SWNOVELS Chapter 18
Lyra wanted desperately to comfort him but sensed he needed to get through this on his own terms.
“I survived,” Fenris continued eventually. “Crawled back to our pack, broken and bleeding. But the damage was done. Half our young wolves dead, and the survivors… they looked at me with such hatred. Such betrayal. Our alpha had no choice but to exile me. It was that or tear the pack apart completely.”
The weight of his confession hung heavy in the air between them. Lyra’s mind reeled, trying to reconcile the brash young wolf of Fenris’s tale with the fiercely loyal, if sometimes reckless, man she had come to know.
“Fenris, I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “That’s a terrible burden to bear.”
He shrugged, though the casualness of the gesture was belied by the pain in his eyes. “It’s no more than I deserve. I’ve spent years trying to atone, to find some way to make up for the lives I cost. When I heard about your quest, the prophecy… it felt like a chance to finally do some good in the world.”
Lyra’s heart swelled with a mixture of compassion and admiration. “You’re not that same wolf anymore, Fenris. The man I’ve come to know… he’s brave, and loyal, and willing to risk everything to help others. That counts for something.”
Fenris turned to look at her then, a vulnerability in his gaze that took her breath away. “Does it? Sometimes I wonder if I’m not just running from my past, trying to convince myself I’ve changed.”
Without thinking, Lyra reached out and took his hand in hers. “You have changed. The very fact that you carry this guilt, that you’re trying to make amends… it proves you’re not the same impulsive young wolf you once were.”
He squeezed her hand gently, a ghost of a smile crossing his features. “Maybe you’re right. Or maybe you’re just a better judge of character than my old pack.”
They sat in companionable silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Lyra found herself marveling at the strange turns of fate that had brought them together. A disgraced werewolf and a witch carrying the weight of prophecy – an unlikely pair, to be sure, but one that felt increasingly right with each passing day.
As the last vestiges of twilight faded into true night, Fenris stirred beside her. “We should get some rest,” he said, reluctantly releasing her hand. “There’s a long journey ahead of us, and who knows what other challenges we’ll face.”
Lyra nodded, suddenly aware of how exhausted she was. “You’re right. But Fenris… thank you. For trusting me with your story. It can’t have been easy to share.”
He met her gaze, a warmth in his eyes that made her heart skip a beat. “Thank you for listening. And for not judging me too harshly. It’s… it’s been a long time since I’ve had someone I could open up to like this.”
As they prepared a simple camp for the night, Lyra found herself reflecting on how much had changed since the beginning of their quest. She had started this journey seeing Fenris as little more than a useful ally, someone to watch her back in dangerous situations. Now, she realized, he had become so much more – a trusted friend, a confidant, and perhaps…
She pushed that last thought aside, not quite ready to examine it too closely. There would be time for such considerations later. For now, they had a quest to complete and a world to save.
As Lyra settled onto her makeshift bedroll, she glanced over at Fenris. He sat with his back against a tree, his keen senses alert for any sign of danger. In that moment, she made a silent vow to herself. Whatever challenges lay ahead, whatever dark forces sought to stop them, she would not abandon him again. They were in this together, for better or worse.
With that comforting thought, Lyra drifted off to sleep, the soft glow of the Moonstone shard keeping watch over them both. In her dreams, she saw flashes of battles yet to come, of trials that would test them to their very limits. But through it all, Fenris was by her side, a steadfast presence in the face of uncertainty.
As dawn broke over the forest, painting the sky in hues of pink and gold, Lyra awoke with a renewed sense of purpose. She looked over to find Fenris already up, tending to a small fire.
Their eyes met, and a wordless understanding passed between them.