After Carlos and Mona finished breakfast, a heavy silence settled between them. Carlos set his coffee aside, finally deciding it was time to address her presence.
"Mona, you shouldn’t have come," Carlos said with concern. "The palace is on edge as it is. You should have waited for a safer time to visit."
"Maybe I can help you guys," Mona countered softly.
Carlos looked at her, his expression skeptical. "You can’t. What do you even know about fighting the dark witch? It isn’t a game, Mona. It’s more dangerous than you can imagine."
"I know I’m not as powerful as the others, but I can help you bind her," Mona said confidently. "Even if I can only hold the spell for a few seconds, it could be the window you need. Honestly, I was just worried about you. You left without a second thought for your own safety."
She took a brief pause as her own eyes reflected the pain Carlos carried in silence. "Grandma passed away so recently, and I was afraid you were pushing yourself too hard. The other witches refused to get involved with the werewolves, but you agreed because of your loyalty to Amelie. I know how heavy the world has felt since you lost your parents. People always come to you for their own selfish reasons, Carlos. If you really want me to go, I’ll go. But I only want to share the weight so you don’t have to carry the entire burden of the moon event alone."
"Amelie isn’t selfish," Carlos corrected, his voice hardening with a protective edge.
"She only contacted you after all these years," Mona pointed out with a skeptical tone. "Grandma told me a little about your history."
"Then you must also remember that Amelie saved my life a long time ago," Carlos stated flatly.
Mona lowered her gaze, biting her bottom lip nervously. "I know that. I just meant... She never reached out before until a few months back. Not until she felt no one could give her the answers she needed."
"She never wanted to drag a sorcerer into the politics of her country," Carlos said, letting out a dry, short laugh at Mona’s sudden labeling of his friend. "I thought you were a well-wisher of hers."
"You’re taking me wrong, Carlos. Amelie is sweet, but she called you—"
"At a time when only I could help," Carlos interrupted, his expression softening as he spoke of Amelie’s past. "She isn’t selfish, Mona. She could have called me when her own life was falling apart. She was abused by her pack; her own mate tried to take her life. She went through hell and never asked me for a single thing until it became a matter of life and death. That is the opposite of selfish."
Mona’s brow furrowed as the weight of his words sank in. "I’m sorry," she murmured. "I didn’t realize it was that bad."
"Fine," Carlos said, exhaling slowly. "Stay here until the moon event is over. Just promise me you won’t overexert yourself."
"I won’t. I promise."
Mona stood up, ready to head back to her quarters, but Carlos stopped her with one final statement.
"I’ve found peace here, Mona," he clarified with steady eyes. "I won’t be returning to the coven when this is finished."
Mona gave a small hum of acknowledgment and quietly walked away, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
~~~~~
"Noah seems too happy today!" Zilia remarked with a smile, finishing up the fruit plate for Katelyn.

’I want to have a baby too,’ she thought.
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