Moonbound Mates

Chapter Twenty

The morning arrived clear and cool.

Kael stood near the packhouse steps, watching the sun climb slowly above the trees.

The pack was beginning to wake around him.

Warriors crossed the yard.

Voices drifted from the kitchen.

Someone was already arguing.

Normal.

Familiar.

The sound of approaching footsteps drew his attention.

He turned.

Evelyn was walking toward him.

For a moment, everything else seemed to fade into the background.

She'd traded her usual dresses for practical traveling clothes.

Her hair was pulled back loosely.

A small travel bag rested against her shoulder.

She looked comfortable.

Relaxed.

Beautiful.

Something in his chest eased at the sight of her.

Evelyn stopped in front of him.

For a second, neither spoke.

Neither needed to.

After all these years, silence had never been uncomfortable between them.

Finally, she smiled.

A small one.

Soft.

"Did you sleep?"

Kael huffed a quiet laugh.

Leave it to Evelyn to ask the question she already knew the answer to.

"Not much."

"I didn't think so."

His gaze drifted toward the trees.

"I kept thinking I forgot something."

"You didn't."

The certainty in her voice made him glance back at her.

Evelyn adjusted the strap of her bag.

"You checked everything three times."

"Twice."

"Three."

Kael considered arguing.

Then didn't.

Because she was probably right.

A hint of amusement touched her expression.

Small.

Private.

The kind that only existed because she knew him so well.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Evelyn looked toward the road stretching beyond the pack.

"We haven't done this in a while."

"No."

The answer came quietly.

Years ago, they used to leave the pack whenever they could.

Short trips.

Small adventures.

Excuses to escape responsibilities for a few days.

Back before Kael became Alpha.

Back before every decision carried weight.

A faint smile touched Evelyn's lips.

"The last time we traveled together, you got lost."

"I did not."

"You absolutely did."

Kael frowned.

"There was no map."

"There was."

"There was a terrible map."

Evelyn laughed softly.

The sound settled warmly in his chest.

And for the first time in days, things felt simple again.

Not perfect.

Not easy.

Just...

Simple.

"Ready?" he asked.

Evelyn looked at him for a long moment.

Then nodded.

"Ready."

Together, they turned toward the road.

And started walking.

____

The cabin looked exactly the same.

Kael wasn't sure whether that was reassuring or concerning.

The porch still leaned slightly to the left.

The shutters still needed repaired.

And the old wooden sign hanging beside the door still swung crookedly in the wind.

Evelyn smiled the second she saw it.

"Oh, thank the Moon Goddess."

Kael glanced at her.

"What?"

"It's still crooked."

He stared.

"That's your concern?"

"Absolutely."

"The roof could have collapsed."

"But it didn't."

Evelyn pointed triumphantly at the sign.

"The important things survived."

A laugh escaped him before he could stop it.

The sound felt unfamiliar.

Not because he never laughed.

Because lately it felt like he'd forgotten how.

Evelyn's smile softened.

"There you are."

Kael frowned.

"Where am I?"

"Less grumpy."

"I wasn't grumpy."

Evelyn simply looked at him.

Kael sighed.

"Fine."

"Thank you."

Together they climbed the porch steps.

Evelyn reached beneath the flowerpot beside the door.

Pulled out a key.

And unlocked the cabin.

Kael stared.

"You remembered."

She looked over her shoulder.

"Of course I remembered."

The answer came so easily.

So naturally.

As though there had never been any possibility she wouldn't.

And maybe there hadn't.

Inside, dust covered nearly every surface.

The furniture remained exactly where they'd left it years ago.

A faded blanket rested across the couch.

The old bookshelf still leaned dangerously to one side.

Evelyn walked inside.

Stopped.

Then laughed.

"What?"

She pointed.

A carved mark sat near the fireplace.

Small.

Easy to miss.

Kael immediately groaned.

"No."

"Oh yes."

"You promised never to mention that again."

"I lied."

The laugh that escaped her echoed through the cabin.

Warm.

Familiar.

Home.

For a moment, Kael found himself smiling too.

Because despite everything—

This part was easy.

Later that evening, they built a fire near the edge of the lake.

The air had cooled considerably since their arrival.

