Page 37 of Moonlit Fate

“Looks like our game has more players than we thought,” I said, acknowledging the chaos that always seemed to flirt with the edges of our lives.

“Every game does,” Aria said softly.

I pushed away from the wall, ready to steer the night back on course. We had much to discuss, and time, ever the fickle beast, was not on our side.

“We need to talk,” I said to Aria.

The hallway shrank around us as I led Aria away from the raucous laughter and the clinking of glasses, the darkness deepening with each step we took. When we reached my bedroom door, I opened it, revealing the stark simplicity of my bedroom, unadorned but for the essentials, a reflection of my life.

“Please.” I gestured to the bed with its rumpled covers. She perched on the edge without hesitation, and I breathed out in relief at her trust in me.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

I paced before her, a predator caged. “How are things with your pack?” The welfare of her pack was now inextricably tied to mine.

“Complicated.” She brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The gesture was so achingly normal, yet it awakened a deep longing inside me. A desire tempered by the understanding of our intertwined fates.

“Everything about this is complicated.” I stopped pacing and faced her. Our eyes met, and the space between us crackled with the electric hum of attraction, a surging current that defied the dangers that stalked us both.

“Atticus,” she whispered, a call that beckoned me closer.

“I know.” The words barely left my mouth before I closed the distance between us. My hands hovered over hers, the heat of her skin radiating through the thin material of her clothes. To touch her would be to ignite the flame we were both desperately trying to douse.

“Every part of me wants you.” The raw honesty of my confession stripped away any pretense. “But there’s too much at stake. This prophecy...”

Her breath hitched, and I saw it then—the tremor of her lips, the dilated pupils, the rise and fall of her chest quickening. It wasa dance we both knew well, the push and pull of yearning against reason.

“I’m drawn to you in ways I can’t even begin to understand.” She got up off the bed and paced the room. “But we’re standing on a precipice, and I can’t afford to fall.”

“Neither can I,” I said. “But here we are, teetering all the same.”

We stood inches from one another, and for the longest time, we simply existed in that paradox, two souls caught in fate. Then, with a discipline borne of necessity, I stepped back, putting space between us once more.

“We should focus on the task ahead,” I said, though every cell in my body screamed in protest. I sighed. “Look, Aria, before we go, there’s something I have to tell you, and although you may doubt me, I get no satisfaction from it. I saw something unsettling in Crimson Fang territory.” I never looked away from her, watching for any shift in demeanor. “Larkin was there. He was meeting with the Crimson Fang pack, and it didn’t look like his first visit.”

“I knew he was unreliable,” she said through gritted teeth. “But why the Crimson Fang? What could they possibly gain from him?”

I pondered her words. “I don’t know, but we can’t underestimate them. This is a dangerous game, and Larkin has made his move.” I moved closer, drawn to her vulnerability. “I understand your longing for simplicity, for the freedom to shape your own future without predetermined paths. But we both know, don’t we?” I reached out, gently tilting her chin so her gaze met mine once more. “We both know that some force, something inside, won’t allow us to turn away.”

“Yes.” Her breath mingled with mine. “We’re trapped on this route.”

Our connection seemed to transcend the physical space between us, as if our spirits themselves were reaching out, entwining in an ethereal dance.

“Wait,” I said. Recognizing that the timing was perfect, I seized the opportunity to present the gift I had been contemplating earlier. I reached into the inner pocket of my leather jacket, feeling the cool touch of metal and stone against my fingertips. I produced a slender bracelet, its chain adorned with delicate stones that shimmered like little drops of dew.

I held it out to her, the offering an extension of my own spirit. “This is for you.”

Aria’s eyes widened in awe, her lips parting in a silent question as she beheld the exquisite trinket. The jewels caught the glow of candlelight, casting prisms on her face. “What is it?”

“It’s enchanted,” I said. “The stones are more than mere adornments. They will turn black when falsehoods are spoken around you. It is a rare piece of magic for someone who values truth as you do.”

She hesitated, her hand hovering over the bracelet as if afraid to disturb the magic that imbued it. “Are you sure? Enchanted items aren’t easy to come by. This must be valuable.”

“I’m sure. It’s yours now. As for where it came from…” I paused, the lost memories at the boundary of my consciousness. “I believe it was my mother’s. But there are many gaps in my memory, pieces of my past that remain veiled in mystery.”

Aria accepted the bracelet, her fingers brushing against mine, sending a current of unspoken understanding through me. She fastened it around her wrist, the stones a constellation of promises between us.

“Your abilities,” she said tentatively. “When you entered my mind, how did you do that?”

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