Chapter 158
My parents had pulled out all the stops. White–gloved servers, silver candelabras, a string quartet in the comer *playing soft music. It was the kind of dinner that only happened when my mother was trying to impress–or
intimidate.
1 spotted the way Erin’s eyes flicked over the crystal glasses the way she checked her posture and brushed a wrinkle from her dress as they stepped in. I crossed the room quickly.
“Hey,” I said, touching her arm. “You look incredible.”
Erin smiled, just a little. “Thanks. I feel like I’m walking into an ambush.”
“You’re not,” I promised. “You’re walking into a test. But ‘s one I know you’re going to pass.”
She looked at me then, really looked, and I saw the gratitude in her eyes. “Thank you. For everything.”
1 squeezed her hand.
Cocktail hour passed with strained pleasantries. My father offered Mason a scotch and asked about land boundaries near the southern ridge, but his eyes kept flicking to Erin. My mother asked polite questions about how Erin and Mason met, and Erin answered graciously–though I could see how tightly she held her wineglass.
Dinner was announced, and we took our seats at the long table.
The first course was served in silence. The second began with questions.
“So,” my mother said, smiling tightly, “Erin. What is it that you do?”
Erin set down her soup spoon. “At the moment, I’m between roles.”
“Ah,” my mother replied.
“And your pack?” my father asked.
Erin hesitated. “I’m currently unattached.”
Silence. The kind that crackles with unspoken judgment.
“I see,” my mother finally said. “Well, I must say, your manners are quite refined for someone withour formal pack structure.”
Mason’s fork clattered onto his plate.
“Mother-
But Erin touched his arm and smiled, graceful. “Thank you. I take that as a compliment.”
I could see Mason vibrating with barely contained frustration.
I decided to steer the conversation elsewhere. “Erin, tell me about your childhood. I know you said you were raised in a structured household.”
Her eyes met mine–grateful, again. “Yes. I was raised the daughter of an Alpha. A small pack, but well- respected. I had Luna training from a very young age.”
My father sat up straighter. “Which pack?”
Chapter 150
+25 BONUS
Erin dabbed her mouth with her napkin, her voice calm and even. “Briarwood.”
The entire room stilled
My mother’s hand flew to the pearls at her neck. My father went white.
“Briarwood?” he echoed
I looked between them. “What? What’s wrong?”
Mason leaned forward. “Briarwood was attacked about fifteen years ago. Another pack tried to seize their territory
valuable land, far from the main Alliance borders. It happened during a leadership upheaval in the Council, and no one honored the treaties. No one came to help them.”
I sat back slowly. “Another memory hole.”
My mother looked at me, eyes softening. “You were young when it happened. And…it was considered one of the greatest failures of our generation. A well–respected, peaceful pack left to burn while the Council squabbled over elections.”
My father’s voice was low. “The attacking pack sold Briarwood land to human developers. That land’s gone now. Paved over. There’s no way to get it back.”
There was a silence so deep it felt reverent
Then my mother reached across the table and took Erin’s hand in hers.
“It was a shameful thing,” she whispered. “What happened to Briarwood. You are welcome here, Erin. You have our blessing to be with our son.”
Erin’s breath caught. Her eyes shimmered.
Mason looked like he might cry.
I turned away so I wouldn’t start crying too.
That night, after everyone had gone to bed, I stood in the moonlit hallway outside my bedroom, staring out at the trees. The weight of the evening pressed against my chest.
I thought about Briarwood. About the way memory can vanish, and with it, our sense of justice. How easy it was to forget stories like Erin’s. Until someone made you remember.
And now I would.
Not just for her. But for me.
I would remember all of it. Every piece.
Because I was done living in the dark.
