Kate’s POV
The morning after the fight was mostly quiet, not a peaceful kind of silence -it was heavy, thick with grief and the weight of all that had been lost.
The field was now cleared of bodies, but the wind carried the scent of blood and ash a reminder of what had been lost and sacrificed in this time.
We should have felt victorious after all we had defeated the ancient wolf, and stopped the darkness that threatened to consume our pack and the entire Werewolf Kingdom. But there was no victory in this win, not with many deaths.
I stood at the edge of the door for the infirmary it had been days since the last battle and the men were healing. My body felt stiff, each movement a reminder of the fighting I had done each muscles ached from exhaustion, but I couldn’t sleep not when my mind was clouded with memories that refused to disappear so that every time I closed my eyes, I saw them: our fallen warriors, the ancient werewolf’s cold, lifeless form, and most vividly- Lia.
I pressed a hand to my temple, willing the headache away, there was too much to do, too many people to care for, too much to rebuild.
The pack needed me. Dimitri needed me and that was all I could allow to matter.
I glanced over at Dimitri, who was standing not far from me, overseeing the repairs despite the fact that he could barely stand. His body, was still healing from the infected wounds, but he refused to rest almost unwilling to show weakness. His stubbornness was infuriating, yet it was one of the things I loved most about him. Even when he was bleeding, even when his body screamed for rest, he refused to sit still.
Louis and the rest of the warriors are rebuilding the destroyed border gates. Even though we had won we still can’t let our guards down.
“Dimitri,” I called, walking over to him.
“You need to rest.”
He didn’t even look at me as he shook his head.
“I’m fine.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
” You need to go the infirmary”
“Stop worrying.” he insisted when I had tried to force him back to the infirmary.
But how could I not? His wounds had been deep, and poisoned. Even with our accelerated healing, the poison from the ancient werewolf had spread quickly through his system.
Lia had saved him but he still needed to rest and heal.
My heart clenched as I watched him, his shoulders tense, his jaw set. He was talking to the alphas about what came next rebuilding.
“You’re not fine. You were nearly killed in that fight, and your wounds haven’t fully healed yet. If you keep pushing yourself-”
“I said I’m fine, Kate,” he snapped, his voice sharp.
His gaze finally met mine, and I could see the exhaustion in his eyes, the strain he was trying so hard to hide. But more than that, I could see the pain, he was in at the lives we had lost, a burden he would have to carry forever.
He was still furious that I had fought the ancient wolf alone .
“I know you want to help,” I said, my voice softening he scoffed proving he was still sore about it.
“But you can’t lead this pack if you destroy yourself in the process. Let someone else take over for a while.”
” Like you took over with the fight”
” That’s not fair Dimitri I had no choice”
He was silent for a long moment, his jaw clenched. Finally, he sighed, his shoulders falling
“I can’t sit still while there’s so much to be done. Our people need me.”
“They need you alive and well,” I corrected, stepping closer to him.
“You’ve done enough, Dimitri. Now it’s time to let others step up. I will be here”
For a moment, I thought he would argue again, but then his shoulders dropped further, and he nodded reluctantly.
“Fine. But I’m only resting for a few hours. I’ll be back at it after that.”
I watched him go finding a seat not far from the work under the shade to watch, it wasn’t much of a rest but I would take what I could get.
“Kate?” A voice pulled me from my thoughts, soft and hesitant. I turned to find Mara, one of the our pack’s elders , a grandmother to a young orphan boy standing beside me.
She had been of much help during this period, she had unusually sharp, and wise eyes that were deeply rimmed with fatigue.
“Yes?” I asked, forcing myself to focus on her.
“We’ve begun clearing the west side of the valley,” she said, her voice quiet.
“The wounded have been moved to the infirmary, and we’ve set up temporary shelters for those who lost their homes. It’s… going to take time.”
I nodded, the reality of the rebuilding settling in my bones.
“It will,” I agreed. “But we’ll get there. We have to.”
Mara’s gaze softened as she studied me.
“You should rest, Luna Kate. You look exhausted.”
I smiled tightly, though I knew it didn’t reach my eyes. “I’m fine and please call me Kate” I offered but she just smiled softly
A wave of dizziness washed over me, as I said the words my body betraying me. My legs felt unsteady beneath me. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the blurring figures in my vision, but the fatigue settled deeper, rooting itself in my bones.
“Luna?” Mara’s voice was sharp with concern. Her arms reaching out, and gripping my arm gently.
I pulled away, shaking my head.
“I’m okay,” I insisted.
“I just need… a minute.”
But the truth was, I didn’t think I was okay. I hadn’t felt right since the battle ended and i likely needed to sleep for at least twenty four hours straight but it wasn’t just the grief or the exhaustion-there was something else. A constant ache gnawing in my chest, that I couldn’t shake. There was also the way my stomach always felt raw and tender, it made eating a chore.
My limbs felt heavier than they should, and no matter how much I slept, I woke up feeling more tired than before.
