Steven’s POV
Luna’s voice shook, her body trembling while she stared at me with those wide, fear-stricken eyes. “I just saw you die,” she whispered, the words catching in her throat, as if even to say it out loud was painful.
I furrowed my brow, taken aback by the sudden panic in her eyes. “My death?” I repeated, trying to grasp what she meant.
“I saw you die, Steven!” Her voice broke as she clutched my arm tightly, desperation written all over her face. “Someone-someone tore your heart out right in front of me, and you… you were gone!” Her breathing turned irregular, and within seconds, tears started streaming down her cheeks.
I closed the distance, feeling my heart fill with more concern as I attempted to placate her. “How did you know?” This time my voice was gentler, genuinely interested in just what had shook her so violently.
She swallowed hard, and her whole body was trembling. “I saw it,” she whispered, barely above a breath. “When we kissed. When I closed my eyes, it was like my mind wasn’t in the present anymore. It felt like I was seeing something from the future, and I-I watched you being killed!” Her voice cracked again, and her hold on my arm tightened.
I took a deep breath and tried reasoning with her. “It was only your imagination, Luna,” I said softly, trying not to upset her.
“It was not!!” she suddenly screamed, her whole body shaking violently. “It felt real, Steven! I saw it with my own eyes, and I felt it-every single moment of it! You were killed, and I felt an agony unlike anything I’ve ever known before! It wasn’t a dream, it wasn’t just in my head-it was real!”
Her voice cracked on the last word, and pure terror shone in her eyes. The sight made my heart constrict.
“Luna.” I whispered, fumbling for the right words with which to calm her down.
She shook her head, her hands gripping my shirt, her eyes pleading with me for something. “It was under the night sky,” she said, her voice trembling, as if she was having a nightmare once more. “The moon was full, and it shone upon you as if to keep watch on the events. And then.” Her breath hitched as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. “And then it happened. You’re not going anywhere at night from now on, Steven! I won’t let you! You can’t step out after dark ever again!” She clutched me tighter, as if she was scared I might just disappear before her eyes. I sighed, reaching up to gently pry her fingers away from my shirt. “You have to calm down, Luna,” I told her softly, trying to ease her panic.
“You cannot die!!” she suddenly yelled, gripping my hands as if she was afraid to let go. “We have to do everything we can to prevent what I saw from happening! Everything, Steven!”
Sighing heavily, I fought to keep my patience. “It was only a dream, Luna,” I said again, trying to get her to finally listen.
“You promised me!” she said in a sudden, hoarse whisper. “You told me you’d treat me like your equal, and now I tell you something awful’s coming. I tell you, we are all in danger, and you must believe me!”
I stared at her for a moment longer, as the words found their places in my mind. There was desperation in her voice, certainty in her eyes, and all in all, she sounded like someone who meant it.
I sighed, scrubbing the back of my neck. “All right, okay,” I finally said. “Let’s just say what you saw really was a vision of the future.” I paused and continued, “Even if that’s the case, I don’t have a choice but to go out nearly every night in my life. Three nights from now is *The Hunt*, and I do have to be out that night.”
She had gone rigid, blood draining from her face, as I uttered those words. “The night of what?” she whispered.
“The full moon night,” I explained further, watching her carefully. “The night of The Hunt.”
She shook her head vigorously, moved backward, as her breathing became ragged. “No, no, no.” she muttered under her breath, horror flashing in her eyes.
I frowned, stepping toward her. “What’s wrong, Luna?”
She looked at me, eyes filled with fear and realization. “I had a dream before,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “A voice spoke to me, telling me things I didn’t understand at the time. But now.” She took a shaky breath before looking at me with newfound certainty. “Now, I think I understand clearly.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What did the voice say to you?”
She was still for a moment, then her tone, like a spectral mist, commenced with the words:
*”Everything has its weight
On the night of The Hunt
When darkness starts to close in
The Demon Wolf shall appear.”
A chill of silence fell between us as I digested the words.
I exhaled sharply. “Do you know what that means?”
“Luna, it’s just a dream,” I tried to reason, but she shook her head violently.
“No, Steven, listen to me!” she yelled, clamping onto my hands even tighter. “The *Demon Wolf* will come for you on the night of *The Hunt*, and he’ll rip out your heart just like I saw!”
I sighed. “Come on, Luna.”
“You must run!” she cried out, desperation in her voice. “We all must run if we want to survive. If you stay here and wait for him to come, he will kill us all! We have to leave. Right now! Go and call everyone, Steven. We need to run away before it’s too late, before he finds you, before he-”
I gripped her shoulders. “Luna, you’re freaking out,” I told her calmly, yet firm. “You have to calm down.”
“No! You don’t understand! We have to-”
“No one is running anywhere!!!” I yelled loud and clear, my voice echoing off the walls.
Luna shuddered with my yell, eyes wide in shock.
“If it is as you say,” I continued now, my voice steady but cold, “if the *Demon Wolf* is indeed coming for me on the night of *The Hunt*, then let him come.”
“Steven.”
“I will go out on that night, and if he dares to show himself, he shall fall by my hand,” I confidently declared.
“And what if you fall by his?” Luna whispered, barely audible.
I stepped closer, looking right into her eyes. “I do not entertain the thought of failure, Luna. I am not afraid.”
Tears brimmed again in her eyes. “Still, we should run, Steven. Or at least let Liam alert your wolves. You can’t fight the Demon Wolf alone!”
