Not long after, the family moonstone began to glow. Silver light spilled across the darkened room. When I touched it, Sheena’s tired voice came through. She said I was the only Luna she had ever acknowledged. She promised Lucian would come to his senses. She said he would apologize.
I listened without expression.
Then I set the moonstone aside.
I had no desire for empty assurances.
I only sent back a brief reply that I was occupied.
After that, I sat alone, listening to the wind brush against the shutters. The Alpha house felt strangely hollow. For years, I had shaped my life around Lucian’s presence. I used to wait for his footsteps, for his scent drifting into the room, for the careless way he would loosen his collar and ask what I had prepared for supper.
That night, I waited for none of it.
When dawn came, I rose before first light.
I washed in cold water, dressed in silence, and braided my hair with steady hands. Then I lit the hearth myself and prepared a simple breakfast I barely touched. My body moved by habit, though my heart no longer followed.
By the time the eastern sky began to pale, I was already on my way to the administrative hall.