One Night

Chapter 217

Edwin

I set down the last of Audrey’s bags by the front door, the faint floral scent of her perfume wafting up from the bundle of clothes inside. It was a familiar, comforting smell-one I had sorely missed having around the apartment these past couple of months, although I wouldn’t admit just how much the lack of it kept me awake at night.

Audrey sighed and plopped down on the sofa, tilting her head back against the cushions. “I think that was everything,” she said as she glanced at the clock on the mantle; well past midnight. Another late night, and it showed. She looked exhausted.

“Perhaps you should tell me now if you’re planning on another break,” I said, turning to face her with a smirk. I meant it as a joke, but Audrey’s face fell slightly, guilt flashing in her eyes.

Her silver streak almost seemed to dim a bit as she looked down at her feet. “Edwin, I-”

f

I held up a hand, chuckling to lighten the mood. “I’m just teasing you, love. I’m proud of you, you know. For taking that initiative in asking for a break when you needed it. It clearly paid off.”

And that was the truth, too; I had a lot of respect for what she’d done. It’s not easy, making decisions that might harm your relationship for the sake of yourself and your mate. I knew that firsthand. And now Audrey knew what it was like, too.

My mate’s tense shoulders visibly relaxed, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Oh. You really mean that? You’re not just saying that?”

“Of course I mean it,” I said, sitting down next to her. “You passed your thesis with flying colors, and stopped Black from ruining it for you. And you seem… happier now that you took that time to yourself.”

Audrey nodded, looking relieved. “I am. And I think… I think we both learned a lot from it.”

I couldn’t argue with that. The past couple of months had indeed been difficult, filled with constant longing and worry, but they had also taught me some valuable lessons about respecting my mate’s autonomy.

I never wanted to make her feel like she wasn’t in control of her own life ever again. And I’d be damned if I let that happen again, especially if I was planning to marry-

“Edwin,” Audrey crooned, leaning against me, her eyelids already fluttering closed, “I’m so tired, I don’t even know if I’ll be able to make it to the bedroom…”

“Fear not.” I grinned and gathered her small form into my arms, rising and carrying her to bed.

Later that night, I sat in the armchair by the window with a glass of whiskey in hand as I watched Audrey sleep. The amber liquid caught the moonlight, creating dancing patterns on the wall-but it wasn’t nearly as spectacular as Audrey’s hair.

She lay peacefully in my-our-bed, her silver streak illuminated by the soft glow streaming through the curtains. With her hair sprawled out across the pillow and her milky white breasts gently rising and falling in the moonlight, she looked…

Radiant. Serene. So… untroubled.

I wanted nothing more than to climb into bed with her and tuck her sleeping form close against my body, fall asleep to the sensation of her warmth seeping into my skin. But tonight, I couldn’t shake the worry gnawing at my gut enough to sleep.

Not with Coldclaw feeling like a constant shadow, a dark stormcloud on the horizon.

At first, they had seemed like nothing more than a distant threat a band of rogues who made a grave mistake by sending a few scouts to terrorize my mate in the forest. But they had broken into Audrey’s dorm. They had snuck onto campus and

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left a message in her bathroom.

Before, I had been content to strengthen security around Crescent’s borders and send a few threatening-looking wolves on patrol near the train tracks to intimidate them into staying off my pack’s land.

But now, things were different. They hadn’t heeded my warning, and they had come for Audrey a second time. I wasn’t about to give them a third chance.

As if on cue, my phone buzzed in my pocket. The vibration seemed too loud in the quiet room, so I slipped out quietly, not wanting to wake Audrey, before answering.

“Charles,” I said in a low voice as I moved to the living room. “What did you find?”

My Beta’s voice came through, and he sounded tense. “You were right to be concerned, Alpha. I found rogue hair in Audrey’s carpet. It reeks.”

I cursed under my breath, my free hand clenching into a fist around my whiskey glass. “So they really did break in.”

“It appears so,” Charles confirmed. “They must have been searching for her, just as you said, and left that note when they realized she wasn’t there.”

I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm the rage that was building inside of me. The wolf in the back of my mind growled, furious at the threat to our mate. But now was not the time to go into a rage; now, I needed to think clearly.

“We need to increase security,” I said after a moment. “I want a constant guard rotation around Audrey at all times, and at least one guard watching the apartment building at all times.”

“Of course, Alpha.”

“This is the future Luna of Crescent we’re talking about,” I continued, my voice hardening. I glanced back towards the bedroom, where Audrey continued to sleep peacefully, blissfully unaware. “…And the Silver Star. We can’t take any more risks.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, then Charles chuckled softly. The sound was unexpected. “Speaking of future Luna… have you shown Audrey the ring yet?”

I felt heat rise to my cheeks, and suddenly felt grateful that Charles couldn’t see me. My eyes darted to the drawer where the ring was hidden-so close to where Audrey slept. “Not yet,” I admitted quietly. “I’m planning to propose soon, just… not quite yet.”

“May I ask why?”

I sighed and set down my whiskey, running a hand through my hair. “I want her to graduate and get settled first. And… I don’t want her to feel like I’m only proposing to make her shift sooner.”

“Ah,” Charles said. “Because of what you found out about the Silver Star’s first shift?”

I nodded, forgetting for a moment that he couldn’t see me. “Yes. The research suggests she’s unlikely to shift until we’ve had an official mating ceremony. The marking bite could trigger her first shift.”

It was something I had been grappling with ever since I had discovered that information. On one hand, I wanted nothing more than to make Audrey my Luna, to give her that missing piece that might help her shift and finally tap into her complete set of powers. But on the other…

“I don’t want to pressure her,” I said out loud. “I love her, Charles. I want to marry her because I love her, not because of what she is or what she can do.

“I understand, Alpha,” Charles replied, his voice softening. “But perhaps you’re overthinking this. Audrey loves you too. She would understand your intentions.”

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Maybe he was right. But the memory of how suffocated Audrey had felt before, how close I had come to losing her because of all this Silver Star business, made me hesitant.

And that was precisely why earlier, when Audrey and I had been getting ready for bed, I had proposed another idea. An idea that even she couldn’t refuse.

It was crazy, maybe even a little stupid, but it might just work in keeping her safe-in scaring those damn rogues away before they could try anything else.

After all, a shifted Silver Wolf was practically untouchable.

“Charles, I have one last task for you.”

“What is it?”

“Start spreading the rumors,” I said, turning to gaze at my mate once more. “Tell everyone the Silver Star has finally shifted…

more. and that her powers have officially manifested.”

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