Chapter 87 The return home 1

Chapter 87: Chapter 87 The return home 1

Talia’s POV

The doors closed behind me with a heavy thud.

I walked out of the Stoneclaw pack house, and the cold air hit my face like a wave. My legs were shaking, and my hands were still trembling, but I kept my head high and my shoulders straight.

Kaelen followed close behind me, and I could hear his boots crunching on the gravel, but he did not speak.

Jax, Silas, and Cain were waiting by the carts. They looked at me with questions in their eyes when I got to the carts, but I did not give them any answers, because I did not even understand what had happened myself.

I turned to enter the cart, and Kaelen reached out and helped me climb in, with his hand steady on my arm. I sat down as relief flooded through my chest, and stared at the ground.

Jax crossed his arms and glared at the Stoneclaw pack house. "Those guards blocked us from going in with him," he said, gesturing angrily. "They would not let us past the door. Even when they knew who we were, they just stood firmly against the door after you ran in, without a single care, and they did not mind what we were saying after that."

Silas shook his head. "They were following orders."

"Stupid orders," Jax muttered.

He climbed into the cart beside me, and Silas took the reins. Cain sat in the back, with his eyes scanning the trees, but I could tell he was listening.

Jax turned to look at me. "So how did it go? Did he agree? Did he shout? Did he throw things?"

Silas glanced back. "Jax, give her a moment."

"I am giving her a moment. I am just asking questions, bro." Jax looked at him.

Kaelen climbed into the cart and sat beside me. His shoulder brushed mine, and I felt the warmth of his body through my jacket.

"The treaty is signed," Kaelen said.

Jax’s eyes went wide, then his face split into a huge grin. He threw his hands in the air and started waving them around, whistling and laughing. ℴ

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" he shouted. "I knew she could do it! I told you she could do it!"

Silas smiled. "Congratulations."

Kaelen shook his head. "Do not congratulate me. Congratulate Talia instead. She is the one who made it happen."

Cain said nothing, but he had a faint smile at the corner of his lips. It was the very first time since I left Cresswood that I had seen him smile, even if it was a faint one.

Jax leaned over and patted my shoulder. "Good job, Luna. I knew you had it in you."

I moved my eyes away from Cain, looked at Jax, and I managed a small smile. "Thank you."

Kaelen’s face darkened as he looked at Jax’s hand. "Get out and go sit with Silas," he growled.

"Chill, man. I was just commending our royal Luna over here." Jax raised his hands up.

"Get out NOW!" Kaelen growled again.

"OK! OK!" Jax said with a smile, then he jumped down and went forward to sit with Silas.

The journey back to Blackmoor Valley began.

Silas flicked the reins, and the horses lurched forward. The wheels creaked, and the cart swayed beneath us. Soon, the landscape changed slowly, with rocky hills giving way to green forests, and the air grew warmer as we traveled.

Kaelen sat beside me, quiet and still. He did not speak for most of the journey, and I did not either.

The sun climbed higher, then began to sink toward the horizon. Shadows grew long across the ground, and the sky turned orange and pink.

Finally, Kaelen spoke. "What happened in that room?"

I was quiet for a moment, because I did not know how to explain what I did not understand. I did not know where the power came from, I could not explain the voice that sounded like thunder, and I had no idea what to say about the way everyone had frozen when I spoke.

"I do not know," I said honestly.

He looked at me intensely, as his gray eyes moved across my face, studying me, and searching for something I could not name.

He did not push, but I felt his gaze on me for the rest of the journey. He was watching me more closely now, assessing me more deeply, and he looked even more curious than before.

I pretended not to notice his gaze on me, and I did not look at him for the rest of the journey.

Soon, the sun set, and the sky turned purple. Then Blackmoor Valley appeared in the distance, with its lights twinkling like stars.

When we finally reached the pack house, the wheels of the cart crunched to a stop. I climbed out before Kaelen, and my boots hit the ground.

The gravel crunched beneath my feet, and I took a moment to steady myself. My legs were still weak, and my hands were still trembling, but I was home, and we had made it back successfully.

The pack house loomed before me, warm and familiar. Torches flickered in the windows, and I could smell smoke and wood, scents that seemed to tell me welcome home.

I smiled softly with relief because I had done it. I had signed the treaty, and I had completed my first task.

But the question Kaelen had asked me still lingered in my mind. What had happened in that room? What was that power?