And yet, she felt like an outsider looking in, the human among wolves.
Her thoughts drifted before she could stop them. Adolphus. He was nowhere to be seen.
She hated that she noticed.
Hated that her heart sank at his absence, that the corners of her mind insisted on conjuring his image—his intense eyes, the way his presence filled a space, the rare moments when his lips curved into something close to a smile.
The more she tried to ignore it, the louder her thoughts became.
Where was he?
Why wasn’t he here with the others? Did he avoid her deliberately, or was he dealing with something else entirely?
“Seraphina?”
The voice jolted her from her spiraling thoughts. She looked up to see Lady Elara standing over her, a kind smile on her face and a plate of food in her hands.
“You’ve
