The Silver Wolf (Diana and Talon) novel Chapter 72

Chapter Seventy Two

Chapter Seventy Two

The laughter between them lingered long after Diana’s teasing threat against Willow’s future mate.

For the first time since they had arrived at the spa, the air no longer felt careful or strained. The awkward edges had softened. Leah’s apology no longer bung between them like a wall. Willow’s old pain, though still present, no longer felt sharp enough to bleed. And Diana, stretched out on the massage table with the warm scent of oils surrounding her, found herself feeling something she had not expected so soon in Black Howler Pack.

Peace.

Not complete peace. Her life had not become simple enough for that.

There were still shadows behind her-the memory of Crimson Farg, the truth of her parents’ deaths, Hazel’s betrayal, Rafe’s madness, and the unsettling knowledge that somewhere beyond the known territories a rogue king believed she belonged to him.

But here, in this room, with Willow and Leah beside her, she felt lighter.

The massage ended slowly, with warm towels wrapped around their shoulders and cups of herbal tea placed into their hands. They moved into a small private sitting room overlooking the quiet back garden of the spa. Soft wind stirred the leaves outside, and the afternoon sun filtered through the glass in golden streaks.

Willow sat cross-legged on one of the lounge chairs, cradling her cup between both hands.

“I needed this,” she said with a sigh. “If Talon gives me one more list for the marking ceremony, I may run away and join another pack.”

Leah laughed softly. “You won’t get far. He’ll send Enzo after you.”

Willow snorted. “That is exactly why I would not run.”

Diana shook her head, smiling. “You are both dramatic.”

“We learned from Talon,” Willow said at once.

“That is a lie,” Diana replied.

“No,” Leah said thoughtfully, then grinned, “the drama is definitely from the Alpha family.”

That made Diana laugh again, and she leaned back into her chair, enjoying the warmth of the tea against her palms.

They spent another hour there, talking more easily now. Willow spoke about the first marking ceremony she had attended as a young girl, describing how regal the previous Luna had looked and how seriously Talon had taken the event even as a boy. Leah shared stories about growing up in Crimson Fang-safer, happier stories from before everything turned rotten under Hazel’s quiet cruelty. Diana found herself listening more than speaking, learning the small details that made each of them who they were.

By the time they left the spa, the sky had begun to soften toward late afternoon.

Chapter SevenTY TWO

Town was busy in that gentle way it always seemed to be when the day leaned toward evening. Wolves moved between shops and cafés, some bowing their heads respectfully when they recognized Diana. Others smiled shyly at Willow, who was clearly known and loved here. Leah walked beside them with less stiffness now, her posture no longer that of someone afraid to take up space.

They stopped at a boutique to look at silks for the marking ceremony. Willow immediately turned severe and serious, as though she had stepped into battle instead of a dress shop.

“No pale colors,” she announced. “You are the Luna Queen. You need something that makes people stop breathing for a moment when they see you.”

Diana blinked. “That sounds inconvenient.”

“It sounds perfect,” Willow corrected.

Leah picked up a bolt of deep silver fabric and held it against Diana. “Actually… this.”

Diana looked at herself in the mirror.

The silver brought out something sharper in her. It did not soften her features the way cream or blush might have. Instead it made her look colder. Stronger.

Regal.

Willow’s eyes widened. “Yes. Absolutely yes.”

Diana raised an eyebrow. “I am slightly afraid of both of you now.”

“You should be,” Willow said.

They laughed again, and for another half hour they lost themselves in lace, embroidery, and impossible opinions about sleeves.

Then Diana felt it.

A warm brush against the back of her mind.

Familiar.

Possessive.

Talon.

Her smile softened immediately. She did not need his voice to know it was him. The bond between them was still new, still startling in its intimacy, but already she had begun to recognize the texture of his thoughts when he reached for her.

“Love,” Talon’s voice came through the mind link, low and calm. “Are you back in town?”

Diana stilled.

Willow noticed it at once. “What is it?”

Diana lifted one hand slightly, asking for a moment, and answered him silently.

25

Chapter Seventy Two

“Yes. We are still in town. We were just about to head back. What happened?”

There was a pause.

Not a long one.

But long enough for Diana to know he was choosing his words carefully.

“I need you to come back to the pack,” Talon said. “To my office.”

Her heartbeat shifted.

“Why?”

Another pause.

“We have an unexpected visitor.”

Diana’s gaze lifted slightly, unfocusing from the dresses in front of her. Willow and Leah were both watching her now.

“Who?” Diana asked.

This time Talon did not answer immediately.

When he did, his voice was even more careful.

“He asked to meet you.”

A chill ran down her spine.

“Talon.”

“I am here,” he said quickly, sensing the edge beneath her voice. “Enzo is here as well. He came with his Beta. No threat has been made. But I do not like surprises where you are concerned.”

The words eased something in her, though not all of it.

“Who is he?” she asked again.

She felt Talon exhale through the bond before answering.

“He calls himself Damon.”

Diana went completely still.

That name meant nothing and everything at once.

Not because she had heard it before.

But because instinct rose violently inside her chest.

Artemis stirred.

Danger.

24

Chapter Seventy Two.

That single thought rolled through their shared mind.

Diana’s fingers tightened around the silver fabric she was still holding.

“Diana?” Willow said quietly,

Leah had set down the dress in her hands. “What is it?”

Diana drew in a breath.

“I need to go back,” she said.

Willow immediately straightened. “What happened?”

She looked between them, deciding how much to say.

“Talon wants me at the pack. There is a visitor in his office. A male. He asked to meet me.””

Leah frowned. “Who?”

Diana hesitated, then said quietly, “His name is Damon.”

Neither Willow nor Leah recognized it, but both of them understood the tension in her tone.

“Should we come with you?” Willow asked at once.

Clam

Diana shook her head. “No. Go back to the pack house if you want, but do not come to the office unless Talon asks for you.”

Leah’s expression tightened. “Do you think this is connected to the rogue king?”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify