The snow under my boots crunched like brittle glass as Hayden and I made our way along the river path. The wind pulled at my cloak, whispering things unsaid. My hand rested on my belly, small and still, but alive with promise. Hayden’s shoulders were tight, and his jaw clenched. I could feel him holding back, holding it all inside until the river bent and the trees swallowed the world behind us.
“You can still talk to me, Hayden,” I encouraged him softly. “We had been friends before…we can be friends again,” I added. I didn’t say that I was his Luna now and that he should just talk to me. I wanted him to feel comfortable enough to confide in me.
“Liora…” he began, his voice low. “I need to say this,” he was struggling, and I understood that. So, I waited. “I hated him,” Hayden then adm
