When Venus Lin Yue entered the living room, Zhao Xin was leaning back lazily, grinning at Bai Lan, who had just called everyone for dinner.
"Bai Lan didn't tell me her sister was sweeter than mooncakes during the Harvest Festival," Zhao Xin teased, stretching his legs under the table.
Bai Lan put a hand dramatically over her heart. "You're so forgiving, Julian Zhao Xin. I made a big dinner for you. Eat as much as you want."
After Bai Lan left to the kitchen, Venus folded her arms and glared at Zhao Xin. "Sweet like a poisoned dumpling," she muttered before stomping off.
In the kitchen, Bai Lan's father, Bai Luo, sat at the head of the long wooden table—an old symbol of his rank as elder warrior of the Moon River Pack. Jerry, Bai Lan's young son, was already stuffing his mouth with mashed lotus buns that looked suspiciously like they came from a convenience store. Venus sat across from Zhao Xin and avoided his gaze. When Zhao Xin caught her eye, she quickly focused back on her food.
"Did you get a good rest, little brother?" Zhao Xin asked as he washed his hands at the big stone basin, pretending that Venus' fiery presence didn't completely throw him off balance.
Jerry nodded, a tiny smile flickering across his lips when Zhao Xin ruffled his hair and dropped into the chair beside him—and across from Venus.
The food spread across the table was typical of Bai Lan: chicken nuggets that barely resembled real meat, instant noodles with canned mushroom sauce, and those lotus buns. Zhao Xin sighed inwardly. Clearly, the Moon River Pack needed to get reacquainted with real hunting—or at least real vegetables.
The kitchen was quiet, except for the clinking of chopsticks and the occasional cough. In his old home pack near Sichuan's bamboo forests, the tables would shake with stories of hunts, shifts under the full moon, and songs of the ancient wolf bloodlines. Here, the silence pressed like a heavy fog. Zhao Xin fought the urge to toss a bun at Venus just to see if she'd start a playful food fight or lunge at him with her claws bared.
Venus broke the silence. "I was chosen as an apprentice healer today," she said, voice steady but eyes glowing faintly with pride.
"That's incredible," Zhao Xin said, genuinely impressed.
"You're learning herbs and spirit healing?" Bai Lan asked. "That's so adorable! I used to play 'healer' with my friends when I was—"
"It's not a game," Venus interrupted sharply. "It's serious training under Elder Zhao Wei."
"Looks like my little daughter is turning into a real scholar," Bai Luo added with a rough laugh.
"Does that mean you don't like males anymore?" Bai Lan blurted loudly.
Zhao Xin nearly choked on his tea.
"No," Venus snapped. "I have a boyfriend. I just happen to be good at medicine."
"Julian, remember when you used to fight with the warriors?" Bai Lou said proudly.
"That was a long time ago," Zhao Xin cut in before Bai Lan could say more. Venus didn't need to know everything about his past fights, about the time he almost lost his wolf form in a border skirmish. Some memories were better buried deep.
Bai Lan clapped her hands. "I have the best idea. Venus, why don't you show Julian around the river banks tonight? Maybe introduce him to some of your healer friends."
Venus' eyes narrowed at Zhao Xin. "I have other plans, but, um..."
"You don't need to entertain me," Zhao Xin said smoothly. "I'm just going to stretch my legs a bit. Maybe run under the stars."
"You could run along the riverside," Bai Lan suggested cheerfully. "It'll remind you of the misty Sichuan trails."
Zhao Xin highly doubted it.
"Or the pack's training field," Venus said a bit too quickly. "The riverside can get... dangerous at night. You know, wild wolves from rogue clans."
She was clearly planning to sneak off to the riverside herself.
"What about you?" Shi Diwen asked Bai Lan. "Surely you didn't come back just to sit around."
Here it comes, Zhao Xin thought grimly.
"I'm going to apply for work at Luo Peng's herbal shop after Jerry starts lessons with the junior pups," Bai Lan said. "I'll get my healer's assistant certification by the end of summer."
Bai Luo shook his head in disapproval. "You should attend the academy and become a full spirit mage or a high-ranked healer. What if your marriage doesn't last?"
Zhao Xin noticed Jerry tensing beside him. Quickly, he distracted the boy by balancing a bun on his knee and letting the family wolfhound snatch it off. Zhao Li An giggled quietly.
"I was never good at formal schooling, Dad," Bai Lan said, her voice trembling. "You know that."
"You weren't good because you didn't focus," Bai Luo said, his voice rising like a growl. "If you'd spent half as much time studying as chasing after boys from other packs—"
Venus covered her eyes and groaned.
Bai Lan dropped her chopsticks. "We can leave right now, Dad. Don't think I'm afraid to walk out of here again."
Bai Luo stood up sharply, his chair scraping across the stone floor. Without another word, he stormed outside, the front door slamming behind him. They heard the roar of his old motorbike as he sped off toward the misty forests.
Venus stared daggers at Bai Lan.
"What?" Bai Lan said defensively. "He started it."
"Maybe you started it when you abandoned the pack years ago," Venus shot back, her tone sharp as a wolf's claw.
Bai Lan's shoulders sagged. "That's not fair."
"Whatever," Venus muttered, turning away.
Bai Lan wiped a tear from her cheek and left the room. Jerry hurried after her, leaving Venus and Zhao Xin alone.
"You should audition for a new pack show where the least crazy family wins," Zhao Xin joked. "I think you guys might actually win."
"You're part of this crazy family now," Venus said.
He raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that?"
"Otherwise, you would have stayed with your old pack in Sichuan. You'd be running with your own blood."
"Not possible," Zhao Xin said, pushing back from the table. "My mother is dead."
Venus said nothing.
"And what's your excuse for not living with yours?" Zhao Xin added softly before leaving the kitchen.
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