Lila and Rowan moved efficiently, their focus in one place, until they stopped.

“Here,” Lila said, pulling out a worn map. “It’s this region. it matched one of the coordinates from the files.”

Rowan was leaning over her shoulder, his face darkening. “This is where she’s been recruiting,” he muttered.

“Rowan,” I said, my voice cutting through their focus. I looked at him and a glint of pride in his eyes, as though he felt like I would just forget all he had done, I cleared my throat, and said, “This information is well and good, but it doesn’t erase your past. You need to tread carefully.”

He looked up, his eyes finding mine. “I’m not trying to erase anything, Luna. I’m trying to push forward. And maybe, maybe help you do the same.”

My breath caught. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ve been shouldering the weight of Dane’s illness and the burdens of the pack alone,” Rowan said, his voice low with sincerity. “This is me trying to take some of that weight off, even if it’s just a little.”

I blinked in surprise. Before I could utter a word, Lila chimed in. “Rowan’s coming from a good place, Luna. And this find could prove to be a game changer.”

The more they worked, the further back I stepped, watching. There was just this silent understanding between them, a quiet rhythm, almost to how they worked off each other.

“You two, you don’t even need me in here,” I half joked, but somehow, the words sliced into a grain of truth.

Rowan turned to me then, his expression unreadable. “We need you more now than ever, Luna. You have kept us stuck together. noveldrama

“Even when I feel like I’m falling apart?” I whispered.

“Especially then,” Rowan said, his tone unwavering.

I smiled for the first time in what felt like days. “You’ve changed,

Rowan.”