Third Person’s POV
Adide finally let out a smallugh at her friend’s twisted logic, her reddened eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Paisley, I’m okay.”
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“I know you will be. You’re Adide,” Paisley nodded, her gaze drifting toward the night sky outside the window. “Do you remember the duels back at the Howling Depths Arena?”
“How could I forget? You lost three matches in a row to me.”
“Yeah, three matches. After the first one, I was so pissed I went around smashing things like a rabid wolf. After the second, I had a total meltdown and stood under the waterfall screaming my lungs out. And after the third… I just sat in the mud and sobbed.”
Paisley winced at the memory of her younger, messier self.
“Back then, youughed at me for being weak. You told me I couldn’t handle reality. God, you were so arrogant, standing there on the arena railing like you owned the world.”
Paisley sighed, her expression softening into something fierce and steady.
‘I remember thinking to myself, One day, when this high–and–mighty she–wolf finally hits a wall and feels a loss that cuts to the Done… I want to see if she cries. I want to see if she snaps.”
Adide toyed with <i>her </i>long–handled spoon, tapping the back of it against the rim of the bowl. The sound was hollow and sharp in the quiet room.
‘I used to think that as long as you screamed and let it all out, you’d be fine,” she whispered, her voice so low it almost vanished in the wind. “But I learned the hard way that sometimes… staying quiet hurts a lot more than screaming. Sometimes it hurts so deep n your marrow that you don’t even have the breath left to make a sound.”
A sharp pang of sympathy hit Paisley right in the chest. She stood up, walked over to Adide, and pulled her into a crushing hug,
esting her chin on Adide’s thin shoulder.
‘I made this god–awful berry stew tonight to tell <i>you </i><i>one </i>thing: no matter how bitter, or salty, or spicy life gets, I’m going to help you swallow it.”
Her voice trembled. “I’m staying right by your side until… until you give me back that arrogant, untouchable Adide from the Howling Depths.”
Adide pushed her back slightly, two hot tears sshing onto Paisley’s hand before she quickly wiped them away. She let out a wateryugh, her stubborn streak ring up.
“Why does it have <i>to </i>be the one from the Depths? Why can’t it be the one who beat you at the Winter Fortress? Or the one who wiped the floor with <i>you </i>outside the Crimson mes? Or… the Adide who kicked you into the frozen river back in the Shadow Peaks?”
The sentimental atmosphere Paisley had carefully built vanished instantly.
She gritted her teeth. “Clearly, the stew didn’t work. You still haven’t shut up!”
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<b>11:39 </b><b>am </b>
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She yfully punched Adide’s shoulder twice. “You stubborn she–wolf, you’re going to be the death of me!”
Adide didn’t dodge. Instead, she grabbed Paisley’s sleeve, unceremoniously wiped her eyes with it, and pulled her back into another hug. This time, her shoulders shook violently and didn’t stop for a long time.
Every mask, everyyer of mander” strength, finally disintegrated in that rough, warm embrace. Paisley didn’t push her away or try to offer more words. She just let Adide’s tears soak through her shirt, her own tears falling just as fast.
It was like a mirror of their youth–whenever Paisley lost a fight and cried, Adide would mock her ruthlessly first, then step in to be the strongest shoulder she had.
A long time passed before Adide finally pulled away, her voice thick and nasal.
‘Thank you.”
Paisley sniffled and handed her a towel. “Just don’t use my expensive wool sweater for your snot next time. This thing wasn’t :heap.”
n the shadows outside the door, Avery was pressed against the cold stone wall like a lizard. Hearing theughter from inside, the ension finally drained out of him. He slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, hugging his knees. He buried his face in his arms, quietly wiping his eyes.
.ately, during their strategy meetings in the war room, everyone had been carefully avoiding the words “Frostfang Massacre.”
But they all knew: the second the Western delegation arrived, that bloodbath would be dragged out and used as the sharpest, nost brutal bargaining chip on the table. And tonight, Adide and Lance’s visit to Zander was the first step in facing that reality.
Avery had been terrified for her. Ever since she and Lance left the house, his heart had been in his throat.
Back when Adide used to casually say, “My whole family is dead,” Avery didn’t really grasp the weight of it. It was just a entence. But after helping Caldwell run the battle simtions and reading the cold, hard files on the aftermath…
The horror had be real in his head. Over a thousand wolves, ughtered in their sleep.
He couldn’t fathom how she had survived, and knowing the truth now made the pain feel like something no regr wolf shouldve to carry. <i>Avery </i>was an orphan, sure, but he had a mentor and a pack of friends he grew up with. If one day his entire world vas butchered… Avery knew he’d lose his mind.
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<strong>Olivia Harris</strong> is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.