Chapter 43
Viona's POV
Night before departure
Alpha's office
The moon light penetrated the window of my dad's office, the clearing, silver light washing over the wooden table where I sat, her hand resting at my lap. The air was cool, quiet - the kind of quiet that always came before big changes. My father stood beside me, hands clasped behind his back, his shadow long against the ground. Something he does before a long lecture or warning.
He had been silent for a while, watching the forest sway under the wind. When he finally spoke, his voice was steady, but there was an undercurrent to it - not quite worry, but weight.
"You'll be gone for two years," he began, not looking at me yet. "Two years is long enough for a girl to lose herself if she isn't careful."
I straightened. "I won't
