Blessed By The Moon

Chapter 56

Alpha Axe's POV: 

The estate was alive again.

Laughter echoed through the halls, children's footsteps thudded across the courtyards, and the scent of roasted meat and fresh bread filled the air. To anyone walking through, it looked like peace, like the end of war had brought everything back to life.

A war no one had to fight in, a war won by one.

Yet for me, it felt like standing in a house built over a battlefield. Every smile, every burst of joy was a reminder of what we'd almost lost, and of who I'd already lost.

Echo.

Her name still moved through my head like smoke, haunting and impossible to grasp. It had been a week since she'd left, yet I still found myself turning at the sound of the door, expecting her voice, her laugh, the sharpness of her wit cutting through the air like sunlight.

She's celebrated here, our savior, risking her life so that no one died, I wonder if she knows how loved she is, she probably does, she's probably being celebrated as we speak.

They call her the Silver Savior.

I had lost too many people to count, in my life, but losing her wasn't like losing someone to death. It was like losing a limb I didn't know I needed until it was gone.

Uriah was healed, though still pale and thinner than before, wounds by silver are the worst for our kind. his wife - my sister -  refused to leave his side, her devotion almost made me believe in happy endings.

Kaiden and Gemma had moved into their own place just outside the estate, and whenever I visited, I found them teasing each other like newlyweds who had already survived a lifetime together.

Everyone was moving on. Except me.

I stood on the balcony overlooking the training grounds, the same spot where I used to watch Echo train with the guards, the same grounds that lead to the forest where she once thought she was going to die. The morning sun hit the steel of the weapons rack below, sending streaks of light across the stone walls. Everything felt too bright, too alive, and I hated it.

Peace wasn't supposed to feel this hollow.

What now?

For years, I hadn't known who I was, the son of kidnappers, and then I knew who I was, only to find out my mother died, and to have my dad pass away before I proved to him fully that I was worth it. The son, the warrior, the protector, the Alpha. But now? The war was over, the pack was safe, the borders were quiet. 

And my mate was gone, even worse, Nick went with her.

So who was I supposed to be without a fight to win, or someone to save?

"Brooding again?"

I didn't have to turn to recognize the voice. Uriah's tone carried the same dry amusement it always did.

"You should be in bed," I muttered, eyes still on the courtyard.

"My wife says that too," he replied, limping up beside me. "So naturally, I ignored her."

I cracked a faint smile despite myself. "Don't you have a son to take care of?"

"We both know your sister does a better job than me," he said, leaning against the railing. "You thinking about her?"

There was no point pretending. "Always."

"She's alive," he said softly. "That's more than we can say for most."