Sitting in the living room of the packhouse, Lilia waited for Dax as the moon hung high in the night sky, casting a silvery glow over the territory. It was the kind of night that called for pack runs or moonlit hunts, but she knew Dax wasn’t out with the warriors. He hadn’t returned for the second night in a row, and though her wolf stirred uneasily in the back of her mind, she refused to let it show.
She wasn’t really waiting, though. To distract herself, she played fetch with Buddy in the backyard, his wolfish energy a comforting presence. Buddy had been Dax’s companion ever since Viviana, that Gamma from the rival pack, had mentioned she liked the breed. Over the past four years, Lilia had been the one to care for him, to run with him in the woods when the moon was full. If there was one thing she’d miss when she left, it was Buddy.
After a restless night, Lilia woke early the next morning, the first rays of sunlight filtering through the curtains. She slipped into her workout clothes, leashed Buddy, and headed out for a run through the pack’s territory. The crisp morning air helped clear her mind, and the rhythmic pounding of her feet against the earth grounded her. She wasn’t surprised when she spotted Dax and Viviana at the diner near the pack’s borders—the same one they used to frequent together.
Viviana spotted her first and waved her over with a practiced smile. Lilia wiped the sweat from her brow and approached, Buddy trotting obediently at her side. Dax glanced up, his expression flickering with something that might have been guilt, but it was gone before she could be sure.
He peeled a hard-boiled egg and placed it in front of Viviana before finally addressing Lilia. “What would you like to eat? I’ll get it for you.”
Before she could decline, he was already on his feet, his Alpha aura commanding the space around him. “Ravioli and a croissant, right?”
Lilia bit back the sharp retort on the tip of her tongue and nodded. “Right.”
It struck her then that Dax knew her habits, her preferences, even after all the distance he’d put between them. He’d just chosen to ignore them. She noticed him sneaking glances at her as they ate, but she kept her gaze fixed on her plate. If he wasn’t going to offer an explanation, she wasn’t going to ask for one.
The meal passed in silence, the tension thick enough to cut with a claw. When they were done, Lilia stood, leaving Dax and Viviana to their world. She leashed Buddy and stepped back into the morning sunlight, her heart heavy but her resolve unshaken. She had her own path to walk, and it didn’t include waiting for a mate who had already chosen someone else.
