Avery knew he had lost before Felicia did.
That was the funny thing about love.
Sometimes the person standing outside the situation saw the truth first.
He had seen it during the dance.
Not because Felicia said anything.
Not because Markus said anything.
Neither of them needed to.
Their eyes had said enough.
Avery stood near one of the bonfires that night, a glass untouched in his hand, watching the celebration continue around him. Music still drifted through the air. Children still laughed. Wolves still danced.
The world carried on exactly as it always had.
Yet something inside him felt strangely quiet.
Not broken.
Not angry.
Just… quiet.
The dance was over now.
Felicia was speaking with some of the women from the healing center.
Markus stood across the clearing talking wi
