“Just one more scone?” he tried.
“Be nice, and Stella might reward you.”
Stella’s voice floated down from the stairs. “I heard that.”
Twobble froze. “No, you didn’t.”
Keegan kissed my cheek, and I felt that familiar flutter as he stepped back. “I should head to the inn, or Ember will think she owns the place.”
“Well, she does run it most of the time when you’re out gallivanting as a wolf.”
“Whose side are you on?”
I smiled at him and felt the familiar comfort wash over me as he dashed out the door, slipping by some students.
Stella had reneged and given Twobble another scone while he checked in more witches, and I felt the pull to go outside.
As I walked down the steps, I couldn’t ignore the issue pressing on me. I needed to speak with my mom. I woke up feeling it and hadn’t been able to find her or my dad all morning.
Nova wasn’t visible, but I felt her doing her best to keep tension from unraveling. The Wilds felt held for now, but not entirely calm.
Underneath the birdsong and the breeze, something pressed faintly at the edges.
Since the meeting with the orcs, the wolves had been closer. Not crossing the Academy threshold, those rules still stood, but nearer. It wasn’t forbidden. Shifters could come and go, but wolves weren’t known to linger unless something unsettled them. And apparently, orcs did just that.
But I could feel the changes coming. The Academy had been bending lately. It even allowed Gideon to walk its halls. In fact, it insisted.
And the very first creature it let in once it had opened was Twobble, and he’d been known for having an attitude with a pastry problem.
Maybe it was the Academy’s way of survival versus merely flexibility.
Or maybe the Academy was learning it didn’t have to be alone.
Gravel crunched under my boots as I neared the small alley that curved toward town.
That’s when I saw them.
My parents.
They were walking side by side, close but not touching. My mom had her sage scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. My dad’s hands were tucked into his pockets, shoulders slightly hunched. He didn’t look worried, exactly, but thinking.
They didn’t see me at first, with their heads bent and their voices low. It felt like the kind of conversation people have when they don’t want the wind carrying it too far.
Relief spread through me because I’d been trying to pin them down all morning.
“Hey, where are you two headed?” I asked, smiling.
My mom’s head snapped up, my dad stopped mid-step, and they turned to face me, but something flickered across my mother’s face.
It wasn’t a surprised look but resignation, which seemed odd. Perhaps like she’d been waiting for me, but wanted to avoid me all at the same time.
“How are you this morning?” my dad asked. He winked, and the action immediately brought comfort.
“Good, but we’ve been dealing with the orcs' unrest, which I think is making the wolves nervous, and I’m sure it will start to make the witches a little skittish next.”
My dad nodded. “It’s a balance, but the Academy is doing well at playing host.”
“One step at a time, I suppose.” I turned my attention to my mom and drew a breath.
