#Chapter 148: The Price of the Moon

Lauren Time no longer made sense. The silver light of the Moon bathed the clearing, wrapping around Abigail and me like a veil. Everything beyond it—the crumbling of our pack, the convulsing wolves, the poisoned earth—hung still, suspended in some divine stasis. The chaos was there, I knew it was there, but in this beam of light, we were cut off from time itself. Held in the space between heartbeats. My daughter stood in front of me, our hands still locked, her shoulders squared as if she could hold the weight of the world on her own. And maybe she could. “You’ve done enough,” Abigail said, voice trembling but clear. “It’s my turn now.” “No.” My voice cracked. “No, you don’t get to say that to me. You haven’t even lived yet. You haven’t shifted. You haven’t found your path. Don’t take this weight—you don’t know what it’ll cost!” “I do.” Her grip on my hand tightened. “I’ve always known. Since the Goddess brought me back. I’ve felt it… like a ticking clock. Like somethi