Ellie POV


    The leaves were beginning to change colors, and the morning air carried a pleasant chill. It was fal,l and the twins seemed to love it. I took them for walks whenever I could, letting them nap in the stroller under the filtered sunlight while I breathed in pine and damp earth.


    It had been three weeks since I''d returned to Moonstone. Three weeks of pretending that the ache in my chest was fading. Some days, it almost felt true. And then Rae arrived.


    I spotted her through the window before I heard the knock-bright red hair catching the light like a warning re, suitcase in one hand, a grin that said she''de to stay whether I wanted her to or not.


    I opened the door before she could knock again. "Rae?"


    “Surprise,” she said, though it didn''t sound like one. "I hope you have coffee. That trip was brutal."


    I blinked, halfughing, half crying as I hugged her tight. The smell of her shampoo, floral and sweet, hit me with a wave of familiarity that made my throat ache.


    "I can''t believe you''re here," I said when I finally stepped back.


    "Where else would I be?" she asked simply, brushing past me into the apartment. "You vanish in the middle of the night, don''t answer messages, and then I hear whispers that you''re in Moonstone again. Of course, I came."


    "I''m fine," I tried weakly.


    Rae gave me a look. "You look like you haven''t slept in a year."


    "That''s what babies do to people."


    "Mm-hmm," she said, unconvinced, before crossing to the ypen where August andn were gurgling in unison. "Well, look at you two. Twice as cute as I imagined. Oh, Ellie, they''re perfect! I can never get over it.”


    Her voice softened as she leaned over them, letting them grasp at her fingers. They rewarded her immediately with smiles. It was easy to forget how open Rae was with people, how she could win over anyone in minutes-including babies.


    "They like you," I said.


    "Of course they do," she teased. "I''m charming."


    Iughed, reallyughed, for the first time in days.


    By that evening, she''d already taken over the kitchen, filling it with the smell of sautéed herbs and something buttery. The twins had fallen asleep in their swings, and for a while it felt almost normal two friends cooking, sharing space, pretending things were simple for a while.


    “So,” she said, stirring a pot on the stove, "are we going to talk about the nightmares or pretend you''re not having them?"


    I froze. "Who told you that?"


    "Cassian," she said easily. "Apparently, you mentioned something to ric. He was worried."


    "When did you and Cassian start talking behind my back?" I asked crossing my


    arms.


    "He''s your brother and I''m your best friend, of course we gossip aout you," she replied. “Now stop deflecting and tell me about the nightmares."


    I sighed. "They''re not nightmares exactly. Just... strange dreams.)


    "Goddess stuff?" she asked, not mocking, just curious.


    "Maybe,” I admitted. "It feels like she''s trying to tell me something. I just don''t know what."


    Rae hummed tasting the sauce before setting the spoon down. "Well, I don''t know much about


    but I do


    divine interfeying


    that overthinking it won''t help Eat. Sleep. Let whatever''s trying to find


    you, find you."


    I wanted to believe it could be that simple, but the idea of being idl and waiting to


    see what came was terrifying to me.


    When I returned to work at the


    hospital the next day, Rae stayed


    behind to help with the twins. It was


    strange at first-leaving them with


    someone else but when I came


    Home that evening to the sound of


    Rae was sitting cross-legged on the floor with Cassian, both of the in Cassian''sp,


    grabbing fistfuls of his shirt, whilen was asleep


    I stopped in the doorway, smiling. "Looks like you had a full day."


    surrounded by toys and baby nkets. August was perched against Rae''s shoulder.


    Cassian looked up, a grin tugging at his mouth. "They''re tougher than they look. I think August''s wolf is alreadying out."


    Raeughed, light and musical. “He drooled on you. That doesn''t make him a warrior."


    Cassian arched an eyebrow. "We all start somewhere."


    Their banter filled the room easily, the kind of yful rhythm that made me feel at


    ease. Cassian was calmer these days, less intense, and I realized that Rae brought something out in him, a levity he''d been missing.