Chapter 33 – Dreams and Doubts
The late afternoon sun drifted lazily through Elara’s curtains, casting long golden rays across the room where she and Seraphina sat cross-legged on the bed.
Their laughter filled the room, soft and private, carrying the kind of ease that only came when two friends had forgotten the world outside.
Seraphina tilted her head back against the wall, sighing dramatically. “You know, after watching these guys fight last night, I don’t think I’ll ever go for anything less. Her eyes softened, her lips curling in a smile that seemed to drift somewhere far beyond the walls of the room. I can’t stop thinking about them. “It was like watching a storm in human form. Brutal, yes, but... beautiful too. Strong, unshakable.
Elara chuckled, raising a brow. “So that’s your type then? A man who can tear down ten wolves without breaking a sweat?”
Seraphina gasped as if caught, then laughed, covering her face with her hands. “Maybe! But don’t you dare tease me. You should’ve seen Kian too. Calm, focused, but when he moved–it was like poetry. His strikes were so precise, almost… graceful.”
Elara leaned closer, nudging her shoulder. “And Damien?”
Seraphina’s cheeks warmed as she peeked at Elara through her fingers. “Don’t get me started again. He was fire. Pure fire. Aggressive, fearless, almost reckless, but in a way that made your heart race.”
Elara burst out laughing, shaking her head. “You sound like a girl in love with the whole warband.”
“I’m not in love!” Seraphina defended, though her smile betrayed her. “I’m just… admiring. Can’t a girl admire?”
“Admiring, crushing, same thing,” Elara teased.
They both collapsed into laughter, their voices mingling with the fading hum of the day. Then, as if carried by the rhythm of their amusement, Elara stretched out on the bed and looked at Seraphina with a playful seriousness.
“Alright, then. Since we’re talking about it… what kind of man would you want to marry? Your dream husband.”
Seraphina’s eyes widened, then she grinned, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re really going to make me say it?”
“Of course.”
Seraphina thought for a moment, her expression softening. “Firstly, he has to be extremely rich, like… wealthy. I’d also want someone brave. Not just in battle, but in life. Someone who doesn’t run when things get hard.
Strong enough to protect me, but gentle enough to listen. Someone who makes me feel safe–not because of his fists, but because of his heart.”
Elara smiled, resting her chin in her palm. “That sounds beautiful. And… realistic.”
“And you?” Seraphina asked, leaning forward eagerly. “What’s your dream man like?”
Elara hesitated, her mind flickering with images she didn’t want to name. Still, she forced a smile. “I think… I’d want someone who sees me as a person, not just someone in the background who's helpless and poor. Someone who makes me feel like I matter.”
Seraphina’s gaze softened. “That’s even more beautiful.”
Elara laughed lightly, though her eyes glistened with something deeper. “We sound like two girls in a fairytale, don’t we?”
“Maybe,” Seraphina giggled. Their laughter faded into a comfortable silence, the kind where words weren’t needed. For a moment, they were simply two friends, young and hopeful, wrapped up in the fragile sweetness of daydreams.
But then Elara, with a thoughtful tilt of her head, said, “Since you all fought so well, everyone must be doing alright.”
The words lingered in the air, and that was when Seraphina froze. Her expression shifted, the dreamy glow replaced with something heavier. “Oh,” she murmured, her voice softer now. “I’ve only been telling you about the fight. The… exciting parts.”
Elara frowned, sitting up straighter. “What do you mean?”
Seraphina clasped her hands in her lap, her shoulders tightening. “Many were wounded, Elara. Not just scratches or bruises. Real wounds, it was so bloody. And four of our pack members…” She swallowed hard, her voice shaking slightly. “Four of them were at the verge of dying. We thought we’d lose them.”
Elara’s lips parted, her hand instinctively flying to her chest. “Dying?”
“Yes,” Seraphina whispered, her eyes clouded with the memory. “There was nothing anyone could do. None of the Gifted Betas there had healing powers. We thought it was the end for them. But then… Edward.”
“Elara leaned closer, her eyes searching. “What did he do?”
Seraphina’s voice grew hushed, reverent. “The Moon Goddess acted through him. Through the Moon Stone. His chest glowed, like the moon itself had descended. The light spilled across the field, and those four wolves–right there, before our eyes–they were healed. Whole. It was… miraculous. I’ll never forget it.”
Elara’s breath caught. “The Moon Stone did that?”
“Yes. The Goddess chose them. Decided they were worthy.”
Elara shook her head slowly, amazement etched on her face. “That’s… incredible.” She paused, her expression shifting into confusion. “But… if the Moon Stone has the power to heal, then why hasn’t it healed Edward?”
The question landed between them like a stone dropped into still water.
Seraphina was quiet for a long moment. “I don’t know,” she admitted finally. “Maybe it’s not the same. Maybe the Goddess has her reasons. Maybe…” She trailed off, unable to finish.
Elara’s eyes darkened with thought. “Imagine how he must feel. Watching others healed, saved, made whole–while he stays in that chair. It seems like it’s a punishment. Or… maybe the goddess thinks he’s no longer worthy?”
Seraphina reached over, placing a hand over Elara’s. “Don’t think like that. Edward is still our Alpha. Still chosen. The Moon Stone is proof of that.”
But Elara’s gaze remained distant, troubled. “Still… it feels cruel.”
The silence that followed was thick, filled with unspoken worries. Finally, Elara let out a shaky breath and said, almost in a whisper, “That brings me to my dream.”
Seraphina tilted her head. “Tell me everything”
“I will.” Elara reached for her phone on the bedside table, unlocking it quickly. She scrolled until she found the pictures she had taken–the ones that had haunted her since. She turned the screen toward Seraphina.
Strange symbols. Drawings of wolves under moons. The image of a stone glowing like fire. Lines of text written in a script neither of them fully understood.
Seraphina leaned closer, her brows furrowing as she studied the images. “Where did you say you got this again?”
Elara’s voice lowered. “From Edward’s book. I keep seeing the book and other strange things and events in my dreams. So I… I took pictures. I couldn’t help it.”
The room grew still. The hum of the outside world faded, leaving only the soft sound of their breathing.
Seraphina’s eyes remained fixed on the screen, her expression unreadable. Slowly, carefully, she reached out and scrolled to the next image, then the next. Her face grew more serious with each picture.
And as the final photograph glowed faintly on the screen, Seraphina’s eyes lingered on the picture, her brows furrowed in wonder. “Elara… what exactly are we looking at?” she whispered, her voice carrying a mix of curiosity and unease. Elara didn’t answer, not yet. Instead, she simply leaned closer, her heartbeat echoing the questions she wasn’t ready to voice aloud.