The Last Luna Standing

chapter 21

Tamara

The wooden door closed with a soft, dull thud, leaving me inside the chilled room. I stood alone in the dim light, my mind spinning as I tried to make sense of the tangled mess of feelings inside me.

My skin still tingled where North's large hands had held my waist just moments ago, and the lingering warmth of his lips against mine felt almost like a dream. We had crossed a massive line, one we could never uncross, and everything between us would have to change.

Yet, beneath the heat of that memory, a wave of confusion settled in my chest.

I stared blankly at the dark wood of the door he had just walked through, wrapping my arms tightly around myself to stop the shivering.

My heart hammered against my ribs while his final words echoed over and over in my head. “I don't regret what just happened.”

A slow breath escaped my lips, bringing a quiet wave of relief with it. He hadn't called it a mistake. If he had turned to me with cold regret and dismissed our connection as a mistake, it would have shattered the last fragile pieces of my heart.

But he hadn't. He owned it, even if he was still too stubborn and bound by his duty to the pack to let things go any further tonight.

Moving carefully, I picked up the bundle of dry clothes he had left on the floor. I pulled them on quickly, the fabric scratching against my sensitive skin as I tried to force my heart to cool down.

When I finally stepped out into the main room, I found North sitting on a chair near the center of the cabin. He had pulled on a dark blue shirt, his broad shoulders hunched forward as he stared blankly into the cold, empty stone fireplace, with only a candle lighting up the place.

I hesitated for a brief second before walking over to sit beside him.

The room was completely silent, filled only by the rhythmic drum of heavy rain hitting the roof and the low howl of the wind outside. It was a deep, comfortable stillness.

"Where is this place?" I asked softly. My voice felt tiny.

North didn't turn to look at me immediately, though I saw his hands rub on each other before he spoke.

"It’s a mating cabin," he said. "When mated wolves go into a mating frenzy after they mark each other, they usually stay here to isolate themselves until it subsides."

I turned my head, studying the outline of his body in the shadows. "How many of these are there?"

He finally looked back at me, his dark eyes meeting mine. "There are about ten scattered all along the borders of the pack land. But this one... this one is specially for me."

A tight knot formed in my throat. "For you?"

North looked down at his calloused hands, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "I built it myself years ago. I built it for myself and my future mate. Whenever she finally arrived or whenever she was chosen."

The heavy weight of his words settled into the space between us. Almost instantly, jealousy and fear pricked at my chest, threatening to ruin the fragile peace I was holding onto.

My mind flashed to Serena, and then to the other female warriors who had grown up alongside him, knowing him far longer than I ever had.

Before I could filter the thought, the question spilled out in a quiet, hesitant breath. "Have you... have you brought other females here?"

North’s head snapped toward me.

He reached out, his warm fingers catching my chin and lifting my face so I had no choice but to look directly into his eyes.

"Never" he said, his tone absolute. "You are the very first female that has ever set foot in this cabin."

The honesty in his voice washed over me, instantly melting the panic in my chest. I let out a shaky breath and felt my shoulders drop as the tension left my body.

He was telling the truth. I could feel it not just through the fading pull of the bond, but from his eyes.

A faint softening touched his features as he watched me relax, his thumb brushing lightly across my jaw before he pulled his hand away.

"The storm is too violent to go back tonight," he said quietly. "We'll stay here until morning. As soon as the rain subsides at dawn, we'll head back to the pack house before anyone realizes we are gone."

I nodded slowly, accepting the small gift of our temporary isolation. Here in this room, far from the eyes of the pack and the looming pressure of the trials, the world felt manageable.

We sat together in silence for a long time while the rain continued to wash over the roof, sealing us into our own private world.

My thoughts drifted back to his usual cold demeanor, and the dark history Earth had hinted at…the harsh parents who had turned North into a leader made of stone and full of responsibility.

Gathering my courage, I leaned closer, determined to push past the wall he always kept between us.

"Can I ask you a question?" I whispered.

North went still. He didn't answer right away, but after a long moment he gave a nod. "Ask."

I pulled my knees toward my chest, wrapping my arms around them as I stared into the dark corners of the room.

" Can you tell me about your parents," I said softly. "Tell me about their story.”