No, I won’t let myself hope. At least nothing from him. I trusted and loved, and cared enough about that man. I don’t want to give him another piece of me, no matter how small.
I run a hand through Ivy’s soft curls. It smells of lavender and Brin’s salve, not of smoke or fear. The ugly burn on her shoulder is now a faint pink patch.
“How do you feel, sweetheart?” I whisper. “Ivy, does it hurt anymore?”
Ivy blinks awake, yawning. “Not hurting,” she mumbles.
Relief floods me so hard it makes my eyes sting. “Good. That’s Brin’s magic and the Moon’s mercy both.”
Finn stirs beside us, mumbling, “Mama, it’s bright.”
I laugh softly. “That’s what happens when the sun remembers this room exists.”
He squints around. “It’s big. And dusty.”
“Then we’ll clean it,” I tell him. “Piece by piece.”
???
By breakfast, we’re sitting on the rug near the hearth. There’s a table, its legs carved with golden hooves, edges shaped into wolf heads, but Ivy insisted we sit on the floor that we just finished cleaning.
A tray of honey porridge and sweetened milk rests between us.
“Let me feed you,” I tell them, scooping a spoonful toward Ivy.
She shakes her head. “I can do it.”
For a moment, I think she’ll mention Izel, or cry about wanting to go to her, but that doesn’t happen. So, I quickly rush my words. “Allow me.” I smile. “Just once.”
She opens her mouth obediently. Honey sticks to her lip, and she giggles when I wipe it away with my thumb. Finn leans close, pretending disgust. “She’s sticky, Mama.”
“So are you,” I tease, dabbing a bit of porridge on his nose. He laughs softly in return.
Nyx hums in approval inside me. ‘This is what home sounds like.’
A knock interrupts us. Tamsin steps in, ducking under the arch. Her braid is wind-tossed, armor still dusted from training.
“You look alive again,” she says, glancing at the children. “And they look happier.”
“They should be,” I reply. “They finally slept next to their mother. No influence of any glamor.”
Tamsin’s jaw tightens. “About that—some of the household women came to me earlier. They want to see you. They say they owe you thanks.”
I blink. “Thanks?”
“For saving the little one. For standing up to Izel, and… to the Alpha’s misbehavior. You showed strength at the Hunt Display and proved your worth.” She pauses, lowering her voice. “They’re ready to swear to you, Freya.”
Finn looks up. “Swear? Like a promise?”
“Yes,” I say slowly.My witness circle for the Severance,I think, my heart burning with hope. “Like a promise that binds wolves.”
Tamsin nods. “They’re waiting in the outer hall.”
I set down the bowl and stand. “Then let’s not keep them waiting.”
???
The outer hall still smells of moth and stone. Sunlight glimmers through open windows. Old portraits line the walls—Lunas of centuries past, their eyes proud and knowing.