The flames crackled softly, casting warm orange light across the sand.

Somewhere nearby, water lapped gently against the shore.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Kael didn't have anywhere else to be.

No meetings.

No reports.

No pack business.

No Council.

Just the lake.

The fire.

And Evelyn.

An old radio sat beside them.

The thing had probably been ancient when they'd first started coming here.

Somehow, it still worked.

Mostly.

The music crackled occasionally through the speakers.

Neither of them minded.

Evelyn sat with her legs stretched out toward the fire.

A blanket draped across her lap.

Comfortable.

Relaxed.

Beautiful.

Kael watched the flames dance across the logs.

For a while, neither spoke.

The silence settled naturally between them.

The way it always had.

Finally, Evelyn smiled.

"I missed this."

Kael glanced toward her.

"The fire?"

"The quiet."

The answer came immediately.

She looked out across the water.

Thoughtful.

"I forgot what it felt like."

He understood.

Not because she explained.

Because she didn't have to.

Life had become busy.

Then busier.

Then impossible.

Somewhere between becoming Alpha and trying to keep an entire pack running, free time had become a luxury.

"We should have come back sooner."

The words left his mouth before he thought about them.

Evelyn's smile softened.

"I was thinking the same thing."

A comfortable silence followed.

Then—

"I honestly thought we'd be here more often."

Kael laughed quietly.

"So did I."

When they were younger, they'd talked about all sorts of things.

Trips.

Adventures.

Future plans.

Back then, the future had seemed endless.

Simple.

Evelyn nudged his shoulder lightly.

"We were very optimistic."

"We were."

"We were also idiots."

Kael considered that.

"That's fair."

Evelyn laughed.

The sound warmed something in his chest.

The radio crackled.

The current song faded.

A new one began.

For a moment, neither reacted.

Then Evelyn froze.

Just slightly.

Kael looked over.

The corner of her mouth had lifted.

A smile.

Small at first.

Then bigger.

Recognition hit him immediately.

"No."

Evelyn laughed.

"Oh yes."

"It can't be."

"It is."

Kael groaned.

The song drifted across the lake.

Older.

Slower.

One he hadn't heard in years.

Not since—

"Moon Goddess," he muttered.

Evelyn was openly smiling now.

"You remember."

Of course he remembered.

The first festival they'd attended together.

Evelyn had spent the entire evening pretending she didn't know how to dance.

He'd spent the entire evening pretending he believed her.

The memory surfaced effortlessly.

Bright.

Warm.

Easy.

A lifetime ago.

Evelyn's eyes sparkled in the firelight.

"You stepped on my foot."

"Once."

"Three times."

"That seems excessive."

"It was."

Kael shook his head.

A laugh escaped him.

Before he could stop himself, he stood.

Evelyn looked up.

Surprised.

"What are you doing?"

Kael held out a hand.

The song continued playing softly behind them.

For a moment, Evelyn simply stared.

Then her smile grew.

Slowly.

Beautifully.

She placed her hand in his.

Warm.

Familiar.

Easy.

Kael pulled her to her feet.

"You're going to step on my foot again."

"I've improved."

"You said that the first time."

"And yet here you are."

"Questioning my judgment."

The laugh that escaped her was immediate.

Real.

Kael guided her a few steps away from the fire.

The sand shifted beneath their feet.

The music drifted around them.

Soft and imperfect through the old radio.

Neither cared.

Evelyn rested a hand on his shoulder.

Kael settled one at her waist.

And together they moved.

Slowly.

Neither of them had ever been particularly good dancers.

That had never stopped them before.

It didn't stop them now.

For a little while, everything else disappeared.

No Council.

No trial.

No expectations.

Just music.

Firelight.

And familiarity.

At one point Kael made some terrible joke.

Evelyn laughed so hard she nearly missed a step.

"See?" he said.

"My dancing has improved."

"That wasn't your dancing."

"It contributed."

"It absolutely did not."

Kael grinned.

Evelyn rolled her eyes.

Then laughed again.

The sound echoed across the lake.

When the song finally ended, neither moved immediately.

The silence that followed felt warm.

Comfortable.

The kind built over years.

Eventually they returned to the fire.

The sun had begun its slow descent toward the horizon.

Painting the water gold.

