Adrian’s POV
Something about the silence had gone on too long to ignore.
At first, I allowed it. Ariana had returned to her pack, and I understood that her life there would not be simple. She had responsibilities, people who depended on her, and a past she had never fully explained. I respected that, and I gave her the space she needed.
But space was not supposed to feel like this.
I stood at the Riverline training grounds, watching as a group of younger wolves went through their drills under instruction. Their movements were sharp, though not perfect, and I found myself correcting them without thinking, my voice steady as I pointed out flaws in their form. Normally, I would have been fully focused, but today my attention kept slipping.
No matter what I did, my thoughts returned to he
