A Luna for the Lycan King novel Chapter 97

Chapter 97

The air smelled like hope. Like rain. Like I could make it through the day. The war felt far away, for the moment. Everything felt far away. The pain, the fear, the heaviness in my chest as I thought about Darren, about how much he had on his shoulders, about how little I could do to help him. I watched Lyle pick his way along the path, pausing every now and then to make sure I could keep up, plucking a flower and holding it out for me. He did it all with a grin, with a shrug, like it was nothing, like I was everything.

“Here,” he said. “Since my brother’s slacking off, I’ll cover this, too.” The joke felt empty, though he tried to make it light. “Speaking of slackers,” he said, eyeing me, gauging my reaction, not wanting to push too far, not wanting to bring it all back when he was trying to help me forget. “How is Ren holding up?”

I thought of Darren, how thin his voice sounded when I talked to him last night. How exhausted he must be. How brave he was, how strong, how lost without me. Without us. The truth was, I didn’t know. The truth was, I was scared.

“He’s hanging in there,” I said, knowing how inadequate it sounded, how far from the truth it probably was. “He’s tired. They’ve had heavy casualties. He’s doing the best he can.”

“Anton?” Lyle asked, one eyebrow arched, and I knew he was avoiding the hardest questions, the ones neither of us wanted to hear. The ones that didn’t have answers.

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“Back in action,” I said, the relief clear in my voice. “Darren says they couldn’t have held the last position without him. He’s got the werebears organized again and leading the war strategy.” I frowned, looking up at him. “The dragons haven’t joined the fight. I wrote them again a week ago. All they did was thank me for keeping them updated.”

“Jerks,” Lyle said, plucking another flower, twirling it between his fingers, like the dragons‘ indifference didn’t matter, like we didn’t need them, like everything would be okay even if they never came. I hoped he was right. I hoped for so many things.

“They said they’d let us know if anything changed,” The letter they sent played over in my mind, cold, formal. They thanked me for letting them know about the demons. They told me they’d contemplate their next move. That was all. No promise to help, no sign they understood what was at stake or how badly we needed them. And that they would be next if we lose the war. It would be best to all join together unless they planned to side with the demons, too?

…

“They will,” Lyle said. He slipped the flower behind my ear, tucking my hair so it wouldn’t fall, wouldn’t slip, wouldn’t go away. “They’re just waiting to make sure we’re serious. Once they see the lycans, the bears, and all the alliance in action, they’ll realize how dumb it is to hold back.”

“What if the demons take over before we can stop them? What if we’re not strong enough?”

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Chapter 97

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He stopped and looked at me, serious, his face calm, so sure, so unafraid. “We’re strong,” he said. “I’ve seen how hard Darren fights, how hard you fight. The demons don’t stand a chance.” He believed it. I could tell from his eyes he wasn’t just saying that for my sake.

He laughed and took my arm again, the comfort of his touch reassuring. We strolled through the garden, following the path, walking like we had all the time in the world. The colors were bright and vivid, flowers blooming, the trees a green so intense it almost hurt to look at. I let it hurt. It reminded me that I was still here. It reminded me of what I was fighting for. It reminded me of Darren’s presence.

“I wish I was with him,” I said.

“I know,” Lyle said. “He does too.”

“I feel like I should be doing more.” The guilt wrapped around me, tight, squeezing, not letting go.

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“You’re doing everything you can,” Lyle said. “You’re here. That’s enough. And … I’m here. I know I’m not Darren, but I can be a close fill–in.”

“You’re a great comfort. What about me? Does my presence help ease, how much you miss Darren? Am I a good fill–in?”

I listened to his warm chuckle. “You look so much better than

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Darren.”

I scoffed and patted my stomach. “Well, we have determined you are a liar.”

“I mean it, Issy. You are beautiful. Even more now with your glowing skin and baby bump. To be honest… I’m going to miss this time, when it was just us. Once my brother returns, he will hog you all to himself again.

“Of course, you’ll be finding your mate, and then you won’t want anything to do with me.” He laughed softly and then looked forward with a small smile.

“Better than an office, huh?”

“Much. See, sunlight.”

“Who knew?” he teased, holding my arm and pulling me close to

his side.

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“I want to see the butterfly maze before we go back in. It helps me feel closer to Darren.”

“Are you sure you’re up for it?” he asked. “I don’t want you conking out before we can get back to the castle. I know your plan. You want to leave all the documents for me to sign.”

“Always a step ahead of me.” I laughed.

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“Well, I’m drawing a line right there.” He then looked at me as if I was fragile. “Are you sure you’re okay to be walking around like this?”

“I feel fine.” We strolled along the path, the maze coming into view, colorful and bright and full of life.

“Anything you need?”

“Just this,” I said.

“Not even a foot rub?”

“Even that can wait.”

His eyes softened. “You really miss him, huh?”

“It hurts to breathe when I think of him.”

“I wish I could help. Being with you helps me,” he admitted quietly, his eyes catching mine. “Am I letting you down?”

My lips parted and I shook my head. “Of course not. You’ve been great.”

“I’m not him, though.”

I searched his eyes and slowly nodded my head. No matter what, Lyle wasn’t Darren. He helped me but could never take the pain away that always existed without him. This crater in my chest