The scent of dahlias hovered in faint notes around me.
Mama was humming.
Her voice honeyed the quiet midday as I sat in her lap, sulking.
She was braiding flowers into my hair, like she always did to cheer me up. The garden was only just starting to wake up after the long winter, so I had plucked whatever had managed to break through the frost ground early.
Wintertime meant the Pack house was always busy, always full. My eldest brothers came home from their studies, and Papa made time for me.
But winter was over now.
The Pack house felt especially empty.
“No slouching, Iris,” Mama chided. “You’re of Alpha lineage. You must carry yourself with pride.”
“Everyone is gone,” I complained as I straightened my back. “And I’m stuck by myself.”
“You still have Matteus.”
“He’s mean! He pic