I pushed the thoughts aside. There was no time for me to be sick. Not now. There was simply too much left to do.
” Ok I’m fine, go find out what dinner will be and make arrangements for families with children to be homes first” I ordered and she nodded.
” Yes Luna ” the rest of the day was spent giving instructions for other things soon enough I looked around for Dimitri and found him with another group of Alpha, Denzel being one of them. I sighed I had not expected to keep him away for that long but really….
I took a deep breath, steeling myself before walking over to where he stood with the other alphas. As I approached, I caught the end of their conversation.
“We’ll need to send a message to the Council,” Alpha Denzel was saying, his brows furrowed in thought.
“The Werewolf Kingdom will need their support if we’re going to rebuild.”
Dimitri nodded, his voice steady, he looked stronger now, not as if he’d fall on his feet
“We’ll need to establish new trade routes, rebuild alliances. The packs are strong, but we can’t do this alone.” Alpha Sylvia offered, I said nothing to add or take from the conversation just stood quietly beside him, listening to the discussion unfold.
I agreed with them the kingdom had to be rebuilt, quickly but we needed help too.
” Luna Kate, you’ve been very quiet ” Denzel said softly, I jerked looking around only to realize that only, I, Dimitri and Denzel were left. I wasn’t aware I had zoned out that much.
” I had nothing to say” I muttered and he grinned
” I find that hard to believe but you do look tired ” he said patting Dimitri’s hand he nodded
” Get her someplace to rest” he offered
” I have to look on my pack members” he said walking away
Dimitri turned to me, his eyes softening when they met mine.
” He’s right you do look tired ” be huffed taking my arm in his
“How are you holding up?” he asked, his voice low enough that the others couldn’t hear.
I offered a small smile,
“I’m fine,” I said, the lie slipping out before I could stop it.
“What about you?”
His jaw clenched slightly, but he shrugged.
“I’m fine,” he echoed, though I could see the strain in his eyes. I sighed deeply.
He wasn’t fine. Neither of us were.
We stood there for a moment in silence, each of us weighing our words and finally, Dimitri sighed, his hand reaching out to rest on my shoulder.
“You should rest,” he said softly.
“I can handle things for now.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but the look in his eyes stopped me. He was worried about me, and in that moment, I realized that maybe I wasn’t hiding my exhaustion as well as I thought.
I decided on a comprise
“I’ll rest if you will,” I said, my voice quiet.
Dimitri smirked, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Deal.”
We walked back to the pack house together, I gave a few more instructions along the way, when we got in, I walked to the table to pour myself a glass of water while Dimitri had finally allowed himself to sit, his back resting against the headboard of the bed, his eyes half-closed. I watched him for a moment, sipping my water
” Come to bed ” he echoed as the tension in his body slowly melting away as he let himself relax.
” I’m coming” I called back just content to watch home I couldn’t bring myself to relax.
The moment I sat down, the ache in my chest flared again, sharper this time. My limbs felt like they were made of lead, and my head swam with dizziness.
I lay down beside Dimitri, hoping that rest would help. My body was tired, so tired, but my mind wouldn’t stop racing.
I shifted in bed, trying to find a comfortable position, with an almost alarming frequency
“You’re not okay, are you?” Dimitri murmured, his voice thick with sleep.
I sighed, the words catching in my throat.
“No,” I admitted softly.
“I don’t think I am.” I mumbled truthfully, not willing to lie of hide it anymore. Maybe if I said it out loud would I feel better, would I feel less worried
His eyes opened, concern flickering in them, but it disappearing almost at once.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head.
“I just… I feel off. Tired, weak. I thought it was just exhaustion from the battle, but it’s not going away. It’s getting worse.”
Dimitri frowned, his hand tightening slightly on my arm as he shoved his head into the crook of my neck. “You should see the nurses.” he said and i sighed
“What would be the point,”
” Well at least we would know what was wrong in the first place ” he muttered and I shook my head.
“It’s probably nothing. I just need rest.”
Dimitri didn’t argue, but the worry written on his face was more than enough to tell me that he did worry enough for both of us, there was nothing I could do to ease that but lean into him properly.
He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “Rest, Kate,” he whispered.
“We’ll figure it out tomorrow.”
I nodded, closing my eyes again, though sleep felt farther away than ever, when it came it did so slowly dragging me under like water almost reluctantly under, it was almost like a dancing princess swift and elusive but once I caught her I seemed to sink almost as fast.
I didn’t know what to think, not now anyway
Tomorrow, I told myself. I’ll figure it out tomorrow.
I dreamed a little, a baby crying in the wood somewhere, he seemed to just keep wailing his lungs out a pang behind my chest had me pausing for him but no matter how much I searched I could not find him.
I stirred lightly and beside me, Dimitri stirred, his hand reaching out to rest on my arm. His touch was warm, grounding, so I leaned into it and him eager for the contact.