Delicate Bond ✔

The scent of pine needles filled the air as I stepped out of the Uber, the grand mansion of the Silver Forest packhouse looming before me. My travel bag felt heavier than usual, a silent testament to the exhausting evaluation I’d just completed. The driver, a kind man who somehow navigated the GPS-defying roads, received five stars from me.

Inside, the packhouse was unusually quiet. Most wolves preferred their own homes, leaving the packhouse largely to those of us with administrative duties. A pack member, ever diligent, greeted me with news: "Welcome back Evelyn, Alpha Frank has been waiting for your return and wanted me to inform you that he will be waiting for you in his office."

I nodded, leaving my bag in my room before heading down the quiet hallway. Alpha Frank’s voice, a low rumble on the phone, carried through his office door. I knocked gently, peeking in, and he gestured me inside, finishing his call. He asked about the evaluation, and I recounted the combat tests, carefully omitting my apprehension about the interviews. The thought of my ranking, of who I might be paired with, weighed on me. Then, he spoke of Damien's return.