“Running and hiding solve nothing,” I said, my voice even. “I’ve learned that the hard way.”
She hesitated then whispered, “Then teach me. Teach me how to fight.”
I sighed. “Fine,” I muttered. “I’ll teach you. I’ll teach you how to fight.”
A small victorious smile appeared on her lips. “Great. We start in the morning.”
I ran a hand through my hair and let out another sigh. “Of course we do.”
*****
Freya’s POV
The morning air was filled with freshly baked bread and the aroma of sizzling bacon from the kitchen. That warm air from the stoves combined with the cold breeze slipping through the partially opened window. I stepped inside, rolling up my sleeves, ready to help the workers prepare breakfast.
It was part of my routine: to wake up early, set the table, make sure everything was just right. It gave me a sense of normalcy, something stable to hold onto. After everything that had happened, I needed that.
Just as we put the last dish on the table, I heard light footsteps coming down the stairs. I turned in time to see Freja coming down, her hair somewhat tousled from sleep. She rubbed her eyes, stifling a yawn, half-asleep yet managing to move with her usual grace.
“Good morning, Freya,” she greeted, her voice laced with sleep.
I lifted an eyebrow at her and crossed my arms. “How is it you always show up right when breakfast is ready?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her playfully.
She grinned, plopping down into the nearest chair. “I like to be punctual,” she said simply, stretching her arms above her head.
I shook my head and let out a sigh. “No sitting yet,” I said, setting a hand upon my hip. “Go call Steven and Ashley. Let them know breakfast is ready.”
Freja wrinkled her nose. “Are you sure I should be the one to go? Those two were having a *really* intense argument last night, and I’d rather not get caught in the middle of whatever’s going on between them.”
I chuckled, looking toward the staircase. “You don’t have to worry about that. They seem fine now. Look.”
Freja turned her head and we both watched Steven and Ashley walk down the stairs together. They weren’t fighting anymore. In fact, they looked. placid. Maybe even harmonious.
“You guys coming for breakfast?” I called out, anticipating them to come back.
“Not yet,” they both said at once, then strode right towards the door and out of the house.
Freja blinked, then turned back to me with a suspicious look. “Okay, seriously. What is going on with those two?”
I shrugged. “No idea. But at least they’re not trying to rip each other’s heads off, so I’m not complaining.”
Freja hummed, her lips pressing into a thin line as if weighing whether to insist on answers. Eventually, she just shook her head. “Well, whatever. I’m eating now. I have somewhere to be in less than an hour.”
I arched my brow. “You always have somewhere to be these days.”
She smirked. “And I bet you’re thrilled about that. When I’m out, you don’t have to fight me for the TV, and you get to watch your *boring* soap operas in peace.”
I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “At least you admit you’re a disturbance.”
She just laughed, shoving a piece of toast into her mouth.
A few minutes later, Liam and Roy joined us, and the clinking of cutlery, along with murmured conversations, filled the small kitchen. The table felt alive, warm. It was one of those moments where, despite everything, things felt… normal.
But normal never lasted long around here.
Done, Freja stood, brushing crumbs off her hands. “I’m done here. I need to go get dressed,” she said, and hurrying now, scampered upstairs.
Roy leaned back in his chair, patting his stomach with a satisfied sigh. “Thanks for the food, Freya.”
I smiled. “You really enjoyed it, huh?”
He nodded. “You’re a great cook. Still, I’ve got to see Williams. Today’s the day we’re holding a practice duel.”
I leaned my head. “Easy does it on him, hmm?”
Roy smirked. “Williams gets stronger. Take it easy with him, he might just try beating me this time.” A wink, then he was gone.
So now, at the table remained Liam and myself.
The air between us thickened with something silent. I felt him staring, but I did not lift my head. I kept my attention on my half-empty plate of food, ignoring it.
Then, finally, he spoke. “I challenged Steven to a race,” he said.
That lifted my head, and I gazed at him, frowning slightly. “A race? Why?
His face was solemn. “To get his approval. If I win, he won’t object to me… bonding with you.”
My stomach twisted. The words came as harder than I’d anticipated, and for a moment, I just sat there, trying to process them. “Bonded?” I echoed, my voice quieter than I intended.
“You don’t want us to be bonded?” he repeated softly, searching my face for an answer.
I swallowed, finding suddenly that my lungs didn’t quite know how to function anymore. “Liam… I had a mate. I was already bonded.”
His eyes gentled, his face filled with a tenderness that I was much better off not naming. “You deserve another chance at happiness, Freya,” he murmured softly. “Let me make you happy again.”
I looked away, staring at my plate even though I wasn’t really seeing it. “I’m not… I’m not ready for this,” I admitted, my voice shaking a little.
Liam sighed but didn’t push. “Alright. I’ll give you time. But I’m still racing Steven, no matter what. I will get his approval.”
I frowned, shaking my head. “This is ridiculous, Liam. You can’t win against Steven.”
But instead, he smirked. “You underestimate me, Freya. You really do.”
And then, just like that, he stood up and walked away, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I sat there, my heart pounding, my emotions tangled in a mess I didn’t know how to sort through.
Liam was serious.
And the worst part?
But still, a very minuscule, arrogant part of me wanted him to win.
Next thing I knew, guilt clouted me square in the abdomen.
I liked Liam. Obviously, I was not blind.
But the bonding?
It felt like I was betraying Brown.
My hands curled into fists under the table, nails digging into my palms.
I already carried enough guilt.
I can’t just forget Brown.
I can’t…