Ivan
The living room's quiet, the dying evening light casting everything into shadows.
I've been awake for half an hour, unwilling to move.
Who'd want to when it meant waking her?
No one talked about this stage of the claiming. Elder Henry made a fuss about the bond being sacred and private, discussing the process like a step-by-step tutorial, instead of what it is. He never shared what happened afterward or how you'd feel.
'The old wolf dismissed anything that wasn't in his original lecture.'
I didn't want to take it personally, but it's as if everything he refused to teach hurt me. If he'd bothered to update his lesson plan, I could've handled everything differently. This wouldn't be a mystery.
