He's gone without another word, leaving me to reel from whatever just happened, staring at the water and watching the ripples, imagining them catching fire.
In an attempt to calm myself, I take a sip, but it does nothing to slow down my racing heartbeat, and doesn't extinguish the fire still thrumming beneath my skin. Somehow, Damian and I merged our powers, perhaps changing everything we thought we knew.
A listless laugh falls from my lips.
As if I knew anything at all!
I lift one hand, opening my palm to stare at the source of power that just destroyed an evil creature, my fingers trembling with something bordering on fear and uncertainty.
This is an identity crisis. I could have lived with being the fated mate of a werewolf; I could have lived with being his wife. But learning that I’m a descendant of an ancient werewolfpack and a witch coven linked to the pack is something entirely different.
Setting the glass down, I look down at both my hands now, which suddenly feel foreign to me, tears clouding my vision. Two weeks ago, I was just a nurse at the Hamilton Health-Daly Hospital, treating patients with diabetes and high blood pressure, and providing aftercare for those recovering from serious injuries.
Who would have thought that things could change so drastically? So quickly?
But there's something ancient buried inside me that doesn't want to be ignored anymore, and I can't do this to myself. I can't betray who I am because my ego is clinging to something that no longer exists. That version of me who used to work at the hospital as a nurse doesn't exist. She can't. Not when she's been exposed to another world, a different world in which she appears to be the answer so many have been searching for.
I feel it now when I pick myself up off the couch and drift toward the window, seeing Damian address his wolves, his people, at the riverbank. He stands tall and proud, handing out instructions to some men while speaking calmly to the others to give them reassurance.
Something inside me shifts, and for the first time, I see him not as the man who broke my heart, but as a revered leader, a majestic being who can shape-shift and wield water magic. The memory of that night he'd saved me from the demon comes back, not to haunt me, but to remind me that Damian isn't the enemy I made him out to be.
We have a common enemy—the demons—and that's what needs to be dealt with right now.
I watch as Damian returns to the cabin once the wolves have dispersed, and I turn to the door just as he walks in.
“I am ready,” I say, determination sparking inside me even before he meets my eyes, confusion knitting his brows.
“What do you mean?” he asks, carefully closing the door and standing beside it, as if he's too hesitant to come all the way inside.
“Training,” I reply, taking a deep breath. “You can inform the council that I am ready to train.”
As soon as the words leave my lips, it feels like a weight lifts from my shoulders, as if the chains that had been keeping me bound drop, and I'm suddenly free.
The words are spoken as if they belong to this moment, rooted in the danger the valley faces, belonging to the pack of wolves as if destiny itself is commanding my voice.
Something about my decision feelsright, and I know that this is what is needed from me. Damian must know it, too, because his eyes soften, his blue orbs glowing with recognition, and something softer, like praise.
“You're sure?” he asks, and I nod once for confirmation.
“Yes, I'm sure.”
Damian nods thoughtfully, throwing a glance at the door before returning his eyes to mine.
“Would you like to join me in a meeting with the council?” he asks, reaching out a hand toward me.
The invitation feels like a welcome into Damian's inner circle, and it feels like it's the right thing to do. Again, I find no resistance, only warmth, like the warmth of his fingers when I place my hand in his, agreeing to the meeting.
Somehow, this summer just took a turn, and it's not for the worse, after all. Excitement thrums in my chest, filling me with a sense of purpose unlike anything I'd ever felt, allowing me to step into my role as the Luna of the Red Moon Pack, walking beside the Alpha, and embracing what fate has decreed for me.
Chapter 17 - Damian
The shift in Sophie's aura is nearly visible, surrounding her like a gentle, warm glow of gold, like the aftermath of the fire power she wields to destroy demons.
Witnessing her stepping into her power is a sight to behold, and it puffs my chest with pride as we make our way to the main pack cabin, where Heinrich and Conan are already waiting for us.
As usual, Conan has his nose turned up as if he doesn't want to be there, the air filled with the scent of his indifference as he turns and heads inside first.
“What the—”
