"So, this is the human girl."
What?!
I swallow hard again.
"She's my mate," Tristan says simply.
Silence.
A long pause.
Then Lord Howlcrest nods once. "Then she is one of us."
And just like that… the tension cracks, replaced by the clinking of glasses and the shifting of chairs as everyone moves to the table.
Dinner is served.
The food is rich, roasted lamb, spiced vegetables, warm bread, but I barely taste any of it. I'm too focused on the conversations around me, the way Tristan's hand brushes mine under the table, the subtle looks from his brothers.
It's overwhelming, the weight of their expectations, the fact that I don't fully understand what this mate bond means yet, and the knowledge that my life is shifting right under my feet.
But then… Tristan leans closer to me, his lips brushing my ear.
"You're doing well," he murmurs.
And just like that, the world feels a little less heavy.
