Chapter 104 The bond 02

Chapter 104: Chapter 104 The bond 02

Talia’s POV

He told me about the pack. About its history, its traditions, and its challenges.

He told me about the training regimens, the patrol routes, and the alliances he was trying to build.

"You are a good Alpha," I said.

"I am trying to be," he replied.

"That is all anyone can do," I said. "Tell me about the alliances."

He shifted, adjusting his position so he could look at me more easily.

"There is a pack to the east, called the Moonshadow Pack. Their Alpha is an old friend of my father’s, and we have been negotiating a trade agreement for months, which contains, food for protection, as their territory is rich in resources we need, and ours is safer than theirs."

"And the Stoneclaw Pack?" I asked.

"That treaty you signed changed everything. Other packs are watching now, and they see that Shadowfang is willing to make peace, not just war," he explained.

"That is good, right?" I asked.

"It is. But it also means they expect more from us. And essentially from me," he said.

He looked at me. "You are a good Luna."

"I am trying to be," I smiled softly.

He smiled as well, even though it was just a little. "That is all anyone can do."

"The training you have been doing," he said. "It is the same regimen I used when I was younger. My father designed it, to be hours of repetition until your body remembers what to do without thinking."

"It is exhausting," I said honestly.

"It is supposed to be. The trial will not be easy, because the person you have to protect could be attacked at any moment, and you will not have time to think. You will only have time to react," he explained.

"What if I freeze?" I asked.

"You will not," he said confidently.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Because you have survived worse, and you are still here," he patted my back.

"What about Cain?" I asked. "Why is he so cold?"

Kaelen was quiet for a moment. "His father was my father’s Beta, and they grew up together. When my father died, Cain’s father died with him, in the midst of the battle, trying to protect him."

My breath caught. "I did not know."

"No one does. Cain does not talk about it, and he blames himself, even though there was nothing he could have done," he said.

"Is he your Beta now?" I asked.

Kaelen nodded. "He is. I trust him with my life."

"Is the incident part of why he never smiles?" I asked.

"Yes. I think part of that is why he never smiles," Kaelen nodded.

The fire crackled, and the shadows danced on the walls. I watched his face in the flickering light, and the way the flames reflected in his gray eyes.

"What happens now?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he tilted his head.

"After the trial, and after all of this. What happens to us?" I asked again.

He was quiet for a moment. Then he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"We will figure it out," he said. "Together."

"Together," I repeated with a small voice.

The word felt heavy on my tongue, but it also felt right.

I thought about his mother. About the woman who had hummed while she worked, and whose laugh filled the whole room. I thought about Kaelen as a boy, running through the forests with his friends, before grief had carved lines into their faces.

"Do you miss her?" I asked.

"Every day," he answered.

"What would she think of you now?" I looked at the fireplace.

He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "I think she would be proud. I hope she would be proud."

"She would be," I smiled softly.

He looked at me. "How do you know?"

"Because I am proud of you, and I did not even know you existed a few months ago," I answered.

I looked around the room, as the fire crackled, and the shadows danced on the walls.

Kaelen shifted, moving away from me. Then he propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at my face.

His gray eyes moved across my features, slow and deliberate, like he was memorizing every curve, and every line.

I held my breath as I stared back at him.

He reached out and traced his fingers along my arm, from my shoulder to my wrist. His touch was light, and almost hesitant.

His fingers tingled on my skin, but I did not pull away.

Then he leaned in and kissed me.

This kiss was not like last night. It was slower, and more deliberate, like he had all the time in the world.

I leaned into him and kissed him back, as his hand moved to my waist, pulling me closer.

My fingers curled into his hair, that was soft and dark, and in that moment, the world disappeared.

There was only him, only us, and only this moment.