Chapter 4

That weekend, we returned to the main residence.

Fenrir was the pack's Alpha, and technically, I still had no right to refuse him.

Fenrir's mother, Wendy Blake, was waiting at the door.

The moment she saw Fenrir get out of the car, her face lit up with a smile. "Fenrir, we've been waiting for you."

When she saw me behind him, her smile faded slightly. "Ellia's here too."

I used to care deeply about her attitude toward me, but now, all I wanted was to brush it off and leave.

I hummed nonchalantly in response and followed them inside.

Mia was already sitting on the couch in the living room.

She had on a light purple dress. Her hair was styled perfectly. Clearly, she'd taken great care with her appearance.

When she saw Fenrir, she stood up and beamed with a smile. "Fenrir, you're here."

Wendy took Mia's hand and sat down beside her. "Mia, come here. Take a look at this."

Wendy retrieved a photo album. "This is one of the venues for the marking ceremony. What do you think of this garden?"

Mia flipped through the album while nodding from time to time. "This one is beautiful. Fenrir, what do you think?"

Fenrir lowered his head to look. "Yeah. Not bad."

"I think this one is better." Mia pointed to another photo. "The lighting is good, and there's plenty of space. It's also close to the healer's den, so it'll be more convenient if anything unexpected happens."

Wendy clapped joyfully. "Mia really does think things through. Ellia, what do you think?"

I looked up. All three of them were staring at me.

"Either one is fine," I said.

Wendy didn't look very pleased, but she said nothing and continued discussing the arrangements with Mia.

Fenrir occasionally chipped in with a comment or two, but most of the time, he simply listened.

His gaze was fixed on Mia. He showed a level of patience and gentleness I rarely saw.

I stood off to the side and watched Wendy hold Mia's hand as they sat on the couch while Fenrir sat on Mia's other side.

The three of them naturally formed a little circle.

It was such an ironic sight.

After dinner, Wendy brought out Mia's favorite scones. "Here, Mia. This is your favorite."

"Thank you, Mrs. Blake!" Mia took the plate and naturally handed a piece to Fenrir. "You should try one too."

Fenrir didn't like anything sweet. I knew that.

Last Christmas, I'd bought a box of candy. Just because I'd gotten some of the sweet scent on me, he hadn't come near me for the entire day.

But now, he merely frowned before taking the scone under Mia's expectant gaze. He took a bite and said, "Yeah. It's good."

Mia smiled happily. "I knew you'd like it."

I completely lost my appetite. I put down my fork and got up. I headed outside into the yard for some air.

Footsteps soon came from behind me.

It was Fenrir.

"Ellia," Fenrir called after me. He then asked with a frown, "What's gotten into you lately?"

"Nothing."

"You're obviously upset with me. Ever since I asked you to help me with my tie last time, you've been acting strange. Is it because you think I haven't been spending enough time with you?"

There was even a hint of guilt in his voice.

I turned around and looked at him calmly. "Fenrir, sometimes I think you and Mia look more like fated mates than we do."

"You're talking nonsense again." His voice turned cold. "You know perfectly well that Mia and I grew up together. I've told you countless times that she was attacked by a rogue when she was young.

"It's perfectly normal for me to give her a little extra care. Can you stop being so sensitive?"

When I remained silent, Fenrir seemed to grow irritated. "Think whatever you want. It's cold out here. Get back inside!"

With that, he went back into the house.

Right then, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Mario. He had found me a new place to live.

I looked at the sun-filled house in the photos, and my heart finally felt a little more at ease.

In just a few more days, I would be able to leave all of this behind.