Chapter 33

  Garrick's return

  The forge’s warmth was still clinging to the air when the door slammed open.

  Rath (wolfman) was first through, his fur bristling, followed by his brothers Korr and Fen. All three were breathing hard, eyes wide.

  “Lux! Lux!” Rath barked, his voice a growl. “Garrick’s back—”

  Korr cut in, almost snarling. “—but the bastard’s got a cat woman chained up in his wagon!”

  For a heartbeat, Lux just stared at them. Then his gaze went ice-cold. “What?”

  Before anyone could move, Garrick appeared in the doorway, his hands raised in mock surrender, his expression painted with forced calm. “It’s a misunderstanding—” he began quickly, eyes flicking between Lux and Luna.

  Lux took two slow steps forward, every line in his body screaming danger. “Explain.”

  “She came to me,” Garrick said, speaking too fast now. “Said she needed help, but the guards were watching, so I—”

  Lux didn’t hear the rest. He shouldered past Garrick so hard the man nearly stumbled into the wall, boots pounding against the dirt as he stormed out toward the wagon.

  And there she was—collar around her neck, wrists bound, chain clinking against the wood. Her fur was dusty, her amber eyes sharp even through the exhaustion.

  The moment their gazes met, Lux’s breath caught.

  “Seven!” he barked, his voice breaking just enough for Luna, who’d followed him out, to hear the weight behind it.

  The cat woman’s lips curled into a faint, wry smile despite her state. “…Lux, Luna.”

  Luna nearly knocked Lux aside as she rushed past him. Her hood fell back, raven black hair spilling in the wind as she skidded to the wagon. She was already unfastening the chain when she threw her arms around the cat woman, pulling her close.

  Tears welled instantly. “I thought… I thought me and Lux lost you,” she whispered, voice shaking. “When we had to flee Springvale— I thought you were gone forever.”

  Seven closed her eyes, leaning into the embrace. “…I almost was.”

  Lux’s jaw tightened at the sound of it. He gave the two women a moment before turning back toward the forge, shoving the door open so hard it rattled on its hinges. Garrick was still lingering there, shoulders tense.

  Lux strode up, planting both hands on the table between them. “Start talking. Now.”

  Garrick looked older than he had when he left—eyes sunken, clothes dust-stained. He exhaled through his nose. “Lux… it’s bad. Really bad.”

  “How bad?”

  “There isn’t any beastfolk free in the city anymore,” Garrick said, his voice low, weighted. “Not a single one I saw. I passed so many wagons—cages packed so tight they couldn’t even sit. Families torn apart in the streets. Mothers screaming, kids crying… and nobody stopped it.”

  Lux’s stomach knotted, but Garrick pressed on.

  “I did my best. Got all the supplies, all the metal I could before the baron’s remaining men and mages started sniffing around.” His eyes shifted toward the doorway, toward where Luna still knelt beside Seven. “Then I saw her—being dragged by two guards. And when she saw me… she called out. Said ‘Master, master.’” Garrick gave a humorless chuckle. “The guards thought she was mine. I… had to do something.”

  Lux’s glare softened just slightly, but his voice was still edged with steel. “You did more than ‘something,’ Garrick. You brought her back.”

  Garrick’s brow furrowed at Lux’s words, like something had just clicked. “She’s… the first one, isn’t she?”

  Lux’s eyes narrowed. “First one what?”

  “The first demi-human you saved,” Garrick said quietly, searching Lux’s face. “Back when you killed the baron’s son… that day I delivered that damned grandfather clock.”

  Lux’s gaze flickered to the doorway where Luna still held Seven close, her hands trembling against the cat woman’s back. His voice was low when he answered. “Yeah. She was chained in the corner of that room. The boy had her half-starved, half-dead. I didn’t plan to… but the second I saw what he was doing to her—” Lux’s jaw clenched. “—I slit his throat and walked out with her.”

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  Garrick nodded slowly, eyes dropping to the floor. “Then I guess I just paid that forward.”

  Lux let out a breath, rubbing his temple before fixing Garrick with a sharp look. “Good. Because we’re going to need her. And we’re going to need you, Garrick.” He stepped closer, voice dropping so only Garrick could hear. “Get every scrap of metal ready. Every last bit. I don’t care if you have to tear it out of your own walls.”

  Garrick’s eyes hardened with understanding. “Because things are about to get worse?”

  Lux’s gaze shifted toward the distant tree line, his expression grim. “No… because worse is already here.”

  Luna's pov.

  Luna’s fingers curled tighter into the fabric of Seven’s torn dress, as if holding her too loosely might let the world snatch her away again. Seven trembled in her arms, her quiet sobs muffled against Luna’s shoulder.

  But Luna’s gaze kept drifting—past the rescued cat woman, past the crowd of anxious faces—to Lux.

  He stood near the forge, already barking orders to Garrick and Strenn as if the moment hadn’t just been torn open by raw, jagged emotion. His voice was steady, commanding, unshaken, and every pair of eyes in the settlement seemed to turn toward him for direction. He didn’t just give orders—he anchored people to something solid, something that felt like survival.

