LOGINFalco sat down on the grass, patted the spot next to him. I hesitated, then joined him. The ground was cool through my dress, damp from yesterday's rain."Here's the thing," he said, staring up at the sky. "The wolf's not your problem. The anger is. And until you figure out how to deal with it witho
AvaFalco led me past the fountain toward the back corner of the garden where the hedges grew wild and thick. Nobody came back here much—the groundskeeper mostly left it alone, said something about it being good for the birds. Made it private, though. I could still hear voices from the house but the
AvaFalco sat beside me without asking, close enough that I could feel the warmth coming off him but not quite touching. For a minute he didn't say anything, just sat there like we were two people who happened to end up on the same bench by accident.I wiped my face with my sleeve, tried to pull mys
AvaMaya's fingers caught my wrist as everyone turned toward the house. "Ava, wait—"I yanked free and walked the opposite direction. Away from the crowd, away from the careful voices and sideways glances. My mother hadn't looked at me once during the burial. Not once."Ava!"I broke into a run.Aro
AvaIt had rained overnight, and someone had tried to tidy the garden before the service, but it still smelled like wet stone and the old roots that never came out no matter how much you weeded.The ground near the east fountain was raw and scraped, black soil against the green in a way that made it
HildaBy the third try, my knuckles should have stopped stinging, but the ache only got worse. I rested my fist against the painted wood and rapped again, sharper, letting the echo do whatever guilt-tripping it pleased.No answer. Not even a creak.I rolled my shoulders, glanced left and right, then







