Blessed By The Moon

Chapter 43

Present time

May's POV

I felt like I didn't sleep last night, I woke up in my bed, covered, but my muscles were sore, and my eyes still droopy, I dreamt of blood and pain, of cries and screams of agony.

I dreamt of Storm.

The clink of wooden spoons against bowls echoed in the quiet house, awaking me from my stream of thoughts, a rhythm I wasn't a part of. I sat still at the breakfast table, staring at the food in front of me, untouched. The smell of warm bread and forest dew wafted in from the open window, but nothing reached me. Not really.

I tried so hard to remember my dream from the night before but couldn't for some reason, I felt a horrible pang in my stomach, in my heart. I didn't know nightmares could affect you physically.

I look at my hands, and I swear to the Moon it's like I can see blood from my dream in my fingernails, like a prophecy of the future to come, where my friends all die.

I notice a small cut in my arm, and I heal it, I must've cut myself accidentally somehow while sleeping.

Across from me, Kaiden and Gemma were caught in their own little world. Their fingers brushed, their knees touched. Gemma giggled at something stupid he said, and Kaiden leaned in like she was the only thing keeping him alive.

"I'll survive the war," he whispered with a grin, "if only to keep waking up next to you."

She rolled her eyes, soft and sweet. "You don't have another choice."

Her reply was affectionate, and it cut me open. There was a time I would've smiled at that, maybe even made a snide comment. But now? Now I just felt the deep, ugly burn of guilt coil tighter around my lungs.

Because this war wasn't some distant thing looming on the horizon. It wasn't about territory or tradition or survival.

It was about me.

Nick was coming for me. Daniel was coming for me. And everyone in their way... would burn.

Because of me.

I pushed the food around my plate. My stomach had no interest. I hadn't eaten properly in days, not since we found out they were attacking tomorrow. Not since the borders became tension lines and patrols came back bloodied.

I used to hate war. Gods, I still do.

Once, I used to believe that war was senseless. That there had to be another way. I used to think that anyone who chose violence over peace was weak, scared of real solutions.

But here I was now.

Sitting in the middle of a battlefield I helped build. Watching young men and women prepare to bleed over my past.

I was the storm on the horizon.

And worse, I had done nothing to stop it.

Somewhere along the line, I had become the very thing I swore I'd never be. A reason for war. A weapon dressed in skin. I rose from the table without a word. My chair scraped back loudly, and Kaiden looked up, brows furrowed.

"May?" Gemma blinked, her voice cautious. "You okay?"

I nodded, stiff and hollow. "I just need some air."

"Where were you last night? I knocked at your door but you didn't answer." She asked with wide doe eyes.

I think back to the nightmare, and get a cold shudder, was it a vision? were those my friends' screams that I dreamt about? "I must've knocked out early, I think I've been over training, my muscles are sore, I'm going out to do some stretching."