—- Eris tilted her head with a mock-confused pout. They had expected a tantrum, not serenity. Which meant… they knew what they did would hurt me. They just didn’t care enough to stop. Father exhaled and forced a smile. “Good. That’s good. We’re a pack. We don’t hold grudges.” “Of course,” I said, nodding with perfect obedience. It was the same voice I used to speak to the Elder wolves during full moon rituals. The relief in their eyes was instant. They turned their attention back to Eris.
Dinner began. The maid had added several dishes besides my meatloaf- crab legs, lemon garlic scallops, all Eris’s favorites. “You’re too thin,” Father murmured, piling food onto her plate. “Eat more. You’ll need your strength before the orchestral trial,” Mother added, dabbing her eyes again. —- Dax chimed in with a grin. “Don’t worry. If any of those city wolves give you trouble, I’ll rip their throats out.” Eris laughed, her silver hair gleaming in the light. “No need.
I’ve got this.” They all chuckled. [ate in silence, the warmth of the meatloaf doing little to thaw the cold within me. Then, for the first time that evening, Mother glanced at me. She hesitated. Picked up a spoonful of meatloaf and placed it on my plate. “Try it. Don’t think we don’t care about you just because we fuss over Eris. I care about you too.” The words felt… rehearsed. Like a line from a script she’d used too often. I looked down at the food, then slowly set my utensils down. “No.
I’m full.” —- Her expression shifted-first startled, then irritated. “What’s wrong with you lately?” She started to say more, but Eris suddenly clutched her throat, eyes wide. “Mom… I… [can’t breathe-” Her voice cracked, breath rasping. She staggered backward, knocking over her chair. Panic erupted instantly. “Eris!” Mother screamed. “What’s happening?!” Father stood so fast the table shook.
Dax was already at her side, sniffing her neck and face for signs of poison, his Beta instincts flaring. “Her scent’s spiking-something’s wrong!” My heart thudded in my chest, not from fear, but from the quiet, twisted irony of it all. In the chaos, no one noticed me standing completely still -just watching. Vespa’s voice stirred faintly in my mind. —- “She’s not choking, Vera. She’s shifting. Something inside her is waking.”
