Lorien POV
“An older woman sat rocking gently on the porch, a book resting against her knee. She didn’t look up when I stepped closer, but I knew she’d noticed me. She didn’t have to. In this house, nothing went unseen. I lowered myself into the empty chair beside her, balancing the plate on my lap, waiting for her to speak first.”
She didn’t look at me when I sat down, but the fact that she didn’t flinch, growl, or bare her teeth felt like a small victory. A fragile, barely noticeable step but still, a step toward easing into Auren’s pack and, maybe, letting them ease into me.
I’d managed to eat half of my sandwich, chewing in silence as my gaze drifted toward the warriors sparring in the yard. Auren stood with his back to me, arms folded, watching them with that sharp, commanding stil
