Moonbound Mates

Chapter Thirty-Three

The next morning arrived gray.

Not stormy.

Just quiet.

The kind of morning where nobody seemed particularly eager to speak.

Rowan arrived at breakfast last.

The moment she stepped into the dining room, every conversation died.

Not because anyone had been talking much to begin with.

Kael sat at the head of the table.

Evelyn sat beside him.

Lyra and Jace occupied their usual seats.

For one brief moment, Rowan considered turning around and leaving.

Instead, she sat down.

The silence remained.

A servant appeared a few minutes later carrying a sealed envelope.

Rowan's stomach tightened immediately.

The Council seal gleamed against the wax.

Across the table, Kael's attention snapped toward it.

The servant placed the envelope beside his plate.

Then quietly left.

Nobody touched their food.

Slowly, Kael picked up the letter.

Broke the seal.

And read.

The change in him was immediate.

Small.

Almost invisible.

But Rowan saw it.

The slight tightening of his jaw.

The way his shoulders went rigid.

The flash of pain that crossed his face before he could hide it.

"Kael?"

Lyra's voice broke the silence.

"What is it?"

For a moment, he didn't answer.

His eyes remained fixed on the page.

Then finally—

"It's from Cyrus."

The room went still.

Even Jace looked up.

Kael swallowed once.

"There won't be any trial activities for the next several days."

Nobody spoke.

"The Council is arranging a meeting regarding the trial."

The words landed heavily.

Rowan felt everyone's attention shift.

Not toward Kael.

Toward her.

Slowly, she lifted her eyes.

And found him already looking at her.

The breath caught in her throat.

For one long moment, neither looked away.

Kael understood immediately.

She saw it happen.

The realization.

The connection.

The knowledge that this wasn't some routine Council decision.

This had come from her.

Pain flashed across his face.

Then something else.

Something sharper.

Rowan looked away first.

Her expression hardening.

Her gaze dropping back to her plate.

The room remained silent.

Across the table, Kael continued staring at her.

Several seconds passed.

Then he folded the letter carefully.

Set it beside his plate.

And stood.

"I have work to do."

His voice sounded controlled.

Too controlled.

The kind of control that required effort.

A lot of effort.

Nobody stopped him.

Nobody said anything.

Kael nodded once.

Then left the room.

The door closed behind him.

Silence settled over the table again.

He wasn't gone five seconds before Lyra looked at Rowan.

Then toward the door.

Then back at Rowan.

Confusion.

Concern.

Questions.

Too many questions.

Nobody seemed willing to ask them.

Evelyn was the only one still watching the doorway.

Thoughtful.

Quiet.

After a long moment, she looked toward Rowan.

"Rowan."

The sound of her name pulled Rowan's attention away from her untouched breakfast.

Evelyn offered a small smile.

Gentle.

Careful.

"Would you like to take a walk with me?"

The room fell silent once again.

Because somehow that was the last thing Rowan had expected.

For several long moments, nobody spoke.

The dining room felt strangely empty without him.

Rowan hated that she noticed.

Across the table, Evelyn waited patiently.

Not pushing.

Not pressuring.

Simply waiting.

Eventually, Rowan set down her fork.

"Okay."

The answer came quieter than she'd intended.

Something softened in Evelyn's expression.

"Okay."

Neither Lyra nor Jace said a word.

Though Lyra looked moments away from vibrating out of her chair.

Rowan pointed at her.

"Don't."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking very loudly."

Lyra looked offended.

Evelyn laughed softly.

And for the first time that morning, the tension eased.

Just a little.

A few minutes later, Rowan found herself walking beside Evelyn through the pack grounds.

The morning air was cool.

Fresh.

The sky remained stubbornly gray overhead.

For a while, neither spoke.

Pack members passed occasionally.

Offering respectful greetings.

Giving the Luna-to-be and the Alpha's mate a wide berth.

Eventually Rowan realized where they were heading.

"The lake?"

Evelyn nodded.

"It seemed appropriate."

Rowan wasn't entirely sure what that meant.

But she followed anyway.

The path wound through the trees.

Familiar.

Quiet.

Peaceful.

For several minutes, only the sound of their footsteps filled the silence.

Then Evelyn surprised her.

"I liked Fernhaven."

Rowan blinked.

The statement had come completely out of nowhere.

"I did too."

A small smile touched Evelyn's lips.

"It was one of the few places Kael ever truly relaxed."

The answer settled between them.

Rowan didn't know what to do with it.

So she said nothing.

Evelyn looked out toward the trees.

Thoughtful.

"When we were younger, he used to talk about it all the time."

Something warm and sad flickered across her face.

"Usually after coming home."

Rowan listened quietly.

"He'd spend weeks trying to convince me the pastries were worth the trip."

That earned the faintest ghost of a smile from Rowan.

"To be fair, they are."

"They are."

The agreement came immediately.

For a moment, both women smiled.

