Amora nods thoughtfully, never breaking stride as we continue to race ahead. Could be that too. To be honest, ever since leaving my pack, I’ve become more of a lone wolf than I ever thought I would be. At this point, I don’t even know how to have a pack. I’ve forgotten what it even means.
I forget sometimes that Amora gave up everything about her life to chase us across the country. It’s easy to forget that she had a life before the witch told her about us, her dangerous mates who had to be stopped from wreaking havoc on the world. She was torn from her roots, cast out into her own solitude on a mission to find us.
We were raised in solitude. I’ve only ever known my brothers as my “pack.”
But now… she’s a part of that too.
You know, you’ve got us, I tell her. Me, Frost, Kian. You’ll always have a pack with us, even if it’s small.
She doesn’t respond. But she does fall uncharacteristically silent as we continue to lope across the rocky landscape. She seems thoughtful. Bashful. Even sad? Like she’s affected by what I’ve just told her.
I don’t like emotions. They’re messy and hard to deal with, especially when we’re constantly trying to just keep moving in this world. It’s easier to defuse with humor so that I don’t have to sit with too many heavy feelings.
Or, hear me out, I say, dragging each word out as if I’m coming to some amazing discovery. Maybe… you’re actually an alien.
Amora laughs, her tongue lolling out. I think I would know if I was an alien, you goofball.
I grin to myself as the whole pack picks up speed.
As long as I made her smile, nothing else matters.