Moonbound: The Rogue's Second Chance
Chapter 131: CAN YOU SHIFT?

Chapter 131: CAN YOU SHIFT?

Serena sat waiting on the stone bench for Darius. In contrast to Thornridge, the Hawthrone castle was lit and one would not stumble in darkness if their nose failed them. She swung her feet up and down idly, her heel tapping softly against the bench’s edge as she watched Darius lead his horse into the stables.

Once the horse was tied at a post, the man took off the horse’s saddle and walked to another corner of the room and placed it on a saddle pole. He dusted his hands on his tunic and emerged from the stable area.

Serena looked up as he approached. His features were bathed in soft shadows, the castle lanterns catching on the sharp lines of his jaw and the strands of hair brushing his forehead. It was a moonless night, and the quiet between them felt oddly sacred. The two stood staring at each other for a couple of seconds before Darius settled beside her on the bench.

He placed a hand on her knee which prompted her to stop swinging her legs. She glanced at him with a curious expression and then he leaned over and placed his hand on his chin. He looked her up and down before he closed his eyes briefly and smiled softly.

"What is that smile about?" Serena asked cautiously. "Are you tired?"

Serena was, journey always left her drained. If she were travelling on foot she would have fallen asleep the moment her head touched a bed. She blinked slowly and then Darius opened his eyes.

"Nothing, I saw your face and I smiled and no I am not tired," Darius started. "I had barely any work done today, this almost felt like a leisure day."

Serena hummed in acknowledgement. "I see... the bag of coins you gave Clara-" She paused, licking her lips, eyes flickering to his hand on her knee. "When I met you earlier, you told me about the budget with Elder Iris. You said you’ve been using your reserves."

Serena drove straight to her point. "You gave Clara a lot of money. What I am trying to say is thank you for that. It would go a long way for her."

Darius grunted and then he sat upright. "It is nothing, I had to do it."

"No," Serena said quickly. The woman placed her hand on top of his. "You did not have to, yet you did it anyway. I have heard of terrible Alphas who kept all the good meat to themselves. You helped out Clara from the kindness of your heart not that you had to do it."

Darius laughed and then shook his head. "Such sweet words to say to a person but Serena I am obligated by my oath sworn to the moon goddess to take care of my people."

Serena dropped her gaze, thoughtful. But with his free hand, Darius reached beneath her chin and tilted her face back up, his touch gentle.

"But," he said quietly, "it is not to say I’m not grateful for such words."

Serena smiled and then she held that hand under her chin with her free one, she nodded and then sighed. "I just wished that I could have done something more for her."

"You did," Darius said. "You visited her, you said it yourself you were planning how to Thornridge from the moment you laid eyes on her letter."

Darius pulled his hands off hers and wrapped his arm across her shoulder. "You did the more you speak about. And as long as both of us are alive we will continue to do so."

Serena, who was moved by his words, looked at his face with a soft gaze and then she nodded.

The two sat in comfortable silence for a while before Darius cleared his throat. "Serena, I have a question and I ask that you answer me truthfully."

"Alright, what is your question?"

Serena tried not to dwell on the meaning just yet, he was too close to her and would be able to hear how quickly her heart would beat, and it would spell guilt on her part.

"Can you shift?"

Serena stared at him blankly for a few seconds before she regained her composure. It was such a simple question but there was no straightforward answer she could give. It was not like she wanted to hide the truth but the reason why she could not shift in the first place was tied back to Silverstone and that in its own right was not clear to the woman.

The truth itself was murky. If she were to say yes, then there would come a time when she would be asked to do so for reasons that escaped her now. If she was to say no, then there would be a bombardment of questions to follow and another label might be branded on her forehead.

"I am not sure," she answered.

Darius raised a brow, that was not an answer people usually gave. Most werewolves had the ability to take on the look of their wolven spirit, that was how it always worked. There were cases of runts and late bloomers who shifted later in their lives. A few were born wolfless and out of those few it was found that they were extreme late bloomers and then there was the category of wolves who were punished by the goddess and lost their spirits entirely.

Those were called humans.

"What do you mean by that?"

Serena’s lips parted slightly, the words simply would not just come. Darius already knew she had a husband in the past but what good would it serve to tell her whole life story. Fear gripped her throat.

"Once I could but I can no longer... I was-" Serena paused, struggling for words. "I was poisoned. It was what the Moonseeker was trying to help me solve at her temple. For some reason I can not shift."

Darius’s eyes flickered with concern. "Your wolf spirit, is she..."

"Yes, she is fine for the most part," Serena interjected swiftly.

The woman curled and uncurled her hands in her lap. "I am not sure what is wrong with me, I have little understanding myself and I can not seem to remember why I can not shift at the moment."

Darius rubbed her shoulder in an attempt to soothe her, the more he got to know of her the stranger it felt. Was this what living as a rogue was? Poison that arrested you at the moment of shifting between both physical forms of your being.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently.

"I am," Serena murmured, though the hesitation in her voice betrayed her.

Darius was unconvinced. He pulled her closer to his side, letting his arm rest firmly around her.

"We’ll figure this out," he said, "together."

Serena let herself lean into him then, her cheek brushing his shoulder, the knot in her chest loosening slightly. She nodded against him, voice barely above a whisper.

"Spend the night with me, please. I don’t want to be alone today."

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