cloud

The moment we step out of the house, I'm ready for this "tour" to be over. I didn't care about the pack or seeing sights, I didn't care about meeting people, and I most definitely didn't want to spend time with Maia — willingly.

But the last thing I was going to do was leave Raiden alone with the two of them.

With similar long dark hair and brown eyes, it wasn't hard to tell that Nara was Alpha Demos' daughter. However, where his eyes held confidence and were unsettling, hers remind me of a doe: shy and timid. Her mannerisms were the complete opposite of her father's as well. Alpha Demos had an aura around him that drew your attention to him, but Nara seems to do everything to turn attention away from her.

Honestly, it surprises me that she was going to be an alpha someday. I'm sure that's why Alpha Demos is trying to marry her off — the girl would be stomped over by everyone. If he passed down his title to her as is, their pack would be considered weak and attacked less than a week following her rise to power.

As if feeling my eyes on her, Nara turns to stare at me. The moment our eyes meet, she quickly turns her gaze to the ground.

Though I would never outright admit it to Raiden, part of me had been jealous of Nara originally. Now that I've met her, though? Not at all. The girl couldn't even hold eye contact with me, it almost made me feel bad.

Almost.

"Is there anywhere specific you'd like to see, Nara?" Raiden asks, polite as always.

Nara briefly glances up. "Um.."

Her voice trails off. The more we walk around, the more people that look at us. While I find it annoying, Nara seems almost afraid. Every time someone gets too close or stares at her, her eyes drop, and her body tenses. It was clear that she wasn't a fan of attention.

"Why don't we go somewhere quieter?" Raiden suggests and Nara only nods in agreement.

Raiden's eyes cloud over and Maia's do the same, indicating that they are talking through their link. When we resume walking, it's in the opposite direction of where the majority of the pack buildings are and instead, we move further out — closer to where Raiden and I live.

I almost think that we're heading back to the house, but we pass it and head into the woods instead. My mood drops slightly.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"Be patient," Maia says, causing me to roll my eyes.

We continue to walk until a small clearing comes into view. For what feels like the first time all day, Nara's eyes rise from the floor and she takes in the sight. I see a ghost of a smile form on her face.

"It's beautiful," Nara says quietly.

The area was nice. The trees that surrounded it made it feel like it wasn't even part of the pack lands. It was far enough from the heart of the pack so you didn't have to hear everyone, but still close to where Raiden and I lived. I was going to have to come back when we didn't have Maia and Nara with us.

"Nobody really comes out here. This is where Maia and I used to play when we were younger. We figured the two of you would like it," Raiden says to her, but his eyes meet mine.

Nara begins to walk around and Maia follows after her leaving Raiden and me a little ways away from them. Raiden moves closer to me and his eyes light up.

"Do you like it?" He questions.

His eyes never leave mine and I can see the pride shining within them. That's one of the things I like about Raiden; it was almost always easy to tell what he was thinking.

Deciding to be nice, I nod. "It's nice here. We'll have to come back sometime."

Raiden grins and his hand links with my own. "When it's just you and me, I'll bring you back," he promises.

I take a seat on the ground and Raiden follows suit, out of the corner of my eye, I can see Nara and Maia talking about something. Nara seems to have relaxed somewhat. She's crouched down and staring at a flower as she talks to Maia who, for once, doesn't look like she's made of stone.

Her eyes are softer as she glances around the clearing. I can tell that she's saying something to Nara, but she doesn't appear to be all the way there but is thinking about something else instead.

I turn my head to Raiden who stares at Maia with a small smile of his own. Like her, he also appears to be thinking about something else — thinking about her.

Their relationship confuses me. It's clear that they care about one another and yet, whenever they talk it feels like they're oceans apart from each other. When they talk about one another, there's warmth in their tones, but when they talk to each other, their voices are cold or void of emotion.

Then again, I guess I wasn't one to talk about broken sibling relationships. As much as I want to forget it, I can't help but wonder about what Gray is doing.

Has he tried to search for me?

Is he better off without me?

How is Layne?

A surge of pain fills me and I silently sigh and push the thoughts back. I lightly nudge Raiden with my arm instead causing him to turn to me.

"You know, I've never seen your wolf before," I tell him.

Raiden perks up. "Do you want to?" He asks like a kid on Christmas day.

I nod and in a flash, he pushes himself up off the ground and takes off behind a tree. A few minutes pass until a dark black wolf emerges, running toward me at full force. My body tenses, expecting him to jump on me and waiting for the impact, but it never comes. Right before he collides with me, Raiden comes to a stop, and instead, he nudges me with the nose of his wolf and rubs against me. My hands find their way through his fur and he leans into my touch.

When he pulls away, I notice that his tail is wagging. He backs away from me before he takes off running. My eyes follow him and a small smile forms before I can stop it. The more I watch him, the more it grows and for once it feels like maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be a bad thing to stay here with him.