Page 90 of Moonlit Fate

It was the latter that cut the deepest, a blade to my own insecurities. Had my love for Aria blinded us both to the harsh realities of our world?

His surface concerns flitted by—pack security, Seren’s abduction, the weight of leadership. All pressing but familiar worries. It was the deeper currents that lured me, whispering of truths concealed in the bedrock of his psyche.

As I delved deeper, the vibrant tapestry of Ragnar’s memories unfurled, revealing an image that startled me. There, among the tides of duty and honor, shimmered a memory, radiant and raw. A tryst with a woman from a rival pack, a love that had dared to cross boundaries laid by old rivalries.

The earth shifted beneath me, the revelation shocking, echoing my own forbidden dance with desire. Ragnar, too, hadknown the intoxicating pull of a love that defied the boundaries of our world. The memory was steeped in a blend of ecstasy and sorrow, a silent sonnet for the one who had slipped through his fingers.

Profound trepidation terrorized him. It was not merely the protectiveness of a father or the alpha’s regard for tradition, but the ghost of agony, the specter of a love torn asunder by the very nature of our existence. Ragnar feared for Aria as only one who had suffered could, dreading that she might walk the same thorny path strewn with the petals of a love doomed by pack conflicts. He had endured a heartbreak that now haunted him, and he didn’t want the same for his daughter.

Delving deeper into Ragnar’s psyche was akin to navigating a labyrinth, where each turn revealed a new layer of sorrow and fear. Ragnar’s unspoken failures pressed against my own chest, as if they were stones piling on me. The pain of lost love had darkened his days. His desire for her happiness warred with the terror that she, too, would feel the sting of love torn asunder.

“Atticus,” Ragnar’s voice was a distant rumble, but I was sinking into his mind. There was a father’s fierce instinct to shield, to prevent history from repeating. Yet, beneath it all lay the raw ache, a wound that had never truly healed. A would that colored his every thought and action, especially concerning her.

I gasped, the intensity of Ragnar’s inner turmoil overwhelming me. It was as if I’d unwittingly stepped into a flood, and the winds of his deepest insecurities lashed at me, forcing me to confront the mirrored fears in myself.

Could I be the cause of Aria’s downfall?

With a jolt, I severed the mental tether, the psychic intrusion snapping back. The doubts lingered, heavy and suffocating, as I tried to reconcile the newfound understanding.

“Forgive me,” I said, though Ragnar misunderstood the apology, thinking it was for my lack of attention and not whatit was truly meant for—the invasion of his private sanctum, a trespass that left me hollow and exposed.

22

ARIA

Istared out the window, absentmindedly twirling my hair. Atticus had carried me to my room after we’d seen my father in the garden. I couldn’t help but worry about Ragnar’s reaction to the news that Larkin had taken Seren. He’d gone so quiet. His face had paled. Larkin had blatantly challenged his authority, and taken a member of his pack right from under him.

He’d left, muttering, “There was no fool like an old fool.” Now, Atticus was acting strange, and I couldn’t help thinking he was holding something back from me. My attention was fixed on the untamed wilderness that sprawled before me, but my mind swirled with Atticus’s words and fear for Seren.

“His eyes were like dark tunnels,” Atticus said. “As if he’d seen into the abyss, and it had looked back into him.” He paused his recounting of his meeting with his father.

I turned from the window, torn between the fiery passion I held for the rogue wolf before me and the icy whispers of doubt, the echoes of my father’s disapproval. I longed to dash into the night and rescue Seren from the clutches of our enemies, but the urge went away. Blind valor could be a fool’s errand.

“Midnight,” Atticus said, his tone shifting to skepticism. “He wants us to retrieve the amulet piece then. Claims he’ll clear the way. We have one day left before the eclipse, I wish we could spend the time going through everything we need to do, but we need this amulet. Without it…”

His words weren’t needed. Without the amulet, we wouldn’t be able to perform the ritual, anyway. We had to get this right for everyone.

I stiffened. Surely he wasn’t planning on going? Midnight. There was something ominous about that hour. Or maybe I was simply seeing a threat in everything. Probably both.

“But?” I asked, my intuition sharpening against his hesitation.

“But,” he said with a rueful smile, revealing his own internal struggle, “we can’t afford to lay our trust there. Not wholly. I want to believe that he’s reaching out, seeking some semblance of reconciliation.”

“Yet, you think it’s a trap.” In his expression, I found a reflection of my own wariness, the acknowledgment that the past was often a cruel mistress.

“Yes,” Atticus said. “Time will tell. And until it does, we must tread carefully. We have to go in prepared for every eventuality, Aria. Hope for the best, expect the worst.”

“Vigilance.” I reached for his hand, wanting to feel the warmth of his skin. Thank goodness he wasn’t blinded by the desperate desire for family ties that might never bind again. “Then midnight it is,” I said, “but on our terms. We walk into the night with eyes wide open.” I stroked the back of his hand with my thumb. “I’m sorry for ever doubting you.” My guilt for questioning the bond we shared pressed heavily on my chest. “You’ve shown me nothing but goodness. It’s just… all these whispers from the past cloud my judgment.”

He searched my eyes, understanding flashing on his face. “Your doubts are reflections of care, not condemnation.”

Before I responded, the door burst open, tearing through our tender moment. Eldan rushed in, chest heaving.

“Aria, your father, he’s—” Eldan gasped, struggling to find the rest of his words.

I stepped forward, my hand reaching out to steady him. “What has happened?”

“He’s gathering reinforcements. I heard the commotion, the orders being given. It’s happening.”

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