Page 223 of Moonlit Fate

We stood witness to the end of an era of suffering, our presence a final acknowledgment of the lives that had been intertwined with ours in struggle and strife. With each spirit that vanished into the ground, the air grew lighter.

A chill ran down my spine as I spotted Lorian’s spirit among the others. He hovered near, a silent sentinel of the past. His ethereal form was familiar, like the echo of a song I once knew all the words to but could only hum now.

“Goodbye, Lorian,” I said, tears blurring my vision. “Thank you.”

His ghostly lips curved into a gentle smile, and he nodded before fading away with the rest. It was the end of a story written in blood and sacrifice, a farewell to a friend who had been more than just an ally.

Atticus squeezed my hand, his touch grounding me. I turned to him, found his ice-blue eyes soft with his own unshed tears.

“Let’s go back to the others,” he suggested.

We walked side by side, leaving behind the site where darkness had once reigned. As we approached, the members of the Silver Claw and former Crimson Fang pack greeted us. Their faces were open, welcoming. It was surreal, this harmony where there had once been enmity.

“Look at them,” I murmured to Atticus as we watched wolves from both packs mingle, their laughter genuine, their barriers nonexistent.

“Who would have thought?” Atticus replied, his tone carrying a note of wonder.

“Family. That’s what you wanted to build, isn’t it?”

“Family,” he echoed, nodding. “Built on respect and trust, not fear.”

“Or power,” I added.

He looked over our pack members. “We’ve accomplished so much.”

“Because of you,” I said, but he shook his head.

“Because of us. You and me.”

I laughed. “Fair enough.”

“Come on,” Atticus said, gesturing toward the gathering. “Let’s join our family.”

His use of ‘our’ filled me with warmth. We moved forward, joining the pack, welcomed by grins and nods. This unity was our victory.

I stepped into the circle, Atticus at my side. We watched as our pack, our chosen family, laughed and worked with each other. Wolves of the Silver Claw and Crimson Fang, once enemies, now bonded by choice, not just by blood or survival. They built shelters, hunted as one, their voices rising in a chorus of unity.

Mia caught my eye from across the clearing. She was with Ilaric, their fingers intertwined, their smiles bright in the waning light. Seeing them together, so full of hope, made something inside me stir.

I nudged Atticus, nodding toward the pair.

He grinned. “They remind me of us.”

“Is that a good thing?” I teased.

“Best thing ever,” he replied, pulling me closer.

Mia called out, waving us over.

We crossed the clearing, each step taking us farther into this new world we were shaping. When we reached them, Mia’s smiled widened.

“Can you believe it?” she asked, gesturing at the harmonious scene around us. “This feels like a dream.”

“The best kind,” Ilaric said as he stared at Mia with so much love in his eyes.

“Let’s make sure it doesn’t end,” I said, my hand finding Atticus’s.

“Absolutely,” Atticus agreed. “This is just the beginning.”

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