Forever Luna

resolute

adjective ~ purposeful, determined, and unwavering

PHOENIX

The house is quieter than it should be, and that's what unsettles me most.

Not the war. Not the strategies. Not the unknown enemy marching toward our extinction.

The quiet.

The silent tension is almost unnatural, hanging in the air like the calm before a storm. Every footstep, every breath, feels magnified, amplifying the sense that something is lurking just beyond the border. It's not the peaceful quiet of safety, but the uneasy hush of people holding their fears close, bracing themselves for whatever comes next.

It's the only reason I am back home. After draining every piece of information from Clover that we could, Nova escorted her to get cleaned up before offering her a guest suite in the pack house. Much like Cors and Aldren, I posted security on her door.

Selma was harder. She lingered like a shadow, following my every move around the pack lands. I also offered her a guest suite, but she hasn't stepped foot into it since. Instead, she lurked, muttering about my mother or my father whenever she thought of something.

Eventually, I snap and tell her to leave me alone. To my surprise, she does as I ask, disappearing from before me in a fizzle of energy.

Thank the goddess.

My wolf stirs uncomfortably within me as I step into the living space and stop.

Nova is here, standing by the window, her arms folded loosely before her. I approach cautiously, noticing that all the kids are snoring softly in their rooms, but Nova's gaze is distant. The light catches in her hair, softening the edges of her expression, but there's nothing soft about the energy rolling off her.

I already knew how this conversation was going to go.

"You're coming, aren't you?"

It isn't a question, and my voice echoes heavily through the tense room. She turns to face me, not surprised to find me hovering near her.

"Yes," she nodded, her green eyes blazing.

I have never seen them so determined, so harsh, and full of colour. I exhale slowly, closing the distance between us to wrap my arms around her waist.

"You'll be a target." I mumbled. "I don't want you to-

"I already am." She huffed. "And so will you be."

Her voice is steady, but I understand what she means. Despite that, she continues.

"We are both in this together. We both have to stop them before they kill people." She shook her head. "Your cousin is in danger, and so is my brother. The entire werewolf kind could be at risk if we don't stop them."

Certainty, it's heavy in her voice.

I lower my gaze. "This is different, Nova. We don't know who is orchestrating this. We don't know their weakness, just that they are an army of beasts."

"I know," she says. "That's why I need to be there."

My jaw tightens because every instinct in me wants to say no. To keep her here, safe with the children. But safety isn't something we have anymore, and Nova has proven herself strong enough.

"What else did you see in Pollux's vision, Nova?" I wondered.

She shrugged. "I felt the danger. I felt despair. Whatever army he is creating, the snarls and cries of pain echo off the walls, Phoenix."