Chapter five A Note at the edge of the night
1150 Words
Diana paced the length of her room, the moonlight filtering through the tall Windows and casting pale streaks across the stone floor, her heart felt heavy torn between desire and duty, she knew what she was doing with Alex was reckless, stupid even, but she couldn't stop thinking about him, the intensity of his gaze, the way he made her feel seen like she was more than just the blood moon princess trapped by her father's expectations.
Her father's warning echoed in her mind, Sharp and unwavering “ End it, Diana, or you'll regret it”
She slumped into the armchair by the window her hands trembling, and the burden of responsibility clawed at her making it hard to breathe, The blood moon pack's long-standing rivalry with Alex's family meant their bond was forbidden, a spark in the middle of a dry Forest, dangerous and bound to ignite everything around them.
Diana's eyes squeezed shut, why couldn't things be different? Why did the moon goddess have to place him on the other side of an unbreachable line? She curled into herself, guilt pressing down hard. She didn't intend to disappear from the bar, but it was the only way to protect him, protect both of them.
And yet, each time she thought of Alex's frustrated Express, his restless search, her resolve wavered. It wasn't just a fling to her. He made her feel alive, and free, even if only for those fleeting moments.
“Fool” she whispered to herself. “You knew how this would turn out”
But deep down the thought of never seeing him again felt like a loss she wasn't prepared to accept.
Meanwhile, Alex sat at the bar once more, drowned in whiskey, his frustration doubling. She was gone once again. No matter what time of day or night he showed up, Diana was never there. It was as if she had vanished from the face of the earth.
“You're torturing yourself man” Rollo muttered, giving him a sympathetic glance. “It's been weeks. Maybe it's time to let her go”
“I can't, not until I know for sure she doesn’t want me”
Rollo exhaled slowly. “Maybe to her, it was just a game, a fleeting moment” “No,” Alex said firmly, shaking his head. “It wasn't just that”
He could feel it in his gut, there had been something real between them, something too powerful to dismiss. The way she laughed at his jokes, how her guard slipped just enough for him to glimpse the person behind the mask of duty. Diana wasn't just running away; something was forcing her to keep her distance.
But damn it, not seeing her for days was eating him alive.
He spent night after night, sitting in the bar, hoping for even the slightest glimpse of her. He hated how desperate it made him feel, how powerless. He was Alex Kensington, the alpha prince, and yet this woman held his heart in her hands without even trying.
On nights when he went with Rollo, his friend tried to distract him with jokes or idle chatter, but it didn't do much good. Alex's mind was always on Diana, wondering where she was, what she was thinking if she missed him the way he missed her.
Then, one night, everything changed.
Alex had almost given up hope as he wandered the streets towards the bar, the cold night air nudging at his skin. But when he reached the door, something strange caught his attention. A folded piece of stripped dress rested on the window shield, the very one Diana had
worn on the first day they met, he had complimented her look and when they were about parting ways the dress clung to him accidentally, he remembered.
Curious, he grabbed the piece, and unfolded it, in it was a folded note, his heart skipped a beat as he saw his name elegantly handwritten. Diana's handwriting.
He unfolded the paper quickly, his eyes scanning the brief message.
“Meet me at the boundary between our packs. Midnight. Come alone”
For a moment, Alex stood frozen, the note clenched between his fingers. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. Why now? What had changed?
But there was no hesitation. He stuffed the note into his pocket and took off down the street.
At the edge of the forest, the boundary between Silver Fang and the Blood Moon territories lay. Tall pine trees stretched overhead, their branches whispering in the breeze. The
tension of the years of hostility lingered in the air as if the land remembered the blood spilled between the two packs.
Alex arrived just before midnight, his pulse hammering in his chest he scanned the darkness, his breath clouding in the cold air, he knew there was a risk. If anyone from Diana's pack discovers them, things could turn ugly fast.
But he didn't care.
He waited, straining to hear any sound of movement, his heart ached with the possibility that this might also be a trap, maybe by her father who had found out and sent her here to lure him into an ambush, but deep down he knew Diana wouldn't do that.
Minutes stretched into what felt like hours and Alex began to fear she wouldn't come after all. Then a shadow shifted among the trees.
“Diana?” he called softly, stepping towards the sound.
She emerged from the darkness, her expression guarded, her hair catching the faint moonlight. For a moment; neither of them spoke, the tension between them thick and unyielding.
“You came” Alex breathed a sigh of relief.
“I shouldn't have” regret all over her face.
“Then why did you?”
She hesitated wrapping her arms around herself as if trying to hold everything together “because I couldn't stay away”
“Then don't,” Alex said, taking a step closer, his voice low.
Her eyes glowed with emotions she couldn't voice, torn between desire and fear. “ it's not that simple, Alex this.. it.. can't happen”
“It already has”
For a moment, Diana closed her eyes, as if trying to block out the truth in his words. When she opened them again, they were filled with both longing and sorrow.
“I'm risking everything by being here” She whispered. “if my father finds out…”
Alex reached for her hand, his touch warm against her cold skin “We'll figure it out, Diana, together”
She gave a small sad smile, her fingers curling around his “You don't know what you're asking” “I know exactly what I'm asking”
And for the first time in weeks, Diana allowed herself to Hope even if just for a moment that maybe somehow there was a way forward for them.
- Writer
