Moonbound Mates

Chapter Twenty-Three

Rowan woke before sunrise.

For several long moments, she simply stared at the ceiling.

The room was dark. Quiet.

Except for the snoring.

Gods.

Rowan turned her head.

Lyra was still asleep on the floor.

One arm was stretched across the room. A blanket had somehow wrapped itself around only one leg. Half a pastry remained balanced precariously on the nightstand beside her.

Rowan stared.

Then glanced at the ceiling again.

Then back at Lyra.

"...How are you alive?"

Lyra snored louder.

Remarkable.

Rowan sighed and sat up.

Immediately regretted it.

Not because she felt sick.

Because the moment her feet touched the floor, reality caught up with her.

Today.

The trip was today.

Three days.

Three entire days.

Alone.

With Kael.

Rowan immediately considered lying back down and pretending she had died.

Nyra laughed.

"You want to go."

"I do not."

"You packed half your bag yesterday."

"I was being prepared."

"You reorganized it twice."

Rowan grabbed a pillow.

The wolf sounded delighted.

"You're excited."

"I'm anxious."

"Same thing."

"It absolutely is not."

Nyra's laughter echoed through her mind.

Traitor.

Rowan stood and crossed the room toward the small wardrobe.

The bag she'd borrowed from Lyra sat waiting beside it.

Half packed.

Because apparently sometime yesterday she'd lost all common sense.

Slowly, Rowan began folding clothes.

Then unfolded them.

Then folded them again.

Then stared at them suspiciously.

"What are we doing?"

"Packing."

"Why?"

Nyra made a thoughtful sound.

"Because despite all evidence to the contrary, we're leaving voluntarily."

Rowan considered throwing something.

Unfortunately, the wolf had a point.

Which was deeply irritating.

Across the room, Lyra snorted loudly in her sleep.

Then rolled over.

Then immediately began snoring again.

Rowan watched the entire process.

Fascinated.

"Huh."

"What?"

"I think she might actually be immortal."

Nyra laughed so hard Rowan nearly smiled.

Nearly.

Instead she returned her attention to the bag.

A sweater.

A book.

Extra clothes.

A brush.

She paused.

Then stared down at the contents.

Three days.

The realization settled heavily in her chest.

Not a Council meeting.

Not paperwork.

Not a few awkward hours in the library.

Three days.

A bookstore.

A bakery.

A lake.

And Kael.

Her stomach performed a small, traitorous flip.

Rowan closed her eyes.

"No."

Nyra sounded unbearably pleased.

"Oh yes."

Several hours later, Rowan found herself standing in the packhouse courtyard.

Bag slung over one shoulder.

Heart behaving suspiciously.

The morning sun had fully risen now.

Pack members crossed the yard carrying out their usual routines. Conversations drifted through the air. Somewhere nearby, someone was arguing about training schedules.

Normal.

Everything looked normal.

Which felt unfair.

Because Rowan certainly didn't.

"You're pacing."

"I am not."

Nyra waited.

"...Maybe a little."

The wolf sounded delighted.

Before Rowan could argue further, movement near the packhouse steps caught her attention.

Kael.

Her stomach immediately betrayed her.

Again.

He was carrying a travel bag over one shoulder.

Simple clothes instead of his usual Alpha attire.

No formal jacket.

No meetings.

No responsibilities.

Just—

Rowan stopped that thought immediately.

Kael spotted her.

For a moment, neither moved.

Then he started walking toward her.

Steady.

Controlled.

Confident.

Nyra laughed.

"What?"

"Look closer."

Rowan narrowed her eyes.

Then blinked.

Because Kael was carrying two travel mugs.

And nearly walked directly into a fence post.

The Alpha recovered instantly.

As though it had never happened.

As though Rowan hadn't seen it.

As though the fence post hadn't very clearly won.

Nyra cackled.

Rowan bit the inside of her cheek.

Hard.

Kael reached her a moment later.

His expression was perfectly composed.

"Good morning."

"Morning."

A beat passed.

Then another.

Neither seemed entirely sure what to say next.

Kael held out one of the mugs.

"I brought coffee."

Rowan accepted it.

Their fingers brushed.

Both immediately looked away.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Silence.

Three days.

Rowan wasn't entirely sure when the idea had stopped sounding terrible.

That was probably something she should be concerned about.

Nyra laughed.

"Oh, this is going to be fun."

The first hour was awful.

Not objectively.

Objectively, it was a beautiful morning.

The weather was pleasant. The road was clear. The forest stretched endlessly around them in shades of green and gold.

The problem was that neither of them seemed capable of holding a conversation.

Rowan walked beside Kael.

Kael walked beside Rowan.

