Young Emma's voice was soft, almost breaking. "My moonlight." She spoke without lifting her gaze. "I want to go with you," she added faintly, her tone distant, as though her spirit had already begun to drift away.
Young Oliver stepped closer behind her, his presence warm against her trembling back, his breath brushing lightly against her neck.
"The she-wolf will only release you back to your birth Alpha," he murmured gently.
"I am afraid of the wolves who come to claim me, they might return," Emma confessed, her voice barely above a whisper, laced with fear.
"They will not trouble you again," Oliver assured firmly. "I have reached an agreement with Mrs. Nazar after offering her a payment scroll. You're to be moved into the main den chambers."
Excitement flickered faintly within Emma, yet it was not what her heart truly desired. Being with him—only that mattered. Tears continued to trail down her cheeks, silent and endless.
