You Feel Like Home

The giggle gave him another little thrill of pleasure, a small grin parting his jaws just slightly. As they walked into the Plains, leaving the borders, he couldn’t help but glance down at her every now and then. The brushes of their coats lit a warmth in his chest, and that ember burned a little brighter as she gently chided him for being hard on himself. A wry smile pulled at his jaws as she gave her condolences. “It wasn’t your fault. Wasn’t anyone’s fault. ”

As she spoke next, he tipped his head to look down at her, smiling softly at the offer. “Thank you, Solveiga. It means a great deal.” There was a tightness in his throat, and he swallowed to drive it off as she went on, changing the subject just slightly. He listened, smiling as she finished.

“Of course. Kavdaya… isn’t handling my mother’s death well. She blames herself.” The snowy healer had asked to step down from the rank of Master Healer, and he’d given her that leave. Now he wondered if he should have kept her in the rank that demanded more work. Work that she could have buried herself in to not think about the deaths.

He paused and glanced down at her. “Currently, beyond myself, we have no high-ranking wolves. Hopefully, we can change this.”