The pack sat eerily quiet when Voren finally made it back, the kind of deep silence that wraps everything just before dawn breaks through.
Only the patrol teams moved like shadows along the stone pathways carved into the mountain, while everyone else stayed lost in sleep under the last scraps of fading darkness.
A sharp, cold breeze carried the familiar scents of pine, damp earth, and wolf that always ant ho.
Most of the pack wouldn’t stir for hours, but Voren wasn’t about to waste any ti. His long strides carried him straight toward the shaman’s dwelling, his face set tight as his mind raced ahead to everything that still needed handling.
She lived in a smaller stone ho tucked right beneath the massive rock formation that housed most of the pack. From the outside it looked modest, almost easy to miss compared to the towering structure above it.
Inside, though, it opened up into a surprisingly spacious setup. Years ago Voren had ordered it built exactly to her specifications, every room, every passage, every detail designed to support her deep work and connection to the spirit world.
He pushed the heavy leather curtain aside and stepped in without knocking. The shaman couldn’t stand interruptions, and the whole pack honored that.
His timing couldn’t have been worse. The mont he saw her, disappointnt hit him hard.
She sat perfectly still in the center of the room, legs crossed, hands hovering with palms up, eyes closed like she’d slipped away to sowhere far beyond this world. Deep in ditation, reaching for the spirits.
Voren let out a slow breath. No point waiting around. Once she fell into one of those trances, she could be gone for an hour or stretch it into a full day before coming back.
He crossed to a nearby table, grabbed a pen and paper, and wrote a quick, firm note: ’Call or Kael the second you’re done. I need you for sothing urgent.’
He left it where she’d spot it imdiately, then turned and headed back outside.
The cool morning air greeted him again, but he barely registered it before coming face-to-face with Kael.
"Alpha," Kael said, dipping his head respectfully. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "So it’s true. You really are back."
Voren kept moving, and Kael fell in beside him. "Luna Oriana talked to Marigold on the phone. She didn’t sound too happy afterward."
A heavy sigh escaped Voren. Of course his mother already knew. Esperanza had stayed behind on purpose to keep things quiet, but word had still slipped through to Oriana sohow. Nothing stayed hidden from her for long.
"Effective imdiately, her na is no longer Marigold," Voren said, his voice firm and final. "It’s Esperanza now, and I’ll get all her docunts updated to match."
Kael blinked in surprise. This went way beyond a simple na change. Voren was making it permanent.
Without slowing down, Voren continued toward the pack house. Kael hurried to keep up. "Is it true she’s really here?"
The question stopped Voren in his tracks. His shoulders tightened, and silence stretched between them for several long seconds. "I’ll talk to Mom and Dad," he finally answered, his tone flat. "And forget about joining training today."
Kael understood right away. If Oriana already knew about Seraphine’s arrival, his parents were probably upstairs loaded with questions that could drag on forever. The ntion of training sparked sothing else, and his eyes widened with sudden hope.
He stepped closer. "If she’s actually here, do you think she could help those warriors your wolf nearly tore apart?"
Voren’s jaw tightened as mories from that day flooded back. The blood, the injuries, the wreckage he’d left behind. Seraphine’s abilities might be the only real chance those n had at full recovery.
"I’ll consider it," he said. It wasn’t a firm promise, but it lit a clear spark of hope in Kael.
"There are also several matters needing your approval," Kael continued. "Reports from the northern border, supply requests, and so council docunts."
Voren looked ready to bolt to another continent just to escape the stack of responsibilities. Kael pretended not to notice and added, "And there’s an invitation from the Silver Moon Pack."
That caught Voren’s attention. He glanced over. "The Alpha King is hosting a dinner gathering. His daughter just returned from France, and every young, unmarried Alpha apparently got invited."
Kael pulled the invitation from his phone to show it to him. Voren stared at it for a mont before letting out a deep breath. The last thing he needed was so fancy event full of matchmaking pressure when his life was already complicated enough.
"I’ll review the docunts later," he said, waving dismissively towards the invitation glowing on the phone. "As for this, reject it."
Kael started to reply, but Voren cut him off. "Or attend in my place."
A faint smirk crossed Kael’s face. "Using your authority to throw soone else into the lion’s den?"
"You’re single," Voren replied. "This gathering might actually suit you."
Kael chuckled under his breath. The Silver Moon Pack’s events had a well-earned reputation for turning into matchmaking disasters, and Voren wasn’t wrong.
They reached the elevator before Kael could keep the conversation going. The doors slid open, and Voren stepped inside without another word. The ride up to the top floor felt way too short.
That level belonged exclusively to the forr Alpha and Luna, his parents. Normally they’d still be asleep at this hour, but today was different.
The mont the elevator doors opened, Voren stepped into the wide hallway. He didn’t even manage another step before his mother’s voice cut through the air, sharp and furious.
"Voren, what the hell am I hearing? You actually had the nerve to bring that woman into our pack?"
Her anger filled the space completely, no attempt to soften it. Voren slowly lifted his gaze, his expression turning cold as he looked from her to his father.
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