Fern
I notice his absence immediately. It's foolish, really. Alpha Gaven doesn't owe me his presence. He has an entire pack to run, borders to secure, decisions to make that have nothing to do with me.
And yet, I find myself scanning the dining hall the moment I step inside, my eyes instinctively drawn to the place where he usually sits. The seat is empty. The space beside it too.
Something in my chest tightens. It is familiar. At first it is small but it grows quickly. I have already been forgotten.
I tell myself not to read into it as I move through the room, nodding politely when people greet me. Breakfast is busy this morning, voices overlapping, plates clinking, the smell of coffee and warm bread filling the air. It should be comforting.
Instead, it feels louder than
