Luna Revealed

Chapter Thirty

When I wake up, it is dark in the room, the sun having set for the night. Phoenix is still asleep beside me, but I stand and go into the bathroom. I flick the lights on and look at myself in the mirror.

I don't look nearly as bad as I expected. My hair is messy from sleep – the curls sticking out at odd angles – but I've definitely looked worse. I take a long shower, standing under the hot water as long as I can stand it, before getting out and wrapping a huge, fluffy towel around myself. As I walk to the closet, I feel my wolf stir from her sleep, bobbing to the surface.

The sun's down, she remarks quietly. I nod to myself as I pick out a pair of comfortable pajamas. Only a few hours until the big moment. Her voice is faint, but her presence in my mind is stronger than it has been for a few days. She must have been resting up as much as possible to be ready for the morning.

Yeah, I say. It'll all be over soon.

She sighs and circles my mind, browsing through the various events she missed while she was sleeping. Memories of my conversation with Viktor flash in my mind and she bristles.

Son of a bitch. Her quiet voice is now twinged with anger. Of course we're afraid, but that won't stop us from killing him.

I sigh at her words and try to push the memories out of my head. I exit the closet and see Phoenix still sound asleep on the bed. I consider climbing back in with him, but then my stomach growls and I head for the door.

I make my way downstairs and into the kitchen as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb the sleeping house members. I leave the ceiling lights off in the kitchen, instead turning on the small light above the sink. It illuminates the room enough for me to navigate to the fridge and pull out a bowl of leftover soup.

I patter around the kitchen, heating my soup in a saucepan on the stove and pouring it into a separate bowl. When I turn to take the bowl to the bar, I see Caine sitting there and I jump, startled.

I steady the bowl in my hands, careful not to let any spill. "My god, Caine, you scared me," I whisper, placing the bowl on the bar beside him.

He smiles weakly at me. "Sorry, Lia."

I sigh and grab a spoon from the drawer beside the sink and sit beside him, stirring my soup slowly. Neither of us talk while I eat, the hot soup feeling good on my empty stomach. When I'm done, Caine takes the bowl to the sink and rinses it before placing it into one of the dishwashers. He doesn't return to his seat, instead leaning back against the counter and looking at me.

"How are you feeling?" He asks, his voice pitched low.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, leaning back in the bar stool. "I'm okay." Then I shrug. "I think."

Caine nods, looking down at the floor. "Do you think you'll be able to do it?"

"Do what?" I ask. "Kill Viktor?" He nods again, keeping his eyes on the floor. His fingers are drumming on the edge of the counter and I can sense the nerves coming from him. "I'm going to be okay, Caine."

He looks at me then, his bright eyes shadowed in the dim light. "I know that. You're stronger than you look, Dahlia. There's a reason whatever higher power there is chose you to be Artem's Luna and Phoenix's mate. No one else in the world could fill the shoes as well as you do."

I smile at his kind words, but the look on his face holds no humor or appreciation. If anything, he looks angry. "What is it, Caine?"

He looks to the side and crosses his arms. "When you kill him," he starts, his voice tight, "make sure he suffers." When he looks back at me, even through the darkness, I see the murderous rage on his face.