Orange.

Pink.

The colors stretched endlessly across the lake.

For a while, neither spoke.

They didn't need to.

Evelyn settled beside him.

Close enough that their shoulders touched.

Then rested her head lightly against him.

The movement was natural.

Unthinking.

Kael smiled faintly.

Then rested his head gently against hers.

Together, they watched the sunset.

And for a little while, everything felt exactly the way it used to.

The second day should have been easier.

Instead, Kael found himself staring into the trees for the fifth time that morning.

"You've done that three times in the last minute."

Evelyn's voice pulled him back.

Kael blinked.

"What?"

"The staring."

She gestured vaguely toward the forest.

"Very dramatic."

A faint smile tugged at his mouth.

"Sorry."

"There it is again."

"What?"

"That."

Evelyn leaned back against the log behind her.

"The apologizing."

Kael frowned.

Had he been apologizing more?

The thought vanished almost immediately.

Along with whatever answer might have followed.

Something felt...

Off.

The feeling had started shortly after sunrise.

A restless sensation beneath his skin.

Not painful.

Just persistent.

Like an itch he couldn't reach.

He hated it.

His wolf, meanwhile, sounded insufferably pleased.

"Interesting."

"Don't."

"I haven't said anything."

"You were about to."

"Fair."

Kael sighed.

Across the fire, Evelyn watched him carefully.

Not suspicious.

Just concerned.

"You alright?"

The question came immediately.

Without hesitation.

Because of course it did.

Evelyn always noticed.

Kael forced a smile.

"I'm fine."

She studied him for a moment.

Then nodded.

Not convinced.

But willing to let it go.

For now.

The conversation resumed.

The trip continued.

Everything should have felt normal.

Instead—

Every so often, Kael found himself thinking about home.

The packhouse.

His office.

The training grounds.

Then, inevitably—

Rowan.

The thought arrived without warning.

Then disappeared again.

Leaving irritation in its wake.

Because that didn't make any sense.

At all.

His wolf laughed.

Long.

Slow.

Knowing.

Kael immediately disliked that.

Rowan

By the second day, Rowan knew something was wrong.

The first day had been uncomfortable.

The second was worse.

She'd spent most of the morning staring at the ceiling.

Then the wall.

Then the ceiling again.

At some point, Lyra had knocked.

Repeatedly.

Aggressively.

Rowan had claimed she wasn't feeling well.

Surprisingly, it wasn't a lie.

The problem was that she couldn't explain why.

Nothing hurt.

Not exactly.

She wasn't sick.

She wasn't injured.

She just...

Felt wrong.

Like something was missing.

The sensation crawled beneath her skin.

Restless.

Uncomfortable.

Impossible to ignore.

A soft knock sounded at the door.

Again.

Then footsteps retreated down the hallway.

Food.

Someone had left food.

Again.

Rowan stared at the door.

For several long moments.

Finally, she forced herself out of bed.

Crossed the room.

Opened the door.

A plate sat waiting.

Still warm.

She carried it back inside.

Sat on the edge of the bed.

And tried.

She really did.

One bite.

Then another.

The third never happened.

Her stomach twisted violently.

The plate landed on the bedside table.

Untouched.

Rowan pressed both hands against her face.

"What is wrong with me?"

Nyra was quiet.

Unusually quiet.

Which was somehow worse.

The silence stretched.

Then—

"You know."

Rowan laughed.

A short, humorless sound.

"No."

"You do."

"I don't."

The wolf sighed.

The sound carried a surprising amount of sympathy.

"You're feeling him."

The words settled heavily.

Rowan froze.

Immediately.

"No."

Nyra didn't argue.

Which was answer enough.

Rowan stared at the floor.

The bond.

Gods.

The bond.

Kael was gone.

Only gone.

Not hurt.

Not dead.

Not lost.

Gone.

And somehow that alone felt unbearable.

Tears burned unexpectedly behind her eyes.

The realization terrified her.

Because for the first time since this entire disaster began—

Rowan wasn't wondering whether she still wanted to go home.

She did.

Without question.

She missed her father.

Missed her pack.

Missed her life.

That hadn't changed.

The terrifying part was something else.

How was she supposed to go home...

If one day without him already felt like this?