Then the smile faded.

The silence returned.

Heavier this time.

More aware.

Eventually, they reached the lake.

The water stretched before them.

Calm.

Still.

Beautiful.

Neither sat immediately.

Both simply stood there.

Looking out across the water.

Finally, Evelyn spoke.

"I don't think you're ending the trial because you're angry."

Rowan froze.

There it was.

Straight to the heart of it.

No dancing around the subject.

No pretending.

Just the truth.

Slowly, Rowan folded her arms.

"What makes you think that?"

Evelyn smiled sadly.

"Because if you were angry, you'd stay."

The answer caught Rowan off guard.

Completely.

Evelyn looked down at the water.

"You'd make him suffer."

A humorless laugh escaped her.

"You're stubborn enough."

Despite everything, Rowan almost smiled.

Almost.

Evelyn was quiet for a moment.

Then—

"I think you're ending the trial because you're hurt."

The words landed gently.

Which somehow made them worse.

Rowan swallowed.

Hard.

Neither woman spoke.

The lake stretched quietly before them.

Unbothered by any of this.

Eventually, Rowan laughed softly.

The sound held no humor.

"I kissed him."

Evelyn closed her eyes briefly.

Not surprised.

Not angry.

Just...

Tired.

When she opened them again, she looked out across the lake.

"He kissed me back."

The confession came barely above a whisper.

A painful silence followed.

Then Rowan looked away.

Ashamed.

Guilty.

Heartbroken.

All at once.

"I know I shouldn't have."

Evelyn's gaze shifted toward her immediately.

"Rowan."

The sharpness in her voice startled her.

Rowan blinked.

Evelyn rarely sounded sharp.

Ever.

"You don't need to apologize to me."

The words came quietly.

Firmly.

Certain.

Rowan stared.

Confused.

Evelyn looked back toward the lake.

"I think everyone has spent this whole time waiting for this to happen."

A bitter smile appeared.

"The Council."

A pause.

"Lyra."

Another pause.

"Me."

The smile disappeared.

"But you?"

For the first time, Evelyn looked directly at her.

"You've been fighting this from the beginning. Now youre being honest."

Rowan's chest tightened.

Painfully.

"I don't feel honest."

The confession slipped out before she could stop it.

Evelyn's expression softened.

"That's because you're in love with him."

The world stopped.

Not dramatically.

Not loudly.

Just...

Stopped.

Rowan stared at her.

Unable to breathe.

Unable to think.

Unable to look away.

"No."

The denial came instantly.

Automatically.

Evelyn's smile was heartbreakingly gentle.

"Oh, Rowan."

And somehow that was worse.

"No."

The answer came instantly.

Too quickly.

Too loudly.

Evelyn didn't argue.

Which somehow made it worse.

Rowan looked away first.

Toward the lake.

Toward the trees.

Toward anything except the woman standing beside her.

"I've known him for two weeks."

The words sounded ridiculous the moment they left her mouth.

Evelyn's expression softened.

"Rowan—"

"No."

She laughed once.

A short, disbelieving sound.

"Two weeks."

Her hands spread helplessly.

"Do you understand how insane that sounds?"

The lake remained calm.

Unbothered.

As though it had no interest whatsoever in her emotional crisis.

Lucky lake.

Evelyn was quiet for a moment.

Then—

"Maybe it is insane."

Rowan blinked.

The answer wasn't what she'd expected.

"Maybe it is too fast."

A faint smile touched Evelyn's lips.

"Maybe every story about mates is a little insane."

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Evelyn looked out across the water.

Thoughtful.

"When my parents found each other, my mother moved across three territories in less than a month."

Rowan stared.

"What?"

Evelyn laughed softly.

"Her father threatened to drag her home."

"Did he?"

"No."

The smile lingered.

"Because she threatened to break his nose."

Despite herself, Rowan almost smiled.

Almost.

Evelyn's expression softened.

"I've spent my entire life watching people find their mates."

The words were quiet.

Certain.

"None of them ever described it as sensible."

The smile faded.

"They described it as terrifying."

Something in Rowan's chest tightened.

Painfully.

Because that sounded familiar.

Far too familiar.

For a long moment, neither spoke.

Then Rowan looked back toward the lake.

The water shimmered beneath the gray sky.

Still.

Quiet.

Unchanged.

Unlike her life.

Unlike her heart.

Unlike anything else.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

The confession slipped out before she could stop it.

Beside her, Evelyn was silent.

Then—

"I know."

The answer came so softly Rowan almost missed it.

And somehow that hurt more than anything else.

Because for the first time since this entire disaster began—

Someone understood.

Not the bond.

Not the Council.

Not Kael.

Her.

The realization settled heavily between them.

Neither woman spoke.

Neither seemed to know what else to say.

The lake stretched endlessly before them.

Calm.

Still.

Waiting.

And for the first time in days, Rowan let herself stop fighting for a moment.

Just long enough to breathe.