Ashen's voice drops, quiet and measured.
"So what now? Am I not a child to you anymore?"
The question isn't sharp. It's quiet. Too quiet. There's a weight beneath it that doesn't sound like a boy trying to prove himself anymore.
Kyle opens his mouth, ready to speak, but he doesn't even know what he was about to say, but whatever it was, it dies in his throat before it can rise.
Heavy and rushed footsteps echo down the hallway like a countdown ending.
Tanner appears in the doorway, eyes sharp, body already half turned like he's on his way out.
His stance carries urgency, the kind that doesn't leave room for questions.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but just got a call, something's happening at the pack house," he says, his voice isn't raised but the weight in it speaks volumes. "We need to get there. Now."
