They remained hidden behind the trees long after the bell faded into the distance, the school noise becoming a distant hum, like a world that no longer fully included them.
Lori sat down on the grass first, pulling Iva with her until they were both seated under the shade, the bark of the old tree rough against their backs. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Iva broke the silence.
“I wanted to tell my parents,” she said quietly, staring at her hands. “I wanted to tell the pack. I really did.”
Lori turned to her slowly. “But?”
“But after everything that happened yesterday… after what my father did, after how everyone looked at me like I was something rotten, Alpha’s decision to mate me in the northern packs…” Iva’s voice wavered, but she kept going. “I know they wouldn’t believe
