Page 104 of Fated
As the meeting adjourned, Erik lingered, studying Caleb for a long moment, something shifting in his weathered features. Thehard lines around the elder’s mouth smoothed away, eyes no longer narrowed in judgment as he approached.
“I owe you an apology,” he began, voice carrying a note of humility. “You’re not that scared pup anymore. You’ve grown into a strong, capable alpha. What happened then wasn’t your fault, and Asher’s injury isn’t either.”
Caleb swallowed hard, Erik’s apology and absolution landing harder than he’d expected. For twelve years, he’d carried guilt, adhered to the council’s careful guidance, their protective boundaries, the unspoken question of whether he was truly ready to lead without catastrophe following in his wake. He’d told himself their caution was just politics, just tradition, but Erik’s words peeled away that pretense, revealing a truth he hadn’t dared hope to ever hear.
Erik exhaled, shoulders sagging. “I’ve watched you grow, Caleb. From a young wolf who needed guidance to an alpha who leads with conviction. I still see that pup who came to us after losing everything, but it’s time for us to let go.” He paused, studying Caleb’s face intently. “You’ve learned all we can teach you. Now it’s time for us to trust you.”
Erik’s words settled over Caleb like a benediction, a quiet moment of passing the torch. Before he could speak, the elder continued.
“Maybe I was wrong.” Erik chuckled, the tension breaking. “Perhaps you really are the light.”
Caleb allowed himself a small smile as Erik’s faith bolstered him. His shoulders set into a new certainty, spine straightened by true acceptance. Fenrir uncoiled within him, stretching through his limbs with languid satisfaction.
“You are ready, Caleb.”The wolf’s approval manifested as a pleasant shiver down his spine, his skin warming with shared pride.“You have always been.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
LENA
The wind at the Bloodstone ritual grounds carried the faint scent of ash, mingling with the earthiness of red cedar trees. Twelve torches lined the perimeter like solemn sentinels, marking the passage of time, of life, of loss. Their light flickered against the shadows of the forest, catching on the jagged edges of broken branches and patches of blackened grass. The sacred circle, once a sanctuary, now bore the scars of the rogue attack like fresh wounds.
Twenty-seven lives reduced to ash. Twenty-seven wolves who’d fought for their pack and paid the ultimate price.
Lena stood at the edge of the clearing, arms crossed over her chest. Her shoulders curved inward, lungs struggling againstan invisible pressure as the night ahead weighed heavy on her chest. Her gaze lingered on the ceremonial altar at the center, its bloodstone surface gleaming under the full moon.How beautiful this place must have been before the attack, she thought, wishing she could have seen it in its prime, known these wolves, before loss and grief took hold.
A faint hum vibrated in the back of her mind, Elara’s presence like a shadow at dusk—visible but fading. Her wolf’s usual warmth had cooled, retreating into the recesses of Lena’s consciousness, leaving a hollow space where their connection should be strongest. When Lena reached along their bond, she felt only echoes returning. It was as though Elara questioned her strength to weather the storms ahead. It mirrored how Lena felt about everything in Bloodstone—Kai, the grieving wolves, the irreparable losses.
She glanced around the circle, eyes on the urns that lined the altar. For the past week, she’d poured herself into preparation—organizing meals for the injured, planning the rites with Darius, spending hours with Elias’s family. Anything to keep herself busy, to keep her mind from straying to Kai’s silence.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true.
Lena knew she shared responsibility for the growing rift. Kai tried to speak with her, multiple times, but the image of him cradling Ava burned in her mind each time she saw him. She’d invented reasons to disappear, avoiding the heartbreak she was certain awaited. The frozen expanse between them gaped like a chasm, a wound that refused to heal. It stung more than she could admit.
Lena sighed, shoulders slumping as the stress of the week bore down on her. She sought Elara’s strength, that familiar surge of resilience that had always steadied her, but her wolf remained distant, offering only the faintest flicker of acknowledgement.
Tomorrow, she would return to Moonshadow. The thought brought a mix of relief and sadness, a bittersweet ache she couldn’t quite name. Bloodstone wasn’t her home, but she had grown to care for the wolves here—for their resilience, their quiet strength. She was fated to be their luna, to lead them alongside Kai and be a guiding presence in their darkest moments. Yet, she didn’t know if she could come back. Not when every glance at Kai reminded her of the ground they’d lost, of what they might never have again.
The faint sound of footsteps in the grass pulled Lena from her thoughts. A familiar scent weaved through the night air—cedar, sun-warmed leather, and home. Lena’s heart lifted as she turned to see her father striding toward her, with Cian, Ryker, and Jace trailing close behind.
Raelen reached her first, arms wrapping around her with the kind of strength that had anchored her through every storm as a pup. Lena hadn’t known how badly she needed this—the comfort of family to remind her of who she was beneath the ache and uncertainty.
“You’ve been strong, Lena.” Raelen’s voice rumbled against her hair as his hand cradled the back of her head. “We’re here now.”
She blinked rapidly, swallowing hard against the lump rising in her throat. She hadn’t expected her father’s words to hit so deeply, to soothe a loneliness she hadn’t let herself name.
Cian pulled her into a tight hug next. Concern creased his features as he leaned back just enough to search her face. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay,” Lena answered, though the words felt thin. The way Cian’s hand lingered on her shoulder told her he didn’t believe her entirely—and he didn’t need to. Her twin’s steady presence was enough.
Ryker wasted no time sweeping her up in a bear hug that lifted her off the ground, making her breath catch in a startled laugh. “Don’t scare us like that again, Thing 1.” Gruff affection roughened his voice. “You had us thinking we’d need to storm Bloodstone and drag you out ourselves. You’re not married. You’re not theirs, or his, yet.”
Lena managed a small, grateful smile, ignoring Ryker’s insinuation about her bond with Kai. “I’ll try not to.”
There was something achingly tender in Jace’s expression as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “We’ve missed you,” he said simply pressing a kiss to her temple.
“I’ve missed you all too,” Lena replied as she looked between them.
Cian stepped back in, expression bright, pride unmistakable. “Darius said you’ve been helping plan the rite. That’s no small thing, Lena. You should be proud.”
