They cheered for me again.
They always did, and I always hated it.
I stood at the edge of the training grounds, letting the noise wash over me. The elders expected a speech. My father expected perfection. Mariana expected me to look at her the way an Alpha should look at his future bride. I didn't promise her that; my father did. And in this pack, his promises were law.
Mariana slipped her hand into mine, leaning close enough for her perfume to steal the air from my lungs, "Did you miss me?" she asked with a practiced smile.
I returned a polite nod, "It's good to be home."
She giggled as if that counted as affection.
I was about to respond when something, someone, caught the corner of my sight.
A quiet figure near the steps. Dark hair pulled back. Shoulders drawn inward. Moving like she wished the earth would swallow her whole.
Silvana Goldenwolf.
I hadn't thought of her in months, maybe years. Not because I forgot her. No one forgets the girl who cries silently when she thinks no one notices, but thinking of her made something uncomfortable settle under my ribs.
She looked thinner, smaller than I remembered. She used to flinch when I walked by; now she didn't even seem to care enough to look my way.
Good.
That was for the best anyway.
The fewer problems I had to handle before my Luna ceremony, the better.
Still… when Mariana started talking again, my eyes drifted back to Silvana involuntarily.
She was heading toward the house. Quick steps in her new tight posture. As though she was bracing for something.
I told myself it wasn't my business, but a strange tug that I dismissed immediately pulled in my chest.
"Alex?" Mariana nudged me, "You're distracted."
"No," I said, tearing my gaze away, "I'm just tired."
Tonight, I will rest. Tomorrow, I will train the young wolves. And in a month, I would complete the bond with Mariana.
Everything was already decided. Everything was exactly where it needed to be.