Damon Today, everything will be put right. The scent of blood and smoke was gone from the corridors. In its place, fresh lavender. A reminder that everything had returned to order. But the weight in my chest hadn’t lifted. I was going to fix that. I moved down the hall, past the guards who nodded but didn’t speak. The Luna ring sat heavy in my pocket, small but solid, it was a promise. I would ask my mate to become Luna and complete our bond. We would both feel better, could move forward, when we finished the bond. The rest would fall into place when she was healed. I wanted the moment to be right. Not after a battle or a council session, not tangled in politics or duty. Just me and Lila. But I’d waited too long. Today, everything would be right. Her door creaked faintly

