Chapter 78

Leo I watched Victoria kneeling before her parents' graves, her slender form silhouetted against the afternoon light filtering through the ancient oak trees. My wolf, Ronan, paced restlessly within me, both protective and possessive at the sight of our mate in such a vulnerable moment. Victoria's soft words to her parents carried on the breeze to my enhanced hearing. "I'm scared," she confessed in a whisper that twisted something in my chest. "Not of dying, but of failing. Of letting down the people counting on me. Of not being strong enough." The urge to comfort her, to shield her from all harm, nearly overwhelmed me. But I knew better than most that some battles couldn't be fought for another—only alongside them. "You are strong enough," I said, stepping forward from where I'd been watching. She startled, turning to face me with those expressive brown eyes that had captivated me from the beginning. In them, I saw determination mingled with fear—not for herself, but for others. For he