"Here goes the third one."
The sound of another thick log being tossed onto the bonfire sent sparks dancing into the star-filled sky above us.
The flames crackled and hissed, casting flickering shadows across our makeshift camp deep in the forest.
I found myself studying the seating arrangement with growing unease.
Javrian and I occupied one fallen log, positioned closest to the fire's warmth. Across from us, three figures huddled together on another log—Vera, Lila, and Sally, who sat between them like a prisoner under guard.
The third log held Kyle and Darius, who were engaged in some quiet conversation about patrol routes.
'Am I... isolated?'
The thought struck me with uncomfortable clarity as I glanced around the triangle formation. Everyone else seemed to naturally group together, while I sat apart with only Javrian beside me.
It wasn't that I cared about fitting in—I had long since abandoned such hopes.
But there was something distinctly awkward about being the obvious outsider in this tight-knit pack.
Before I could dwell on it further, I felt a familiar weight settle around my shoulders.
Javrian's cloak enveloped me in sudden warmth, and his arm followed, pulling me closer against his side with casual possessiveness.
"If you still feel cold," he said, his voice low enough that only I could hear, "you can sit on my lap."
My mouth twitched involuntarily.
'Does he not know how to treat a lady?'
The offer was delivered with the same matter-of-fact tone he used for everything else, as if suggesting I perch on his lap in front of his entire pack was perfectly reasonable social behavior.
And especially after all the misunderstandings he'd already created—calling me his wife, making everyone think I'd somehow bewitched him—did he really expect me to make things worse by accepting such an intimate position?
"Achoo!"
The sneeze escaped before I could stop it, followed immediately by another.
The cold mountain air was definitely getting to me, seeping through even the thick fabric of my borrowed clothes.
'Great. Just what I need—to catch the flu on top of everything else.'
"Achoo! Achoo!"
Two more sneezes in rapid succession sealed my fate.
Without a word, Javrian stood and scooped me up in his arms, settling back down with me cradled against his chest in what I'd learned was called a princess carry.
His cloak wrapped around both of us now, creating a warm cocoon that blocked out the chilly night air.
I found myself lying in his embrace, my head resting against his shoulder as I stared up at the vast canopy of stars above us.
'Well,' I thought with resignation, 'at least I'm warm now.'
"What happened, Luna?" His quiet question rumbled through his chest beneath my ear.
I gave him that flat, blank smile I'd perfected over years of political necessity. "Nothing. Just thinking."
A sigh escaped my lips as the reality of my situation settled over me like a familiar weight.
This was my life now—being misunderstood, being the source of pack tension, being carried around like some fragile doll because I couldn't even handle a simple forest camping trip without getting sick.
But honestly? I didn't care anymore.
Let them think whatever they wanted. Let Lila glare and the others whisper. What mattered right now was not catching pneumonia.
"By the way," I said casually, still gazing up at the stars, "why are you so hot?"
The words came out with genuine curiosity—his body temperature was significantly higher than any human I'd encountered, radiating warmth like a living furnace.
The reaction was immediate.
"WHAT?!" Darius's voice cracked like he was going through puberty again.
Kyle made a choking sound that might have been laughter or horror.
Vera's eyes went wide as saucers.
And Lila... Lila's pale gaze turned murderous, her jaw clenching so tight I could practically hear her teeth grinding.
"Luna!" Vera hissed, her cheeks flushing red in the firelight. "You can't just... say things like that!"
I blinked, turning my head to look at their scandalized faces with genuine confusion.
"Say what? I asked why his body temperature is elevated compared to normal human standards."
'What's wrong with these people?'
But I didn't bother explaining further. Let them interpret my words however they wanted—I was too comfortable and too tired to care about managing their misconceptions.
Javrian's quiet chuckle vibrated through his chest beneath me.
"Wolf physiology," he explained calmly, seemingly unbothered by everyone else's dramatic reactions. "Our normal body temperature runs several degrees higher than humans. It's an adaptation for surviving harsh winters and maintaining energy during transformations."
"Ah." I nodded, filing away the information. "That makes sense."
The scientific explanation satisfied my curiosity, and I let my gaze drift back to the stars.
But something else was tugging at my attention—a question that had been nagging at me since we'd settled around the fire.
"So what happened exactly with Sally?" I asked, turning my head to look in her direction.
What I saw made my chest tighten with unexpected sympathy.
Sally sat with her head bowed low, her unusual black-and-white hair falling forward to obscure her face.
Her yellow eyes were closed, and her entire posture radiated defeat.
On either side of her, Vera and Lila flanked her like guards—or jailers. Neither woman looked at Sally directly, but the tension radiating from all three was palpable.
'She looks like she's waiting for an execution.'
Looking at the tense standoff between Javrian and Lila, I waited for someone to explain what was happening. But instead, the response I got was like a slap across the face.
"It doesn't matter to you," Kael's voice cut through the night air, cold and dismissive. "Don't intervene in our tribe matters."
The words hit me harder than I expected.
Vera nodded in agreement, her gray eyes avoiding mine. "You're an outsider, Luna. This isn't your concern."
Even young Darius, who had been so friendly before, turned his face away when I looked at him for support.
The message was clear: I didn't belong here. I wasn't part of their family, their pack, their pain.
My eyes softened as the reality settled over me like a heavy blanket.
Of course. What had I been thinking?
These people had histories together, bonds forged in blood and survival that I could never understand. Sally had betrayed them in ways I couldn't even imagine, and here I was—a stranger who'd known them for barely a day—trying to interfere in their justice.
I closed my eyes, feeling foolish for caring so much.
'You're right,' I thought numbly. 'I am an outsider.'
The emotional exhaustion that had been building since my escape from the palace finally crashed over me in waves. My body felt heavy in Javrian's arms, and sleep tugged at the edges of my consciousness like a gentle current trying to pull me under.
Maybe it was better this way. Let them handle their own affairs. I would just... drift off and not think about any of this anymore.
But just as I began to surrender to sleep, Javrian's voice cut through the darkness.
"The troops of the Empire attacked the remnants of our tribe."
My eyes snapped open.
Something in his tone—not the usual calm authority, but something raw and haunted—made me look up at him.
For once, he wasn't looking at me. Instead, his silver gaze was fixed straight ahead, as if he were seeing something far beyond the moonlit landscape around us.
His jaw was tight, and there was a distant quality to his expression that spoke of memories too painful to fully confront.
But the fact that he was willing to speak, that he wanted to tell me... it felt significant.