Page 161 of Moonlit Fate

“Strange, isn’t it? How quickly we’ve adjusted to this... awareness of each other.”

“Useful, too. Especially when one of us is prowling around at night.”

“Are you prowling right now?”

“Something like that.”

I could totally picture the smirk on his face.

“Try not to scare anyone.”

A yawn crept up on me.

“Never. Get some rest. You need it,”he said.

“Easy for you to say.”

“Try. For me.”

“Fine.”I smiled despite myself.“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

His presence lingered, a silent guardian in the dark, until the relentless tide of weariness pulled me into a restless slumber.

39

ATTICUS

Isat alone in my room, trying to come up with a way to keep Aria safe. My father’s powers, a puzzle I couldn’t piece together, only added to the fog in my mind.

A light flickered. Not the harsh glare of the midday sun, but something softer, almost living. It grew, spreading through the room, wrapping around me like a warm embrace. The shadows under my control remained still, not reacting to the intrusion.

“Mom?” I could barely get the word out.

There she was, glowing, just as beautiful as the last time I’d seen her so many years ago. Her soothing presence pushed against the ache in my chest, but it tore open old wounds.

“Atticus,” she said, her voice a melody I’d thought I would never hear again.

I stood motionless as love, sorrow, and loss all crashed together, threatening to drag me under.

“I see the burdens you carry, my son.”

I blinked hard against the flood of emotions. Her words were a soft caress to my troubled spirit.

“The road ahead is full of danger,” she continued, “but your heart is strong, a mighty shield. I am so proud of you.”

A lone tear escaped, trailing down my cheek. “Mom, I miss you,” I whispered.

Her eyes shimmered, reflecting an ocean of love and pain. “My dear boy, I miss you more than words can tell. Remember, a piece of me is always with you.”

The air felt heavy with things unsaid and years lost. She looked at me, pride in her gaze. “You’ve become a wonderful man, despite everything, despitehim.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, the mention of my father casting dark waves. “It wasn’t your fault. You did what you could.”

“Regret weighs on me. If only I could’ve protected you?—”

“Mom, you did the best you could. I know that.”

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