(Kiara)
The rest of the afternoon felt different after speaking with Evelina. Every room inside the pack house held memories I had never questioned until today. I wondered how my life might have looked if she had been allowed to keep her promise. I might have grown up in a home instead of serving one.
Maris gave me more work before sunset. She handed me a basket of folded blankets and told me to take them upstairs. I accepted the basket without arguing. Keeping my head down was easier than giving her another reason to watch me.
Nyra stayed quiet while I climbed the stairs. She was thinking about Evelina's words as much as I was. Neither of us liked knowing Lucan had chosen this life for us. It made every year inside Blackridge feel different.
I reached Aurelia's room first and knocked
