bChapter /bb37 /b

bSkye’s /bPOV

The sun cast long shadows across–the orphanage courtyard as I supervised the pups‘ outdoor ytime.

Nearly two weeks had passed bsince /bI’d officially joined Oasisborn Pack, and already the rhythm bof /bpack life felt familiar–morningbat training with Nadia, days at the orphanage with Venus, and asional evenings studying herbs with Lydia.

bI /bsmiledb, /bwatching bthe /btwins chase each other in circles, theirughter echoing against the adobe walls. These abandoned wolf cubs had quickly imed a piece of my heart.

Mira, the silent girl who had lost her parents to hunters, now sat beside me on the bench, methodically braiding tiny desert flowers into a crown. She hadn’t spoken yet, but she’d begun seeking out mypany–a victory Venus assured me was significant.

When the courier arrived, I barely registered his presence until he stood directly before me, an envelope extended in his hand.

“Miss Skye? This arrived for you today.”

I epted it with a distracted ‘thank you,” expecting it to be pack business–perhaps new protocols from Venus or training schedules from Nadia. But the handwriting that formed my name sent a jolt through my system.

I would recognize it anywhere, having spent childhood summerspeting with its owner bto /bproduce the neatest lettering.

Ethan.

My fingers trembled slightly as I tore open the envelope, Mira momentarily forgotten beside me. The familiar scent of skan pine clung faintly to the paper, a ghost of home that made my throat tighten unexpectedly.

Dear Skye,

Your letter arrived on my birthday–perfect timing as always, little sister. bI /bcan’t tell you how happy I was to hear from you after all this timeb, /bto bknow /bthat your wolf has finally emerged. I always knew she would. She just needed the right moment.

Your news about joining Oasisborn Pack caught everyone by surprise. Mother cried when I showed her your letter (happy tearsb, /bshe insisted). Father tried to hide it, but I saw how his eyes glistened. They miss you terribly, as do I.

I should tell you that bI’ve /bfound my mate–Lily, from the Northern Ridge branch of our extended pack. Wepleted the marking bceremony /bst month. She’s gentle but fierce when needed, reminds me a bit of you, actually. I think you’d like her.

But there’s something else you should know. Leon was with me when your letter arrived. He opened bit /bbfirst/bb, /bbelieving it to be bpack /bbusines When he saw your name, Skye… I’ve never seen our Alpha so affected. He was angry–furiousb, /breally–that you’ve pledged yourself bto /bbanother /bbpack/b. N

bise /bhe rejected you as his mate, but because he never intended for you to leave Frostshadow permanently. He bexpected /byou would return beventually/b.

I have to ask–is there a reason you chose Oasisborn specifically? Have you found a Second Chance mate bthere/bb? /bbIf /bnot, I beg byou /bbto /bbreconsider /byour decision. Qasisborn is a fledgling desert pack with little standing or bresources/bb. /bCompared to Frostshadow, they’re practically valueless in the bwerewolf /bhierarchy.

Mother and Father are well and happy, though they would be happier bif /byou came home. Leon would wee you backb–/bhe bwould /bbforgive /byour absenceb. /bThink about it, Skye. Think about where you truly belong.

Your brother always, Ethan

I read the letter btwice/bb, /bconflicting emotions surging through me with each word. Joy at hearing from my family warred bwith /bindignation at Leon’s presumption.

He was angry that I’d joined another packb? /b

bAfter /bpublicly humiliating meb, /bbrejecting /bme as his mate, and beffectively /bforcing me to fleeb? /b

What right did he bhave /bto bfeel /bbbetrayed /bwhen he bwas /bthe one who had shattered our bond?

And Ethanb–/bmy own brother–still defending him, still prioritizing Leon’s feelings over mine. Still trying to guide me back into the fold like a bwayward /bbsheep/bb. /bHis dismissal of Oasisborn as “practically valueless‘ made my blood boil,

bHe /bhad no idea what Adrian and the others had built here, themunity they had created from nothing, the home they had offered to those other packs had discarded.

Mira tugged at my sleeve, her solemn eyes questioning. I hadn’t realized how tightly I was gripping the letter, nearly tearing it in my anger. I forced a smile, gently epting the flower crown she had finished and carefully cing it atop my silver hair.

“It’s beautiful,” I assured her, tucking the letter away. “Thank you.”

Later that evening, after the pups were settled in their beds, I retreated to my hotel room and reread Ethan’s letter, trying to process my feelings more rationally.

The fact that Leon had been upset by my joining Oasisborn wasb… /bunexpected. During those long, painful nights after fleeing Frostshadow, I’d imagined his reaction to my disappearance would be indifference, perhaps even relief–one lessplication in his perfectly nned path to bing Alpha King.

To learn that he’d expected my eventual return, that he considered forgiving me–as if I were the one who needed forgiveness–ignited an anger bI /bthought long extinguished.

In a fit of petnce, I nearly crumpled the letter and tossed it away.

But I couldn’t bring myself to destroy this connection to my family, no matter how frustrating parts of it might be. Instead, I carefully refolded it band /bced it in the drawer beside my bed, resolving not to respond immediately. Better to wait until I could write without the bheat /bof emotion coloring my words.

I regretted sending that letter to Ethan in the first ce.

It had been a moment of weakness, of homesickness–a childish reach forfort from the brother who had once been my bgreatest /bbprotector/bb. /b

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