Rowan had always known where he stood.
Not first.
Not forgotten.
Somewhere in between.
For years, that had been enough.
Until Alden grew into the space Rowan once thought might be his.
Now Rowan walked the outer patrol lines longer than necessary, trained harder than required, and volunteered for the missions others hesitated to take. He didn’t complain. Didn’t argue.
He just… tried to outrun the hollow feeling in his chest.
It didn’t work.
Because you couldn’t outpace a question like Where do I belong now?
Alden noticed before anyone else did.
Rowan stopped sparring with him.
Stopped offering quiet advice after drills.
Stopped watching the pack like a future leader and started watching it like someone who didn’t know where to stand.
Alden found him at the edge of the cliffs
