The council apartment carried a heavy stillness, the kind that seemed to hang in the air after bad news. The wooden walls stood tall and dark, the faint scent of old paper and candle wax mixing together. Mr Jack sat forward in his chair, eyes steady on the pack boys standing before him.
"I am very impressed with your roles in Mugen," he began, his tone calm but firm. "Although we lost a brave warrior like Tengen, we have to keep moving. Don't be discouraged."
Tyler kept his head low. Why would he be discouraged? he thought bitterly. In just one year, he'd lost his parents, Alex, Connor, the entire Max pack, and now Tengen. It felt like the world was stripping away every person that mattered. He swallowed hard, his mind wandering to Bella if anything happened to her, he might break completely. Not just Bella, though. His eyes scanned the room, taking in his pack brothers. They'd become family, closer than anyone he'd known in school. The thought of losing one of them on a mission made his chest tighten.
Mr Jack's voice broke through his thoughts. "From now on, your pack will remain at the Davidson apartment. Mr Davidson wants you living under his watch. No other wolf pack has been given this privilege, so I believe you are in contention for an award soon." He smiled faintly.
The boys gave quiet nods.
Mr Jack sighed, stepping closer with his hands clasped behind his back. "Let me tell you a story." The sudden change in his tone made their attention sharpen.Mr Jack wasn't one to talk about personal matters.
"Years ago, my pack and I were out in the woods hunting for vampires. I wasn't the alpha then, just the beta. The alpha was a close friend, his name was Jake. He was brave, strong, kind, someone you could rely on." Mr Jack's eyes darkened.
"We found a vampire near a small lake, drinking blood. We attacked, but he was unlike any vampire we'd seen before. Milky hair, black scars, red cloak… and strength beyond reason. Even with five of us, we couldn't stop him. That day, I lost two friends." His voice dipped lower. "One was Jake."
Mr Jack walked back toward his chair, his steps slow. "We were broken. We wept. But we didn't stop. Jake wouldn't have wanted that. We rebuilt the pack, brought in three new wolves, and kept fighting. That's what Tengen would want for you four, he pointed at them, don't let his death affect your fight, don't let it affect your morale, those children outside are counting on their big bros to protect and defend them, just like Mr Davidson trusted Tengen to."
Something shifted in the room. The weight in the air eased. The boys straightened their backs just a little, the gloom lifting bit by bit.
Tyler stepped into the Davidson estate's garden. The place was alive in its own quiet way—the air carried a soft, earthy scent mixed with the sweetness of blooming flowers. The trees were tall and proud,some had leaves so green they almost glowed, while others bore blossoms in colors that seemed too rich to be real deep reds, soft pinks, pale yellows swaying gently in the breeze. He'd heard that Mr Davidson liked to walk this exact path whenever he needed to clear his mind. Now, walking here himself, Tyler understood why. The sound of leaves brushing against each other in the wind, the faint hum of bees moving from flower to flower, and the cool shade that followed him it was soothing in a way his life hadn't been in months.
Then he saw her. Sophia stood by one of the larger flowerbeds, a single, vivid purple flower in her hand. She plucked it delicately and lifted it to her face, inhaling as if the scent could wash away whatever weighed on her. Something in Tyler's chest tightened. He didn't know why, but his heartbeat had picked up steady at first, then a little quicker.
"Sophia," he called, his voice low but enough to make her glance his way. Her eyes met his for a second, then she looked away as if retreating behind a wall.
He moved forward, stepping into her path when she made to leave. "What is it?" The words were out before he could stop himself. Normally, he wouldn't have asked, wouldn't have cared to press but something about her this time… he needed to know.
Sophia kept silent, shifting as if to walk past again, but Tyler's hand shot out, catching her left hand. The touch was light but firm enough to stop her. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked, and the question felt strange on his tongue.
"No. You didn't."
Her voice hit him harder than he expected. It was the first time he'd heard it in days, and it felt like cold water on a sunburn soft, cooling, something he didn't realize he'd missed until it was there.
"Then what's wrong?" he asked again.
"I don't know. I guess I'm just… not feeling too good."
Tyler frowned. "Since we came here, you haven't been yourself. You've been acting different towards me." He paused. "Sophia… is there something you're not telling us?"
She didn't answer, just moved away and leaned lightly against the trunk of one of the trees.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said.
"You know exactly what I'm saying," Tyler replied, stepping closer. "I can feel it."
Sophia's lips curled into a faint smile. "So you're psychic now?"
"No. But I know you too well not to notice when something's wrong."
Her gaze flickered over him, unreadable.
"So," Tyler pressed, "what have you and Bella been up to since we left?"
"Not much," she said after a moment. "Some background checks on a few vampires. Bella's been working on her powers, meditation, psychic training."
"And you?"
"I've just been… here. Reading, walking out here to look at the view." She glanced at the trees. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"It is," Tyler agreed, his head lowering slightly. "So… how did you feel when you heard about Tengen?"
Her face shifted, something shadowing her eyes. "It was a shock. A huge loss not just for the Gammas, but for the wolf hierarchy as a whole." She hesitated, and when she looked back at him, there was a weight in her gaze.
"You were right, Tyler," she said quietly. "I've been hiding something."