The Wolf God's Unwanted Luna

Chapter 62: phantom limb

His touch lingered longer than necessary. Warm and feather-light, it made a shiver skitter down my spine, like the contact left a ghost behind on my skin.

"Call me if anything happens," he said, watching me closely. "Or if you want me to pick you up, or bring you something. Anything, okay?"

His voice was soft but edged with something tight, like he was holding in a thousand other words.

"Okay," I murmured. I didn’t look back as I turned and walked out of the room. No dramatic goodbyes. I needed air.

My feet carried me in the direction of the forest, though I stayed at its edge. I wasn’t reckless enough to wander into it, not today. The cool breeze brushed against my skin and carried the scent of earth and pine, wrapping around me like a calming blanket.

As I walked past familiar faces, I returned their smiles and waves out of habit, but my mind was far away. There was a stillness in the air, one that helped the chaos in my head quiet just enough to think. Not to solve anything, not to make peace with any of it, but just enough to sit with it without drowning.

I found a tree with a thick trunk and soft grass beneath, and I sat down with a sigh. From here, I could see the houses and little shops dotting the land, peaceful and untouched. I stayed there, probably for an hour, just breathing, letting my thoughts unfold and unravel until they didn’t feel quite so tangled anymore. The grass was cool and slightly damp through my jeans, and I didn’t move from it.

What surprised me most was that Zaliver hadn’t sent out the entire patrol to drag me back. Or come storming in himself, demanding I return. That had been my expectation, but maybe this was his way of proving something. Maybe this was him giving me space.

For once.

I closed my eyes and let my thoughts drift to my family. My real family. Mom and Dad. My chest ached at the thought of them. No matter how much time passed, I missed them like a phantom limb. Even with Zaliver and my new life here, that hole hadn’t closed. If anything, it felt sharper right now, because what I was going through was the kind of thing I would have called my mother about at two in the morning, and I knew without question that she would have picked up on the first ring and stayed on until dawn if I needed her to.

He’d said something about bringing them here. I still didn’t know if he’d meant it, or if it had just been a comfort tossed out in a desperate moment. But gods, I wanted it. I wanted to see my mother’s face when she realized her daughter had fallen for a powerful, broody Alpha-mate with a divine curse, a lycan’s blood, and a temper that could level forests. Would she be terrified? Protective? Would she see something in him that I didn’t?

Would she see something in me I didn’t?

I had so many questions. So many things I’d never asked. Things only a mother could help me untangle. Would she understand the bond? The pain? The strange, stubborn hope that came with it anyway?