Page 62 of The Wolf Moon

“Yes,” I lied, my voice cracking from sleep.

With him suddenly so near me, I felt flushed with surprised heat. It’d been awhile since I’d been able to see him so clearly, much less smell that intoxicating scent so heavily. I could feel a hint of anger stretching within him, but he was holding it back with difficulty.

“You lied,” He stated and I tensed with further surprise. I could feel him clearly which meant he could feel me as well. I immediately tried to build the wall that must’ve fallen when I fell asleep, but his beast reached into me dominatingly, tearing it down.

“Don’t,” I pleaded, “Just… it was me. Just accept it was me.”

“Who did it?” He ignored my plea.

“Roman,” I reached for him and he immediately gripped my wrists in his hands, holding me back firmly. His touch was like a flame in the night during a long cold winter. My heart was in my throat.

“I won’t let you take the blame for someone else’s mistake,” Roman said to me, his features softening ever so slightly before he tensed further to prevent himself from being distracted from what it was he felt he needed to do. “Who was it? A human?”

“Please,” I tried to build that wall again, but with his grip on me our connection remained entirely open. He couldn’t hide anything from me and I couldn’t hide anything from him.

“A human, yes?” Roman pressed firmly. I shook my head sharply, refusing to answer verbally in hopes that the truth wouldn’t be given away. I could feel the anger within him beginning to heat further despite my attempt to lie; that ancient anger that remembered the pain humans had put him through. “So, a human. They had your blade and you’re willing to sacrifice yourself for them. It was your family, correct?”

I froze under his searching eyes. Without waiting for a response, Roman released me. I remained frozen for a moment, but as he reached the door, I stood quickly to run after him. He gripped the bars of the window and slammed the door shut just as I reached it. I wrapped my hands around the bars, around his hand, making him pause.

“What will you do?” I asked him fearfully.

Roman’s eyes turned to look at my hand, much smaller than his, and then to me carefully through the bars.

“Beta Caleb and Diana have lost their child,” He told me slowly, “I will do what I should’ve done a long time ago.” I didn’t feel panic at his words. I felt a cold so sharp that my muscles became stiff with it. Roman released his grip on the bars, removing himself from my touch, before turning away to leave me in my prison alone again.

* * *

I was defeated. I sat on the steel bed, leaning my head against the wall solemnly. Roman would be sending the message now, if he hadn’t already, for the packs to gather in their designated areas and prepare to attack. It was all for nothing.

There had surely been a hope within me that when Diana’s child was born, the Maiden’s blessing would return as the Mother’s had. Everything would have been solved, as much as I could manage to solve it, but this hope was gone; taken away by the hands of a human holding silver as our ancestors had done before.

And Diana? Was she gone as well? Roman hadn’t specified.

Either way, it was clear Roman intended to hold me imprisoned until the war was finished. It had been days since he spoke to me and even now he only briefly stopped by to give me sustenance before immediately leaving without a word; fully intent on me not taking advantage of some other wolf’s weaknesses. It was as I had told Diana; I was out of the way of danger now. This and the fact that a human had destroyed the wolves’ future was more than enough to put the war back on its path to destroy humankind.

I clenched my jaws tightly and lifted my head before allowing it to thud lightly against the wall beside me. I was an idiot. I shouldn’t have let my guard down. I should’ve made sure it was up the moment I had awakened.

I dug my nails into my hands in frustration before opening them and pausing. Moonlight shone on my hand through the small window high on the cell wall, leaving a line of light across my left hand to the fingertips of my right. I traced the light on my left hand absently, looking at the crescent birthmark under my pinky.

I heard a noise at the door to my prison and paused. I couldn’t sense any wolf, Roman or otherwise. Had I misheard?

A slow, solid tap struck the door three times before silence followed. I stood carefully, walking to the door hesitantly. Was it a human? I peered through the barred window to see a familiar face looking back at me.

“Are you planning to stay in there and miss all the excitement?” Cate asked me, her form entirely relaxed despite her bold action of approaching a prisoner. I frowned at her.

“You look too comfortable for someone who’s obviously disobeying an order right now,” I said to her. Was she here just to offer me comfort of companionship?

“You still think I follow the King Alpha?” Cate replied before leaning against her lance with ease. I didn’t understand her question. Of course she followed him, didn’t she? She was part of the Trinity pack, wasn’t she?

“He’s your Alpha,” I said slowly, trying to grasp at her meaning.

“He’s an arrogant little runt, in my opinion, but something magnificent in others’ opinion. I wouldn’t be here if I had it my way, but alas,” Cate gestured to her entire body. “Here I am, in the flesh. Just for you.”

I leaned further against the bar to look at her closer. Was she abandoning the Trinity pack in order to be here for me? When she said ‘just for me’, did this mean she was planning on helping me after all?

“Well, come on. They’re waiting for us,” Cate said, straightening up before tilting her head for me to follow her.

“Wait,” I responded in confusion. I tried the door and it remained locked firmly. “I can’t get out or else I would’ve already.”

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