The afternoon air was warm, filled with the faint scent of flowering vines that climbed the stone walls of the garden. I tapped my fingers lightly against the table as Raye passed a plate of sugared fruits.
"What kind of pack affairs?" I asked, biting into one of the candied plums. The sweetness burst across my tongue, but it didn’t soothe the impatience simring inside . Four days without seeing Rion, and every hour made my nerves prickle sharper.
Raye brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "There’s been ongoing construction for new hos in the Sixth District."
My brows knitted in curosity. "Construction? For what purpose?"
"To house the new people." She set her teacup down gently, the porcelain clinking against the saucer. "So of them ca from a ruined pack aboveground. They had nowhere else to go, so Alpha took them in."
That pulled upright. "People from another pack? Why are they here? What’s happening aboveground?"
Raye’s expression dimd. "It was war," she said quietly. "Two packs clashed. The one that fell was Rayvehill. They didn’t have enough warriors to hold their ground, and the stronger pack crushed them. Brutally."
"Rayvehill..." I echoed, tasting the na on my tongue. I had heard of them before, a small pack tucked into a forest valley far west, quiet and isolated.
Raye nodded, obsidian eyes shadowed. "I heard it was terrible. Their lands were burned, their hos destroyed. The wolves who survived... most were won and children. Their brothers, their fathers, their husbands dead. Imagine watching everything you love buried under smoke and blood, and then having nothing left but ashes."
Her words wrapped around , like knives stabbing my heart.
I stared at her, stunned. "And Rion just... brought them here?"
"Yes," she said simply, as though it were obvious. "He gave them sanctuary when no one else would. It’s the only way they can survive."
I blinked at her, utterly disoriented. My lips parted before I could stop myself. "Rion... is building hos for them?"
The words felt strange, unnatural. The Rion I knew... arrogant, rciless, delighting in power... didn’t match the picture Raye was painting.
Raye’s faint smile returned. "You sound surprised."
"Well, I am," I admitted, not seeing any reason to lie. I was sure Raye knew what I think about her Alpha anyway. "I didn’t think the great Alpha of Undercity concerned himself with such things."
She tilted her head at , eyes glinting warmly. "You think him a monster, don’t you?" Her voice beca firm, not her usual cheerful side, like she wanted to understand the weight of her words. "But Undercity isn’t just wolves living belowground. We are a pack, Vivien. We have rules, hos, families. Alpha makes sure it stays that way."
I leaned back in my chair, trying to mask my surprise.
In the last three days, while Raye had dragged through the winding veins of this city, I had seen the truth of her words. The place was far more organized than I had ever imagined. Markets bustling with life, workshops humming with labor, children laughing in alleys lined with glowing lanterns.
This wasn’t chaos. It was a city, alive and thriving under the earth.
"And you’ve seen it yourself," Raye added softly, almost reading my thoughts.
I didn’t reply, though inside I couldn’t help but agree.
It was, indeed, different in many was I had expected, but it still didn’t feel like my ho.
And Rion... the way I saw him couldn’t be changed easily. Not when he burned so lands of the Levian pack.
Night fell swiftly, and the dining hall echoed with silence. Only Raye and I sat at the long table, it had been like that in the past few days. The absence of the males made the hall feel emptier.
After the al, I excused myself. My feet carried toward the library, where the sll of aged papers and polished wood from the tall shelves embraced .
I traced my fingers along the spines of the books until I plucked one at random. Sothing light, sothing that didn’t remind much of the world outside. I figured I could silence my thoughts by reading.
Instead of returning to my bedroom, I followed a different path. Stairs spiraled upward until I reached the rooftop. From there, a narrow stone bridge arched toward the tower that lood like a silent sentinel, Rion’s tower.
I stopped just short of crossing, choosing instead to settle against the low stone railing. The Undercity stretched below in all its strange magnificence. Lanterns glowed like stars scattered across the streets, while the soft hum of distant voices floated up. It was a world hidden yet alive.
I opened the book and tried to read, letting the words distract from the gnawing unease inside my chest.
I wasn’t sure how long I’ve been there, when a voice interrupted .
"Seems like you are enjoying yourself very much while I am not around."
The voice was low, smooth, and unmistakably smug.
My head snapped up. My heart gave an involuntary jolt as I turned and saw him.
Rion stood only a few paces away, frad by the lantern light. He wore a dark shirt, half unbuttoned, exposing a sculpted chest inked with shadows that curled across his skin like living marks. His silver hair was disheveled, as though he’d only just returned from a long day of work.
I noticed shadows under his eyes. Did he even sleep well?
"So you care if he’s been sleeping well now?" Leika’s taunting words made bite my inner lip.
Days ago it made worry when I couldn’t connect with her, so I was so relieved when I felt her again when I woke up. But sotis I’d prefer her silent.
I clenched the book tighter. "You—"
"I heard from Raye, though..." Rion stepped closer, a slow smirk tugging at his lips. "...you were looking for ?" His crimson eyes glead, catching the starlight lanterns. "I thought you wouldn’t miss since I’d only be gone for a few days. But I was wrong, it seems."
I stood, snapping the book closed. My back pressed against the railing, the city’s lights glittering behind . "I was looking for you because I have questions."
The corner of his mouth lifted, his gaze too intimidating to offer any comfort.
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