The palace corridors gradually gave way to the quieter streets of Clearwater.
Morning sunlight spilled across the stone pathways, and for the first time since leaving the Queen’s audience chamber, I allowed myself to breathe without feeling watched.
I hadn’t taken more than a few steps before a familiar voice rang out behind me.
“There you are!”
I barely had time to turn before a whirlwind of blonde curls collided with me.
“Oria-”
The rest of my sentence disappeared beneath a crushing hug.
She wrapped both arms around me with all the enthusiasm of someone greeting a long-lost sibling instead of a friend she’d seen only the day before.
I laughed despite myself.
“You’re going to knock me over one of these days.”
“I haven’t yet.”
She pulled back just enough to grin triumphantly.
“So clearly, I know exactly how much force to use.”
Her amber eyes sparkled with mischief.
Small by werewolf standards, Oria made up for her height with boundless energy.
There was always something wonderfully uncomplicated about her.
She had never looked at me and seen the human.
Only me.
The scent of pine needles and wild honey clung to her clothes, lingering from another morning spent training in the forests.
“Where have you been?” I asked.
“Training!”
Her excitement returned instantly.
“Kael had me running drills with the junior scouts all morning.”
She bounced lightly on her heels.
“We practiced tracking through the eastern woods.”
“I finally managed to pick up a trail before everyone else.”
She looked so genuinely proud that I couldn’t help smiling.
“I’m impressed.” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“You should be.”
She folded her arms dramatically.
“I worked very hard.”
I chuckled.
“You’ve become impossible.”
“I learned from the best.”
Her playful expression softened as she looked at me more closely.
The smile slowly faded from her face.
“You look tired.”
“I’m fine.”
She didn’t answer.
She simply continued studying me.
Oria had always been terrible at ignoring what other people tried to hide.
Instead of explaining myself, I asked the question that had been lingering in my thoughts ever since leaving the Queen.
“Is it true…”
I hesitated.
“…that Calix will become Alpha in three months?”
She immediately understood what I meant.
The brightness left her expression.
After a long pause, she nodded.
“Yes.”
Her voice grew noticeably quieter.
“If the King and Alpha Veyl approve the succession, the ceremony will be held at the end of the season.”
She lowered her eyes briefly.
“And…”
I waited.
The words settled heavily between us.
For a moment, I simply watched people moving through the village beyond the palace gates.
Life continued as though nothing had happened.
I forced a small smile.
“Good for him.”
The sentence sounded strangely distant.
“I suppose he’ll finally have the future he always wanted.”
Oria didn’t reply.
When I finally looked back at her, she was watching me with an expression that made my heart ache.
She knew.
Not because I had told her.
Because she had known me almost my entire life.
She had shared meals at Lira and Kael’s table.
Played beside me as children.
Celebrated birthdays.
Comforted scraped knees and broken hearts that had nothing to do with fated mates.
She knew exactly what I was trying to hide.
Without warning, she stepped forward.
Her arms wrapped around me once again.
This hug was different.
Gentler.
Longer.
Protective.
I slowly returned it.
For several quiet moments, neither of us spoke.
We didn’t need to.
Sometimes the people who loved you most understood the things you never found the courage to say aloud.