Fern
The moment Alpha Gaven leaves the room, the air changes. It's subtle at first. A shift in posture. A loosening of shoulders. Conversations resume at full volume instead of the careful hush they'd fallen into while he was present. I feel it before I see it, the way attention slides toward me like a tide I didn't know I was standing in the path of.
Someone clears their throat beside me.
"Uh... Fern, right?"
I look up too quickly, nearly knocking my fork against the plate. A woman stands there, smiling, her eyes bright and curious rather than sharp. She gestures to the empty seat Gaven left behind.
"Mind if I sit?"
"I..." I hesitate, then nod. "Sure."
That seems to open the floodgates.
Another chair scrapes back. Then another. Someone comments on my dress. Someo