  Luna couldn’t understand it. She felt like her chest was full of fire and ice all at once, her mind a blur from seeing Seven alive after believing she’d been lost. Her own emotions churned so violently she could barely keep her voice even when she’d spoken to the others earlier.

  And yet Lux… Lux stood there like the weight of the day didn’t press on him, like he could keep moving forward no matter what he’d just confessed to Garrick.

  A part of her envied that strength. Another part of her feared what it meant about the man himself.

  And somewhere deep, a quiet, treacherous thought whispered: This human… no, this man… would burn the whole world down before he let me or mine fall.

  Luna swallowed hard, blinking back the heat in her eyes. Whatever he was made of, it wasn’t the same fragile stuff that had shattered her kingdom.

  Lux's pov.

  Lux’s eyes flicked toward Luna. She was still kneeling in the dirt, arms wrapped tight around Seven, her cheek pressed to the cat woman’s hair. He didn’t need to hear her voice to know she wasn’t ready to step back into command just yet.

  Fine. He’d hold the line for her.

  Straightening, Lux raised his voice so it carried across the settlement.

  “Alright, listen up! Garrick, get the metal and food stores into the forge—stack them by type, we’ll sort later. Strenn, you’re on bullet casings—work with Korr to keep the forge fed. Lyra, Rath, Dorn—double patrol routes for the night. If anything moves out there, I want to know before it breathes on us.”

  People snapped to it, some with hesitation, others with relief. The noise of motion rose—footsteps, clanging supplies, the scrape of wood being dragged into place for barricades.

  Lux kept his tone sharp and sure, leaving no space for doubt.

  “Everyone else, help where you can—water to the forge, bandages for the injured, food to the children first. Keep your eyes up. The Baron’s not done.”

  Only after the last order was given did he glance back toward Luna. She was still with Seven, her expression caught between fierce protectiveness and the slow, raw process of breathing again after fear.

  Take the time you need, he thought, turning back to oversee the work. I’ve got this until you’re ready.

  Luna's pov.

  Luna’s grip on Seven’s arms eased, her voice lowering. “We… started using names again. Everyone here has theirs back.”

  Seven blinked, surprise flickering in her eyes. “Names…” She let the word roll over her tongue like it was foreign. Her ears twitched. “It’s been… so long since I had one.”

  Luna gave her an encouraging look. “Then take it back. You can tell me now.”

  For a moment, Seven seemed to search some dusty, far corner of her mind, as if sifting through scraps of a life she’d been forced to forget. Then her expression softened, almost shy. “I think… I was once called Jade.”

  “Jade…” Luna repeated, tasting the name, letting it settle between them. “It suits you.”

  Jade’s lips curved just barely. “Feels strange to say it out loud again.”

  Lux paused in the middle of the half-ruined street, eyes sweeping over the settlement. Wolfmen moved metal from the wagon to the forge, Lyra and Korr checked perimeter traps, and noncombatants carried bundles of food into the storehouse. It was a picture of order in the middle of chaos—his orders.

  He spotted Luna and Seven sitting on a low stone wall, their heads close together talking about her name. The tension in Luna’s shoulders had eased just enough for him to see how much the moment meant to her.

  Lux stepped over, his boots crunching against the dirt and scattered rubble.

  “Welcome back, Jade,” he said, letting the name roll naturally off his tongue, no hesitation.

  The cat woman’s ears perked, her eyes going wide before a small, disbelieving smile tugged at her lips. “You… used my name.”

  “Yeah,” Lux replied, his gaze steady. “Of course I did I cant help but overhear the first person I saved reclaim her name.”

  Luna glanced between them, warmth flickering in her expression before she looked down, hiding it behind her hair.

  Lux lowered himself onto the wall beside them, brushing the dust from his palms. “Figured I’d check in,” he said, giving Luna a quick once-over. “Make sure you’re holding together.”

  “I’m fine,” Luna replied, though her voice dipped softer than usual. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment before she looked away.

  Jade’s golden eyes tracked the exchange, her tail curling lazily. She caught the way Luna’s shoulders eased when Lux was near, the way her voice lost its usual edge. Oh… this was interesting.

  “You’ve changed,” Jade said, leaning back on her hands. “Not just the leading—other things too.”

  Luna shot her a quick glare. “This isn’t the time—”

  Jade’s smirk deepened. “Some things are just hard to miss.”

  Lux glanced between them, brow furrowed. “What are you two talking about?”

  “Nothing,” Luna said quickly, standing as if she suddenly remembered urgent business. “I, uh… need to check on the supply carts.” She turned on her heel and walked away just a touch too fast.

  Lux blinked after her, clearly puzzled. “What was that about?”

  Jade looked at him, utterly deadpan. “Men. Dense as rock.”

  Lux frowned. “…Thanks? I think?”

  Jade just chuckled to herself, tail flicking as she stood to follow Luna.