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With the threat of war eerily creeping in, Sari decides to switch packs to...
It was as if Leya possessed golden fingers. She went through my hair, braiding my brown locks with elegance and precision. My hair was completely braided and out of my face, which made my cheekbones stand out all the more. Due to the lack of consistent food, my face had lost its fullness. And while I had never looked at myself as something other than ordinary, how I looked now with my hair and the robe, all cleaned up, I dared to say I was a bit more than that.
But my fragile skeleton still showed through, even if the robe had hidden away most of it. And the Alphas had all seen me arrive with Beckett in my usual clothing, so everyone knew just how weak I was.
"Do you not like it, blessed Wolfling?" I hadn't even realized my thoughts were overpowering me again. I gazed back at the mirror and saw that my expression had saddened.
"Oh no, Leya, I'm sorry. My hair looks beautiful, thank you." I forced a smile, but looking at my reflection, I saw right through the facade, and stared at the weakness in front of me.
She cocked her head to the right. "Then what is the problem?"
I debated telling her, showing her that part of myself. Baring my vulnerability wasn't something I did often, so it didn't feel natural to me. But at this point, what did I have to lose? "What if nobody wants me? What if I'm stuck?"
I didn't dare to add in Fire Moon, as I didn't want to openly disrespect an Alpha in front of a priestess. It didn't matter how kind she had been to me, she was still a priestess who honored our Moons' blessing and gift above all else. But I reminded myself that sometimes, words didn't need to be spoken to be heard.
Leya gently squeezed my shoulders as she answered, "Why would you think that, blessed Wolfling?"
I shook my head as my eyes broke contact with the mirror, desperately looking at anything else other than my reflection, who was clearly breaking down. "Why wouldn't I?" My voice started to tremble a little bit, and as she squeezed my shoulders again, I was sure she noticed.
"Because you have the soul of a wolf, Sari. You possess the blessing too, others will recognize that. You are more than the reflection you are avoiding now."
I closed my eyes at the words. The soul of a wolf. It sounded beautiful and empowering. But I knew better. I knew me.
"But I don't. Look at me, I'm a broken mess." A silent tear escaped and ran down my cheek, but Leya immediately wiped it away.
"Then you need to find someone who can see the beauty in broken things."
I only wished it were that simple.
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Leya dropped me off in a room with some of the other Ascending wolves, before whispering her final counsel. "May our Moons bless you, and may you choose wisely," she said, kindly,before leaving me alone with the wolves.
The room Leya had brought me to was at least as beautiful as the first one where I had entered with Beckett. The silver tainted windows lined the walls and let sunshine enter the room in a dreamy beautiful way. There were sofas scattered in a circle, where a group of wolflings sat. In front of the sofas stood a table, filled with food of all kinds. Some of it I recognized, like apples and pears. But some special kinds of fruits and other foods sparked my curiosity.
