Chapter 392 The Wolf’s watch

Chapter 392: Chapter 392 The Wolf’s watch

Talia’s POV

Kaelen held me, and I felt the warmth of his body against mine.

We lay in the quiet, and I could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my ear.

The fire had died completely, and the room was dark. I did not want to move, and I did not want to break the silence. I wanted to stay in this moment forever, with his arms around me and the world outside forgotten.

I could feel the rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek, and I could hear the steady rhythm of his breathing. It was a sound I had come to love more than any other. It was the sound of safety, and it was the sound of home.

I closed my eyes, and I let myself memorize it. The rhythm, the warmth, and the weight of his arm around my waist. If tomorrow went wrong, I wanted this to be the last thing I remembered.

Then I heard a soft knock at the door.

Kaelen stirred beneath me, and I felt his body tense. He looked at the door, and I saw the exhaustion flicker in his gray eyes.

I saw the tension in his jaw, and I saw the way his hand tightened around mine. He did not want to leave. I could feel it through the bond, and I could see it in his eyes.

"Who is it?" Kaelen called out, and his voice was rough with sleep.

A servant’s voice came from the other side of the door, low and apologetic. "Alpha, Beta Cain requests your presence in the war room. He says it is urgent."

Kaelen was quiet for a moment. I felt his chest rise and fall beneath my cheek, and I heard the soft sigh that escaped his lips. Then he shifted, and I felt the weight of his responsibilities settle over him like a cloak.

"I will be there," Kaelen said.

I heard the weariness in his voice, and I felt the weight of his duty pressing down on him. He had been running on empty for days, and I knew that he would keep running until the battle was over.

Cain would not have called for him this late at night if it were not important. He knew how much Kaelen needed rest, and he knew what tomorrow would demand from all of us. So whatever had happened, it definitely could not wait until morning.

“Why could Cain not just mind link you?” I asked. “Instead of sending a servant.”

Kaelen let out a deep breath. “I shut down the mind link so that no one would disturb us, my love.”

I nodded slowly.

He kissed my lips and looked down at me, and I saw the apology in his gray eyes. "I have to go."

I nodded, and I reached up to touch his face. My fingers brushed against his jaw, and I felt the stubble that had grown there. "Go. They need you."

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. His lips were warm against my skin just like they felt on my lips, and I felt the love in the gesture. "I will be back as soon as I can."

I watched him climb out of bed, and I watched him dress in the dim light. He pulled on his tunic, and he fastened the laces with quick, practiced movements. He pulled on his boots, and he buckled his belt. Then he ran his fingers through his hair, and I saw the way his shoulders straightened.

I smiled as I watched him. He was not just my mate anymore, he was the Alpha of Shadowfang, and his pack needed him.

He walked to the door, and he paused with his hand on the handle. He looked back at me, and I saw the love in his gray eyes. I saw the fear too, the same fear I had seen in my own eyes.

"I love you," Kaelen said.

A bright smile crossed my face. "I love you too,"

The door closed behind him, and the sound was soft, but it felt like thunder in the quiet room. I listened to his footsteps fade down the hallway, and I counted each one until I could not hear them anymore.

Then he was gone, and I was alone.

The silence was heavier now that I was by myself. The darkness was thicker, and the room felt larger. I pulled the blankets up to my chin and stared at the ceiling. I could hear the wind outside, and I could hear the distant howl of a wolf somewhere in the mountains.

The sound was lonely, and it echoed through the valley like a cry for help. I wondered if it was one of our wolves, or if it was something else. Something that was waiting in the dark.

I lay there for a moment, and I listened, but the howl did not come again. The valley was silent, and the silence felt like a warning.

I lay there for a long moment, and I could not stay still. I climbed out of bed, and I walked to the window. I looked out at the valley, at the fires of the camps flickering in the distance, and at the mountains silhouetted against the dark sky.

I could see the shapes of the wolves moving around the fires, and I could hear the murmur of their voices. They were resting, gathering their strength for what was coming.

Some of them would not survive tomorrow, and the thought settled into my chest like a stone, cold and heavy. I did not know their names, and I did not know their faces, but they had come because they believed in us. They had come because they believed in me.

I turned away from the window, and I climbed back into bed. I pulled the blankets up to my chin, and I closed my eyes.

I reached for Lyra. She was there, as she always was. But she was quiet, and she was waiting.

"Lyra," I whispered into the darkness. "Are you awake?"

I felt her stir in my chest, and I heard her voice, soft and steady. "I am always awake, Talia. I am always with you."

Her presence was warm, and it was constant. She had been with me from the very beginning, even when I did not know she was there. Even when the glamour charm had silenced her, she had been waiting.

I thought about all the years I had spent alone in that storage room, thinking I had no one. I thought about all the nights I had cried myself to sleep, wishing for someone to hold me.

And I realized that Lyra had been there through all of it. She had been waiting for me to be strong enough to hear her.

I lay in the darkness, and I let myself feel her presence. She was warm, and she was strong, and she was a part of me that I had only recently begun to understand.

"Lyra," I said, and my voice was barely a whisper. "I am scared."

I felt her warmth spread through my chest. "I know, Talia. So am I."

"You are scared?" I asked, and I felt the surprise flickering in my chest.

"I am scared of losing you," Lyra said. "I am scared of what will happen tomorrow. But I am also ready."

I closed my eyes, and I let her words sink in. "What if I am not strong enough?"

"You are strong enough," Lyra said. "You are the last Silvertongue. You are a warrior. And you are not alone."

I let her words wash over me, and I felt the truth of them settle into my bones. I was not alone. I had never been alone.

"Lyra," I said, and my voice was soft. "Watch over everyone tomorrow. Watch over Kaelen, and watch over my mother. Watch over Piper, and Jax, and Silas, and Cain. Watch over all of them."

I felt her stir in my chest, and I heard her voice, steady and strong. "I will."

"And watch over yourself," I whispered. "We need to survive."

Immediately, I felt her howl inside my chest, and the sound was like a promise. It was like a vow, and it was like a battle cry.

"I will, Talia," Lyra said. "I will watch over all of us."

I opened my eyes, and I stared at the ceiling. The room was still dark, and the silence was still heavy. But I did not feel alone anymore.

I closed my eyes even though I could not feel any signs of sleep, and I let myself rest.

The war was coming, but I was not alone.