Chapter 71

Ava

We walked in silence as we made our way back through the blighted wasteland toward the treeline. Every few steps, Chris would glance over his shoulder, as though he couldn’t quite believe the desolation he had just witnessed.

I couldn’t blame him. Seeing the aftermath of Ethan’s arrogance like that, laid bare in front of us in all its horrific glory... it was enough to shake even the most staunch unbeliever’s faith in our way of life here.

“How could he do something like that?” Chris murmured after a long stretch of silence, his voice slightly muffled behind his respirator mask. “Selling off part of our pack’s land for some human corporation’s greed… All for kids’ toys.”

I shook my head wearily. “You know how Ethan is. He never could see past his own selfish desires for wealth and power.” My jaw tightened as flashes of bitter memories from our marriage resurfaced. I wished I had seen it sooner.

“The rest of us... the good of our people, our home... it was never a priority for him,” I added.

Chris fell silent again, seemingly lost in contemplation as we walked. I could only imagine the thoughts swirling through his mind right now.

“You know, I’ve never fully believed in the Moon Goddess,” he said.

I shot him a sidelong glance. “I know. Do you still feel that way?”

Chris shrugged. “After what I saw today, I’m beginning to wonder,” he replied. “Although, don’t hold it against me if I don’t turn into a believer overnight.”

“I never would.” I paused, drawing in a deep breath. “But if there’s one thing you take away from all this,” I said, gesturing back towards the wasteland with a tilt of my head, “it should be the importance of respecting the balance. Of protecting our land.”

Chris opened his mouth, possibly to argue, but I kept talking before he could get a word in.

“Whoever takes over as Alpha next, whether it’s Allen or Sam or... or someone else entirely, they need to have the preservation of our home at the forefront of their mind. Not profit. Not power. This is what happens when greed takes precedence.”

For a long moment, Chris simply studied me in silence behind his mask. Then, eventually, he gave a slow, solemn nod.

“I’ll keep that in mind when the time comes to decide on a new Alpha.”

Some of the tension bled out of my shoulders at his words. At least he understood, even if he still harbored some lingering doubts in the back of his mind.

It was only once we had reached the treeline and re-entered the lush, vibrant greenery of the true forest that I felt I could properly breathe again. Slipping my mask up onto the top of my head, I tilted my face up toward the fading sunlight filtering through the canopy and simply inhaled the fresh, clean air.

“I could use a break after all that,” Chris said after a few minutes, already sounding more at ease now that we had escaped the toxic atmosphere of the wasteland. “There’s a town nearby, right?”

I nodded. “Willow Wood,” I said. It was one of the smaller villages smattered throughout our pack’s territory, one I didn’t visit often.

“Well then, what do you say we stop there for the night?” Chris asked. “Get a room at the inn, grab some dinner… just you and me?”

I shot him a sidelong glance, quirking an eyebrow. “Do you think it’s a good idea to be out of town with everything going on?”

A faint flush crept up the back of Chris’s neck. “I just thought, you know... after everything, it might be nice to get out of the Packhouse for a bit. A change of scenery and all that.”

My lips twitched upwards into a small smile as I studied him. He was making it painfully obvious how much he was looking forward to the prospect of having me all to himself for an evening, just the two of us.

As tempting a thought as that was, however, I had to squash it down. We were still in the middle of a crisis—I couldn’t just go running off and abandoning the pack at such a precarious moment.

“As nice as that sounds,” I said slowly, hating the way Chris’s shoulders slumped a fraction in disappointment, “I really don’t think we should stray too far right now. Not with everything going on with Olivia.”

The mention of his sister’s name seemed to instantly sober Chris. His expression hardened.

“She’s getting that tattoo removal first thing tomorrow morning,” he said, his tone clipped. “And after that... well, I won’t go back on my decision. Regardless of our relation, she still committed treason against the pack.”

I opened my mouth, a protest on my lips at the thought of Olivia being exiled. But then I stopped myself, letting my gaze drop to the ground between us.

As much as a part of me still cared for her, still grieved the loss of the friendship we once shared... I knew Chris was right. What she had done—attempting to undermine the Alpha selection process, orchestrating my own poisoning, all in a bid for power—it was unforgivable.

So I simply gave a small nod instead, swallowing hard past the lump in my throat.

“How about dinner, at least?” Chris finally asked, shooting me a hopeful look. “We’ll stop somewhere to eat in town before we head back.”

I nodded. “Sure. Dinner sounds good.”

…

Before I knew it, we were pulling into Willow Wood, the quaint, idyllic little village on the outskirts of our pack’s territory. The glowing lanterns strung above the streets cast gentle ripples across the surface of the large koi pond at the heart of the village square, where dozens of silver and orange fish swam beneath the lily pads.

Mesmerized by the ethereal sight, I found myself drifting over towards the edge of the water when we got into the car, Chris falling into step beside me. We stood there for several long moments, simply watching the koi fish dart back and forth, their distinctive crimson markings seeming to almost glow in the lantern light.

“Ah, admiring our sacred koi, I see!”

The cheerful voice startled me, and I whirled to find a rosy-cheeked woman in a park ranger’s uniform approaching us.

“Those markings on their heads are said to be blessings from the Moon Goddess herself,” she explained, gesturing to the large, round orange circles on the fish’s heads—like the harvest moon.

“May I?” Chris asked, gesturing to the water.

The park ranger nodded, and Chris crouched down and dipped his hand into the water.

I watched in amazement as one of the smaller koi boldly swam right up to Chris’s hand without hesitation. It nudged his palm and swam a circle around his hand, almost puppylike in its demeanor.

“Well, I’ll be,” the ranger said softly, meeting my wide-eyed gaze. “She recognizes you, Alpha.”

Chris let out a tiny snort. “Or she thinks I have food.”

But the ranger shook her head. “No one is permitted to hand-feed the koi. No… these fish always recognize their rightful Alpha.”

With that, the ranger bid her farewell and walked away, leaving us alone. Chris straightened up from the pond and turned to face me. He was trying to keep a neutral expression, but I could see the childlike awe hiding behind his mask.

Rightful Alpha, the woman had said.

I couldn’t keep my question inside any longer.

“Chris, are you sure you want to leave our pack?”