Or perhaps it was longer than they had allowed themselves to notice.
In their eyes, she had simply become distant, a wolf who had chosen her own unpredictable path.
In hers, they had already left her behind long ago, turning their focus to the children and the pack roles that fit more neatly into their vision.
Now, as the rain softened against the windows and the night deepened around their chambers, Richard and Luna slept side by side. Their breathing was steady and even, their bodies finally at rest after the heavy weight of the day. The mate bond between them hummed quietly in the darkness, offering a calm anchor and a reminder of their shared strength.
But even in sleep, there were things they did not face.
To truly face Dakota would mean confronting something far more devastating than the ongoing war with Nightshade, than the loss of territory, or than any open defeat on the battlefield.
It would mean confronting themselves as parents and as leaders.
