CHAPTER 3
1316 Words
"Lyra, what's the matter?"
Rowan's voice scared me because it cut through the fog in my head.
I got up too quickly, which made me feel a little dizzy. I pressed my palm harder against my stomach to try to keep whatever had moved inside me from moving again.
I quickly replied, "Nothing. I just got up too quickly."
With his eyes fixed on my face, he took a step toward me but stopped, as if there were a wall between us.
"You looked like you were in pain."
"I told you I'm fine."
It was unpleasant to eat the lie, but not as unpleasant as the truth.
The garden was too quiet for a while, and the old moon tree above us was whispering softly in the wind. I could feel the bond again—it was antsy, confused, and pulling on us like a hurt animal.
Rowan spoke up first.
"You left the council chamber too quickly."
A quick laugh came out of my mouth. "I didn't know I needed permission to leave my own shame."
He clenched his teeth and said, "That wasn't right."
It was a soft "No." "What happened in there was."
He jumped.
"I didn't want it to go this way," he stated.
"You never do," I told her. "Things just happen to you." I should understand it.
"That's not true."
I looked up at him at last. "Then tell me what it means."
He spoke, then shut his mouth again. He looked past me and back down the way to the healer's hall.
In her direction.
He finally said, "I'm looking out for the pack."
I told you, "And I'm part of that pack." "Or have you already forgotten?"
His silence told us everything we needed to know.
The bond hurt again, this time very badly, and I took a deep breath through my teeth. Rowan saw it right away.
He took a step toward her without meaning to and asked, "What's going on? Don't feel good."""
I heard quick steps coming down the road before I could answer.
As Seraphina walked in, her pale dress flapped around her legs as she was out of breath. Her eyes got bigger when she saw us together.
"Ah," she made a soft sound. Sorry to cut you off, but "I'm sorry."
Rowan looked at her right away. "You shouldn't be walking around."
"I felt... calmer," she said, putting her hand on her chest. "The pain got better. I thought going outside might help."
She gave me a quick look and then her eyelashes fell. I saw something that I couldn't read.
She said in a soft voice, "I hope I'm not making a fuss."
Problems.
The word kept going through my mind.
Rowan quickly told her, "You're okay. You should sit down."
He told me to look at the bench next to me.
The seat.
I looked at it and then at him. He didn't seem to understand what he was asking, or maybe he did, which made it hurt even more.
"Only if Lyra doesn't mind," Seraphina said after some thought.
Everyone looked at me.
It made me want to laugh and scream, but I just stood there.
As I moved out of the way, I said, "Please be comfortable."
She sat down.
Rowan stood between us, making us feel like a weak bridge about to fall.
Seraphina suddenly spoke with a shaking voice, "I didn't mean to hurt you. If I had known you were his Luna—"
I said in a low voice, "You knew."
Her eyes filled with tears right away as her head snapped up.
She said in a whisper, "That's not fair."
Rowan made a face and said, "Lyra—"
"She knew," I said again, this time louder. "She knows what she's doing."
Seraphina shook her head. "Why would you say that? I was sick and confused. I came because I was scared," she said.
"Are you afraid of losing him or not having him at all?" I asked.
The air got thicker.
Rowan glared at me and said, "Enough."
That one word hit harder than any shout.
"You want me to be quiet while she questions my bond, my marriage, and my place?" I asked him with a tight chest.
It was clear that she was upset; she wasn't questioning anything.
"Yes, I am."
It wasn't an answer.
She slowly stood up and swayed just enough to catch his eye. "Rowan, please," she said, "I don't want to be the reason you fight."
Then she looked at me and finally started crying.
"I just want the truth," she said in a whisper. "When I crossed the border, I felt the bond. It was like my heart was being torn open. That doesn't just happen."
I looked at her face, noticing the tears, the shaking lips, and the perfect moment.
"You feel close to me," I said slowly. "But you left. You lived your life. You loved other people."
"I really did try to forget," she said with a weak nod.
"Yet," I said, "you come back as soon as I stand next to him as Luna."
Rowan moved forward and told Lyra to stop.
"Tell me I'm wrong," I told him.
Not possible.
The silence lasted for a long time and was heavy and harsh.
Seraphina sobbed and covered her face with her hands. "I didn't plan this, I swear. I just... I couldn't ignore it anymore," she said.
When she fell, Rowan caught her right away.
The bond screamed.
When I took a step back, my heart started beating faster, and that strange pain in my stomach came back, stronger this time. The edges of my vision became fuzzy.
Rowan looked up and said, "Lyra?" "Sit down."
"I don't need—"
I felt sudden, sharp pain.
I gasped and clutched my stomach as the world shook violently. My knees gave way.
"Lyra!" Rowan let Seraphina go and ran at me, catching me just as I was about to fall.
I felt at ease in his arms, even though they were wrong and necessary.
He barked, "Call the healer."
Seraphina stood behind him and watched. It was too quiet.
"I'm fine," I whispered, even though my forehead was wet with sweat. "It'll pass."
Rowan's hand on my back felt solid and warm. "This isn't normal," he said.
The pain slowly went away, but that unsettling warmth stayed.
Soon after, the healer showed up and looked at me with sharp eyes. "Stress," she said after a moment, "strong emotional shock can cause physical reactions."
She looked at Rowan with deep thought.
"Just to be safe," she said, "I'd like to do a few tests later."
Rowan said, "Do what you need to do."
"I should leave. I don't want to make things worse," Seraphina said in a soft voice.
Rowan thought about it for a second.
He then said, "I'll walk you back."
It broke my heart.
I began, "I thought—"
"I'll check on you later," he said, and then he walked away.
Soon.
He held Seraphina's arm steady as she walked down the path.
As I watched them leave, my body was still shaking and my chest felt empty.
I was tightly held by the healer, who said, "Please try to sleep, my Luna."
Luna, my love.
The words felt weak now.
By myself in our room at night, I looked at the shadows on the ceiling. The bond throbbed softly and unevenly, like a heartbeat that wasn't beating at the same time.
I made a face and put my hand back on my stomach.
It was there.
That heat.
Not fear or pain.
One more thing.
Something new.
And somewhere deep inside, a scary, quiet thought started to form:
What if Seraphina has nothing to do with the changes I'm going through?
What if Rowan can't change it?
- Writer
