RIO’S POV


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    Rio stood at the palisade, his eyes fixed on the snow. It wasn’t white anymore. The light reflected off it carried a red tint, even though the sun was still up.


    The outpost was too quiet. No distant howls nor beating wings. Even the ravens had abandoned the watchpoles. The veterans called this silence the lull. It was when everything pulled back before the first night. It never meant safety. It meant the opposite.


    They had arrived at the northern outpost hours ago without Lord Cassian or Lady Atasha. The gates were sealed, braziers burned along the walls, and crews rotated every half hour to keep numb hands from dropping spears.


    Men whispered and nced at the sky. No one said it aloud, but it showed on their faces, this was not how the first night usually looked.


    Rio nced at Mendez. “Are you certain the Lord wille back safe?”


    “Worry less about him,” Mendez said, his gaze fixed through the slit window of the palisade. “The red moon doesn’t weaken him. It fuels him, makes him stronger.” He exhaled, eyes shifting to the endless in where the snow stretched without end. “The Lady, though…”


    He fell silent. The snow beyond glowed faintly red under the fading sun. His hand pressed against the sill as he let out a quiet sigh. “We can only hope she survives it. May the goddess watch her.”


    Rio rubbed his jaw, then nodded. “I’ll set the men. Double arrows on the towers. Nets ready. Boil the pitch.”


    “Do it,” Mendez said.


    Rio hesitated at the door. “Can we survive this tide without him?”


    The thought wed at him. Every red moon in the past, Lord Cassian had been just outside the walls, fighting. He pulled the strongest packs away from the outpost, broke the beasts before they ever reached the gates. The men believed the walls held because the Lord held the field. This time, the field was empty.


    Mendez finally looked up at the red–stained sun. “We have to,” he said. “There’s no choice.” Then, quieter, he bowed his head. “Coddess, bless His Lordship and Her Ladyship. Keep them safe.”


    Rio nodded, then stepped out.


    Outside, the yard was already moving. Runners hauled sand buckets to the towers. Shield crews checked their grips. The ballista team cranked cords and greased the slides. Rio climbed the main walk and barked assignments.


    Men obeyed quickly, boots thudding against the timber. The silence beyond the wall pressed heavier with each passing minute.


    A horn hung beside the gatedder. Rio palmed the cold metal, ncing at the sky onest time. The sun dipped lower, the red deepening around them. Moonrise woulde soon, and with it, the first wave.


    8:13 Mon, Sep 15


    “Shutters ready,” he called down. “No one breaks formation. We will stick to the n.”


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    Mendez climbed the walk beside him, cloak tugged by the wind. He didn’t speak. He didn’t need to.


    The lull ended with a single, distant cry from the tree line, high, drawn–out, and nothing like any wolf Rio knew. He raised the horn to his lips and blew.


    ATASHA’S POV


    “Howe it’s too quiet?” I asked, ncing at Cassian.


    The cloaks were already washed andid out on the rocks to dry. Once they were ready, I nned to do the same with our clothes, using the cloaks to cover ourselves in the meantime. It wasn’t ideal, but at least it was something.


    The fire crackled in front of us, mes licking at the skewered meat bnced across t stones. Smoke curled toward the ceiling, carrying the sharp smell of cooked flesh. We sat near the heat, close enough that our shoulders almost brushed, though we weren’t actually touching.


    I kept my gaze on the fire at first, watching fat drip from the meat and sizzle as it hit the coals. The steady sound made the silence feel less heavy. This inner part of the cave had be our refuge, the water pool in the back, the narrow entrance sealing us in. Norger beast would be able to force its way through the gap. That thought gave me somefort.


    Eventually, my eyes wandered. I turned toward Cassian. His side profile was sharp in the glow, the red in his eyes muted by the light. He didn’t look as ruthless as he had before. Something about him felt different, though I couldn’t ce why. Was it because he’d helped me wash? That thought alone made my face heat.


    The memory of his hand in my hair shed across my mind, and I quickly turned back toward the fire. My cheeks burned hotter than the mes. I picked up one of the skewers, d to distract myself. “This one’s done,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm.


    I held it out toward him.


    Only then did he finally turn his head, his gaze shifting to me. For a moment, I froze, not sure what to do with his attention locked on me like that. My lips twitched before I realized I was smiling. An awkward, nervous grin spread across my face.


    The second it happened, irritation spiked inside me. Why was I smiling? What the hell was wrong with me?


    I quickly shoved the skewer closer to him, hoping he hadn’t noticed. Thankfully, he took the skewer. My breath slipped out in a quiet sigh, the tension in my shoulders easing as I grabbed another for myself. I bit into it, the meat chewy but edible, and kept my eyes on the fire.


    Why hadn’t he attacked me yet? The red moon had started, I could feel it in the air. The silence outside wasn’t normal, it was the kind that came before chaos. Mendez had said Cassian would turnpletely feral, that he’d be impossible to reason with. Was Mendez exaggerating? Or had something changed?


    I chewed slower, sneaking another nce at him. His eyes were still red, but he wasn’t baring his teeth or lunging for me. He just sat there, eating the meat I handed him like it was nothing.


    Then his hand moved


    8:13 Mon, Sep 15


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    Fingers brushed against the corner of my mouth. I froze, the half–chewed bite caught in my throat. His touch was surprisingly careful, wiping at something I hadn’t noticed was there.


    “Uh… thanks,” I muttered, stiff as a board. My voice cracked at the end, and I cursed myself for sounding so awkward. That was when I noticed it. A smudge at the side of his mouth.


    Before I could stop myself, I leaned in and lifted my hand. “You have something–just there,” I said quickly, my thumb brushing against his lips.


    The contact snapped something in the air. His eyes widened a fraction, surprise shing across them. Then, in one sharp motion, his hand shot up and caught my wrist.


    The sudden grip jolted me off bnce. I gasped, the skewer dropping from my other hand, and before I knew what was happening, he shifted to steady me. Instead of helping, the movement tipped us both sideways.


    We went down hard.


    8:13 Mon, Sep 15