And the silence followed them like an unwanted third companion.

Eventually, Kael cleared his throat.

Rowan glanced over.

For a moment, he seemed to be debating something.

Then—

"I almost forgot your coffee."

Rowan blinked.

"What?"

Kael looked ahead.

"This morning."

A pause.

"I made coffee. Then left it on the counter."

Rowan stared.

Then realization hit.

"You nearly walked into a fence post."

Kael went completely still.

"You saw that."

Rowan bit the inside of her cheek.

"Yes."

"I thought I recovered quickly."

"You did."

A beat.

"The fence still won."

Kael sighed.

The sound was deeply long-suffering.

To Rowan's surprise, a laugh escaped her.

Small.

Brief.

But real.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Kael's mouth.

For a moment, the silence felt easier.

Less awkward.

Then it returned.

Not hostile.

Just... there.

Rowan took a sip of coffee.

Thought for a moment.

Then glanced toward him.

"Have you ever fought a rogue?"

Kael looked mildly surprised by the question.

"Yes."

The answer came immediately.

Rowan waited.

Nothing else followed.

She stared.

"That's it?"

Kael looked confused.

"You asked if I had."

"Most people elaborate."

A faint smile appeared.

"I've fought a few."

"A few?"

"More than I'd like."

That sounded more like him.

Rowan nodded.

Then shrugged.

"I've fought more than I can count."

Kael looked over.

For the first time since they'd left the packhouse, she seemed completely comfortable.

Confident.

Certain.

The hesitation she'd carried all morning disappeared.

"Really?"

Rowan grinned.

"Perks of growing up near disputed territory."

Kael huffed a laugh.

"I don't think that's a perk."

"It builds character."

"It builds scars."

"Exactly."

The answer came immediately.

Without thinking, Rowan rolled up one sleeve.

"I got this one from a rogue."

She pointed to a thin white scar crossing her forearm.

Kael's gaze dropped instantly.

Focused entirely on the mark.

"This one too."

Another scar near her shoulder.

"Winter patrol."

Kael nodded.

Studying each one carefully.

Not out of curiosity.

As though he genuinely wanted to know.

The realization settled unexpectedly in Rowan's chest.

Warm.

Strange.

"This one was actually my fault."

She pointed at another near her wrist.

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"Unlike the others?"

"Those were also my fault."

The corner of his mouth twitched.

"Honest of you."

"I try."

To her surprise, Kael laughed.

Gods.

She liked that sound.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Rowan touched the side of her stomach.

A habit more than a conscious decision.

"This one was the worst."

Kael glanced over.

"What happened?"

Rowan hesitated.

Then lifted the edge of her shirt just enough to reveal the pale scar stretching across her side.

"It was a large rogue."

Her fingers traced the mark lightly.

"I thought I had him, but he—"

The words died.

Kael had stopped walking.

Completely.

Rowan's breath caught.

His eyes weren't blue anymore.

Gold.

Bright.

Intense.

His wolf.

For one impossible moment neither of them moved.

Neither of them looked away.

Nyra surged forward immediately.

Mine.

The word echoed through Rowan's mind.

Possessive.

Certain.

Her pulse stumbled.

Kael's gaze remained fixed on her.

Not the scar.

Her.

Something shifted in the air between them.

Something neither of them seemed prepared for.

Rowan lowered her shirt slowly.

The silence that followed felt very different from the one they'd started the morning with.

Then—

"Anyway."

She cleared her throat.

Hard.

"The rogue died."

Kael blinked.

Once.

Twice.

As though dragging himself back to reality.

"That's good."

Rowan stared.

Then burst out laughing.

The sound echoed through the trees.

Kael groaned immediately.

"I could have said something better."

"You really could have."

"I know."

"That's the response you chose?"

"I panicked."

That only made her laugh harder.

A faint smile lingered on her face as they continued down the road.

Beside her, Kael looked suspiciously relieved that she had stopped laughing at him.

The silence that settled between them this time felt different.

Easy.

Comfortable.

Neither seemed in a hurry to break it.

The road curved gently ahead.

Then Kael's steps slowed.

"There it is."

Rowan looked up.

And stopped.

The town sat nestled between rolling green hills and the edge of a sparkling lake.

Stone buildings lined winding streets.

Flower boxes overflowed beneath windows.

Small shops clustered together near the center of town.

Colorful awnings stretched across storefronts.

Sunlight reflected off the water beyond it all.

For a moment, Rowan simply stared.

It looked like something from a storybook.

Beautiful.

Warm.

Alive.

Beside her, Kael smiled.

Small.

Unintentional.

"My mother loved it here."

Rowan understood why.

And together, they started toward the town.