Page 56 of Moonlit Fate

“Comes with the territory of being the alpha’s daughter.” I tried to keep my tone light, wanting to revel in the normality of sharing a meal without the heavy burden of expectations.

I took a bite, the flavors bursting on my tongue. It was funny how something so mundane could bring such profound joy. My days were usually scripted down to the minute, yet here I was, adrift in time with him, and it wassoliberating.

I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all, at how content I was with eggs and banter when everything else seemed to be crumbling. My father would probably have a fit if he could see me now, lounging in a den of rogues, finding solace in the very thing he’d warned me against: attachment beyond the pack.

Atticus waved his fork in front of my face. “Earth to Aria.”

“Sorry, just thinking.” I flashed him a sheepish grin. “About how different this is.”

“Good different, I hope.” He reached across the table and squeezed my hand.

“Definitely good.” I basked in the warmth of his touch and the comfort of an ordinary morning that suddenly meant so much more.

“Okay.” Atticus brought my fingers to his lips, brushing them with a gentle kiss, “I’m going to jump in the bath. Do you want to wait for me in the bedroom, or will you be okay in the common area?”

“I think I’ll be safe enough,” I said, a wry grin playing on my lips. It would give me an opportunity to bond with the people important to him, those he’d carefully selected to be part of his life. “I can play nice.”

He gave me a wicked look. “Oh, I know how niceyoucan play, Aria. But can you get on withthem?”

I playfully narrowed my eyes at him. “Ha, you’re quite the comedian. I’ll be fine. You go wash up. You definitely don’t smell as good as the bacon.”

He left the small kitchen, and I got up from the table and walked to the large communal room. The morning light spilled into the den, coating the worn furniture and makeshift family in gold. I leaned nervously against the doorframe, watching Mia weave stories with her graceful hands, her laughter a melody. The room grew quiet when they noticed my presence.

Mia’s friendly tone broke the silence. “Morning, Aria. Sleep well?” I flushed at her knowing look. “Are you hungry? Can I get you anything for breakfast?”

“Thank you, but Atticus made me something. He went to take a bath. He’ll be back shortly,” I said, not sure why I was explaining myself.

“Ah, he’s trying to impress you with his cooking skills,” Lyza said, her voice sharp as a steel blade.

Mia sent me a sympathetic glance. “Now, Lyza, you’re not beyond doing a bit of impressing yourself,” she said to her friend. “Lyza was seeing a young pup,” she told me. “This was when we were up in the northern territories.”

Lyza groaned. “Really? You’re going to tell this one, again? You need to get some new material.”

“Anyway,” Mia continued with a mischievous grin, “she was seeing this younger shifter and thought it’d be a brilliant idea to serve fresh salmon for breakfast. When she got down to the river, there was a family of brown bears enjoying a feast, so she decided to challenge the mama bear during the height of salmon season.” Mia stole a quick glance at Lyza. “She nearly scared both the fish and the bear half to death.”

Lyza rolled her eyes, but her mouth tilted up at the corner. She was warming up, the iciness that had glazed her face now melting into something softer, more approachable.

“Sometimes you have to shake things up,” Lyza said. “Keeps life interesting.”

“Interesting is one word for it,” I said, smiling at her. “What about the shifter? Was he suitably impressed?”

Lyza gave a sardonic laugh. “Not as impressed as I was with the bear’s fishing skills.”

Mia looked at me. “Out here, we rely on each other like a pack, but without the hierarchy and power games. We’re family by choice, not by blood or birthright.”

“That sounds so freeing,” I said, the words slipping out before I could weigh them down with the sarcasm that usually armored my tongue. The sincerity in Mia’s tone disarmed me, a genuine kindness that I wasn’t accustomed to in the rigid structure of pack life.

She lifted a teapot from an old, battered table and gestured at an empty cup. I nodded, and she poured the fragrant tea.

“Freedom has its price, but it’s worth every sacrifice,” Mia said. She leaned forward and searched my face. “What about you? What are your dreams beyond the alpha lineage?”

With Mia’s earnest curiosity coaxing my desires to the surface, I pondered paths untraveled.

“Sometimes I dream of seeing what lies beyond our territories,” I said. “There’s something thrilling about the idea of waking up and having the entire day ahead of me, completely unplanned and open to possibilities. To explore without purpose or obligations, without my father and his elders pushing me and guiding my steps in what they’ve deemed the correct direction.”

“Then you’ll fit right in with us,” Mia said warmly. “We’ve all got our stories, our scars, and our wild dreams. Seems you do, too.”

Leaning back against the worn couch cushions, I sipped the tea, letting its warmth seep into my bones. Mia and Lyza chatted about mundane, everyday things, their voices forming a calming current that gradually eroded the solitude I was so used to. Here, in this cozy den, I found an ease I hadn’t known I was seeking.

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