Orion's POV
The road to Mistwood territory stretched endlessly ahead of me. My knuckles were white against the steering wheel, gripping it like my life depended on it. Tulip sat beside me, going on and on about wedding dress fabrics and flower arrangements, but her voice might as well have been background noise. My mind was stuck on one thing I'd been trying to avoid for weeks.
Dalia.
Seven years. That's how long it had been since I'd seen her face. Seven years since I'd convinced myself I was better off without her around. I'd buried those memories deep, told myself it was good riddance when she left. But now, with Alpha Theodore's invitation burning a hole in my pocket, everything I'd pushed down was clawing its way back to the surface.
The emptiness that had consumed me after she left wasn't something I liked to think about. She'd been part of our family for eight years. Maybe seeing her again would give me the closure I needed to finally move forward.
