door was likely alarmed, but I remembered seeing a sunroom at the back of the house, with doors that opened onto a garden.

Finding it took some wandering, but eventually I stepped into the glass-walled room, moonlight streaming through the ceiling. Plants surrounded me, ferns, flowers, and small trees that gave the space a peaceful, secluded feeling.

I was about to push open one of the glass doors when a voice spoke from the shadows.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

I spun around, heart hammering, to find Caspian sitting in a wicker chair in the darkest corner of the room. He hadn't bothered to turn on any lights, but my enhanced wolf vision could see him clearly now—dressed in sweatpants and a faded t-shirt, looking more casual than I'd ever seen him.

"You scared me," I accused, pressing a hand to my chest.

Caspian stood slowly, moving with that careful grace all the Williams brothers seemed to possess. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." His voice was softer than usual, lacking the sharp edge I'd grown accustomed to over the years.

"What are you doing down here?" I asked, trying to steady my racing pulse.

"Same thing you are, I'd guess. Trying to escape from thoughts that won't quiet down." He gestured toward the glass doors I'd been about to open. "The garden's beautiful at night. Dad's mate has quite the green thumb."

I hesitated, torn between my desire for solitude and the strange comfort I found in his presence. Through our bond, I could feel his exhaustion matching mine, his restlessness mirroring mine.

"I was just going to sit outside for a while," I said finally.

"Mind if I join you? I promise not to pour my heart out like my brothers did." There was a hint of dark humour in his voice that surprised me. "I figure you've had enough emotional confessions for one day."

Despite everything, I found myself almost smiling. "That's... considerate of you."

He opened the glass door for me, and we stepped into the moonlit garden. The night air was cool against my skin, carrying the scent of jasmine and roses. A stone bench sat beneath a flowering tree, and I settled onto it, leaving space between us when Caspian sat down beside me.

We sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, both of us staring up at the full moon. My wolf stirred again, drawn to its light, and I wondered if Caspian's wolf was feeling the same pull.

"You know," he said eventually, "when I was little, I used to think the moon was the Goddess's eye, watching over all of us."

I glanced at him, surprised by the personal admission. "And now?"

"Now I think maybe I wasn't entirely wrong." His amber eyes met mine briefly before returning to the sky. "Especially after what happened today."

The memory of the Goddess speaking through me sent a shiver down my spine. "I still can't believe that actually happened."

"It did. And it changed everything." Caspian's voice was quiet, thoughtful. "Not just for you, but for all of us. The entire pack dynamic shifted in a single moment."

I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? Knowing that I've disrupted everyone's lives?"

"You haven't disrupted anything," he said firmly. "If anything, you've finally forced us all to face truths we've been avoiding for years."

I studied his profile in the moonlight, noting the tension in his jaw, the way his hands rested carefully on his knees as if he was holding himself back from reaching for me.

"So what's your truth, Caspian?" I asked quietly.

"I think you've had enough confessions for one night," Caspian said, a hint of that sardonic smile playing at his lips.

I couldn't argue with that. My emotional reserves were completely drained after Kyle and Asher's declarations. "Thank you," I whispered.

Caspian looked surprised. "For what?"

"For not adding to the pile. For giving me space to breathe." I stared up at the moon, feeling its pull on my wolf. "I'm drowning in everyone else's feelings right now."

"I can feel that," he said quietly. "Through the bond."

We sat in silence for a few moments, the night air cool against my skin. Unlike his brothers, Caspian had always been more reserved, more controlled. Even now, I could feel him holding himself back, carefully maintaining the distance between us on the bench.

"Did you know about the contract?" I asked suddenly. "About Silverclaw?"