Chapter 328
Chapter 328
I stared at my glass in contemplation.
“Every single decision you’ve made since before he was even born has been for him,” she said softly, placing her hand on my knee. “And now the thing that’s actually hurting him is this p>
I didn’t argue. I didn’t have anything to argue with, because she was right, and I knew it, and it was just easier sometimes to get defensive than to admit that.
We sat there for a while longer. We finished the wine and talked about other things- Claire’s sister’s new apartment, a TV show she had been watching, the supply chain call that had actually gone well today despite everything else. Normal things, like the other issue wasn’t still staring me in the face the whole time.
She left just before eleven. I locked the door behind her and stood in the front hallway in the quiet.
Then, I went upstairs to bed.
I lay there in the dark and stared at the ceiling for a long time. I thought about what Claire said. About Bjorn. About the decade that had passed and everything I had done to protect my son, only to potentially hurt him in the end.
Maybe she was right.
Eventually, I fell asleep.
And for the first time in ten years, I had a dream. Not a normal dream, but something
more.
I was in a forest at sunset. It was open and green, with the golden light coming through the trees and leaving long, warm rays. The ground was soft under my paws.
I was in wolf form.
And beside me, running, was another wolf. Smaller than me, younger, still growing into his size. His coat was dark like a roasted chestnut, and he was running with his head up and his ears forward.
He looked completely alive in a way I hadn’t seen from him in a long time. Maybe
ever.
Bjorn.
We ran together through the trees, even though there was nothing chasing us. We
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Chapter 328
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were just running because we could, because the ground was there and the air was clean and there was nothing in the world that mattered more than the wind in our fur.
He looked over at me, and his eyes sparkled, and in that gaze, I saw the smiling face of a woman with pearlescent hair and pale skin. She was beckoning to me. To us.
I woke up late, having slept right through my alarm. Cursing, I threw the covers off and stood, showering and dressing quickly. All the while, my mind raced with memories of that dream. It didn’t fade like normal dreams did when you wake, but rather became more intense as my mind made up connections to a future that probably could never exist.
After making my coffee, I went to the kitchen table and sat down. The invitation was where I had left it last night, off to one side next to my keys. I picked it up and turned it over. Evergreen Pack’s emblem was on the front, the date and details were on the inside card.
I sat there for a long moment and just stared at it, biting my lip until it bled.
Then I set it down, pulled out my phone, and opened a new message to Claire.
“Tell Sebastian’s office I’ll be attending the event.
I hit send before I could think about it any further.
“Goddess,” I muttered under my breath, “I’d better not regret heeding your call p>
日
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