Moon-Marked Luna

Chapter 2

DAWN

Callum left before the sun had fully risen.

I woke to the soft scrape of drawers opening, the muted rustle of fabric, the quiet way he moved when he didn’t want to disturb me. For a moment, still half‑asleep, I thought he was preparing for a council meeting. Then I remembered the phone call. The way his voice softened. The way the warmth between us evaporated the moment he heard her name.

I pushed myself up, blinking against the pale morning light. “You’re leaving already?”

He paused, glancing over his shoulder. His shirt was half‑buttoned, his hair still damp from a quick shower. He looked tired. He’d been tired for months, but this was different—this was guilt wearing his face.

“Eve didn’t sound good last night,” he said. “I just want to check on her.”

I nodded, even though something inside me tightened. “Of course.”

He hesitated, as if waiting for me to say something else. I didn’t. I didn’t trust myself to.

“I won’t be long,” he said.

I forced a smile. “I know.”

He crossed the room and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. It should have comforted me. Instead, it felt like a reminder of the night before—how close we’d been, how fragile it all was.

“I’ll see you soon,” he murmured.

And then he was gone.

The door clicked shut, and the silence that followed felt heavier than it should have.

I sat there for a long moment, staring at the empty space where he’d stood. I told myself it was fine. Eve had lost Chase. Callum was family. He was doing the right thing. I should be proud of him for being compassionate.

But the truth was simpler and uglier:

I didn’t like how easily she could reach him.

Or how quickly he answered or how her voice could pull him away from me.

I didn’t say any of that out loud or anything at all.

By mid‑morning, I was in the distribution hall with Corinne Ashbourne—Callum’s younger sister, two years younger than him but somehow steadier than most people twice her age. She was sharp, observant, and had a way of making people feel seen without making them feel exposed.

We were reviewing the winter food allocations for the northern families, making sure the stores were evenly distributed. Corinne was explaining the new inventory system, her braid swinging behind her as she moved from crate to crate.

“You see this?” she said, tapping a ledger. “If we adjust the rotation schedule, we can stretch the grain supply by another two weeks. It’ll help the families near the ridge.”

“That’s smart,” I said, genuinely impressed.

She shrugged. “Just paying attention.”

Two warriors walked by, speaking in hushed voices.

“…she’s leaving today…”

“…couldn’t stay after everything…”

“…poor thing…”

I froze.

Corinne noticed immediately. “What’s wrong?”

“Did they say Eve is leaving?”

Corinne blinked. “I… think so. I heard a little from the mindlink.”

I don't have that since my wolf is dormant.

I didn’t wait for more. I handed her the clipboard and stepped out of the hall, my heart thudding in my chest. I wasn’t sure what I was feeling—relief, guilt, confusion, all tangled together.

I found them near the front gates.

Callum stood beside Eve, who was dressed in a simple coat, her hair pulled back, her eyes red but dry. Ronan stood a few steps behind her, arms crossed, jaw tight. A single suitcase sat at Eve’s feet. The car engine was running.

She was really leaving.

For a moment, I didn’t know whether to celebrate or mourn.

Callum turned when he sensed me. His expression softened. “Dawn.”

Eve followed his gaze. Her smile was small and brittle. “Dawn. I didn’t think you’d come.”

How would I know she's leaving?! I stopped myself from rolling my eyes.

“I just found out you were leaving,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “I wanted to wish you well.”

Her eyes glistened, but I couldn’t tell if it was real or practiced. “Thank you. I… I don’t know if I’ll come back. Everything here reminds me of Chase. Our home. Our memories. Our future.”

Callum’s jaw tightened.

Guilt. Always guilt.

I stepped closer. “Take care of yourself, Eve. Truly.”

She leaned in and hugged me. It was brief, stiff, and cold around the edges. When she pulled back, her eyes flicked to Callum before she turned away.

Ronan opened the car door for her. She climbed in without looking back.

Callum stood there long after the car disappeared down the road.

I didn’t touch him. I didn’t speak.

I just stood beside him, feeling the weight of something I couldn’t name settling over us.

Later that afternoon, Corinne and I walked along the forest path behind the palace. She’d insisted on getting fresh air after the long morning, and I didn’t argue. The quiet helped.

We talked about nothing at first—her training schedule, the upcoming harvest festival, the new baker in the lower market who made pastries so good they should’ve been illegal.

Then, somehow, the conversation drifted.

“I still can’t believe Eve left,” Corinne said, kicking a pebble down the path. “She used to be everywhere when we were kids.”

I glanced at her. “Everywhere?”

“Oh, yeah. She comes here during vacation.” Corinne snorted. “She followed Callum around like a shadow. It was almost embarrassing.”

My steps faltered. “Callum? You mean Chase?”

She shook her head.

"Callum?" I asked again with more confusion this time.

“Mm‑hmm. She was obsessed with him.” Corinne shrugged. “Everyone thought they’d end up together. She certainly did.”

A cold ripple slid down my spine. “I… didn’t know that.”

“Well, it stopped when she turned eighteen and the bond snapped with Chase.” Corinne waved a hand. “She got over it. Or pretended to.”

Pretended. The word lodged itself in my chest like a thorn.

Corinne kept walking, unaware of the storm she’d just dropped into my lap. “Funny how things turn out, right?”

I didn’t answer.

Because suddenly, everything made sense.

The late‑night calls. The trembling voice. The timing.

The way she looked at Callum and the way he softened around her.

The way she always knew exactly when to reach out.

And the thought that hit me like a punch: Eve didn’t just lose Chase.

She lost the future she once imagined with my husband.