Bound by the Moon

Chapter 25

The visit back to her old pack had been more exhausting than Astrid had anticipated. Every step within the familiar grounds was fraught with tension, each breath weighed down by years of memories. The air in Darius' territory was thick with suspicion, and the eyes of the pack seemed to follow her wherever she went.

The packhouse, which had once felt like home, now felt foreign and oppressive. Every creak of the floorboards, every echo of a distant conversation carried with it the sharp edge of judgment. It wasn't just about the elders, who had demanded her return to smooth things over. It was the entire pack. They were all watching her, evaluating her, waiting for her to make a mistake.

The meeting with Darius and the elders had been brief but pointed. The elders, grizzled and gray, had sat in a semicircle around her, their eyes narrowed as they questioned her about the terms of her departure. Their concerns had been less about the deal between packs and more about her. Astrid's defection had raised eyebrows, but it was her temperament that truly troubled them.

"You were always... volatile," one elder had said, his voice heavy with accusation. "And now, there are whispers of something more. Something dangerous."

Darius, her brother, had sat in silence throughout most of the meeting, only interjecting to affirm the elders' concerns with a simple nod. He hadn't said much, but his lack of defense for her spoke volumes. It was a reminder of the distance between them, the cold indifference he had always shown.

"They fear what they don't understand," Marcus had said afterward, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction. The Beta had made it clear during her time there that he enjoyed her discomfort. "And with good reason."

The visit had only lasted two days, but by the time Astrid had left, she had been more than ready to go. Her new pack felt like an escape, a chance to leave behind the suffocating weight of her past. Yet, as the car rolled away from her old home and the trees of Lucien's territory began to rise around them, Astrid found herself unable to shake the feeling of unease that had settled deep within her chest.

The journey back to Lucien's territory had been quiet, but it wasn't the comfortable silence that Astrid had once found soothing. The air between her and Lucien felt heavy, the unspoken tension crackling like a storm ready to break.

Lucien had been unusually silent during their ride back, his face set in a grim expression. Though he had been patient with her, offering support during the tense moments with the elders, something had shifted between them. Astrid could feel it—his concern for her had grown, but so had his frustration.

She didn't fully understand why, and Lucien hadn't offered any explanations. The lack of communication was grating on her, making her nerves even more raw than they already were.

When they finally arrived back at the packhouse, Lucien pulled the car to a stop, but neither of them moved. The silence between them was thick, the unspoken words hanging in the air like a heavy fog. Astrid could sense that something was coming, a conversation they both knew was inevitable but had been avoiding.

Lucien was the one to break the silence, his voice low and serious. "We need to talk, Astrid."

She turned to him, her eyes narrowing slightly. "About what?"

Lucien's fingers tightened on the steering wheel. "About what happened back there. About your old pack, the elders, Marcus... everything."

Astrid's stomach twisted at the mention of Marcus, but she kept her expression neutral. "What about it? I handled everything, didn't I?"

Lucien sighed, his gaze fixed on the windshield. "You did, but that's not the point. It's not just about how you handled it. It's about what happened during that fight with Marcus."