Chapter 108: You are Missing Out

The quiet stretched on. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Snow crackled faintly under the brush of wind, scattering loose flakes from the pine branches above. Somewhere in the distance, laughter rose in a wave and carried through the night air, softening into echoes before fading away. The firelight of the festival shimmered faintly between the trees like far-off stars, but here, under the canopy and Orion’s shadowed perch, the world seemed wrapped in stillness.

Sophia leaned her shoulder against the trunk, eyes narrowed, listening to the hush and waiting to see if Orion would say something first. He didn’t. His breathing was steady, calm, almost as though she hadn’t interrupted him at all.

And that silence drove her crazy. Orion wasn’t one to be quiet especially when they were around each other. He always had a biting remark or maybe something random to say but he was quiet now.

She adjusted on the spot she sat and made a sound, opening her mouth to speak but before she could even utter the words, Orion groaned loudly.

"Don’t," he muttered, dragging a hand down his face as though exhausted by whatever was about to come from her mouth.

Sophia ignored him. Of course she did. Orion wasn’t even surprised that she did.

"Why aren’t you at the festival?" she asked, her tone no longer playful or mocking but steady, pointed.

Orion shifted on the branch where he lay and smirked lazily, about to repeat the same words she told him some moments ago. "That’s no..."

"Before you complete that," she said to him. "Just know I’m actually curious this time..."

"You are always curious." Orion said but she ignored him, continuing.

"...I want an honest answer," she told him with a firm voice, leaving no room for argument ."Not some excuse you use to brush me off when you don’t want me to know something."

For a long moment, he said nothing. Only his slow inhale broke the quiet. The sound filled the space between them more than words could, a weary exhale following as if dragging weight from deep within his chest.

"I don’t have to be at the square to enjoy the festival," Orion said finally, his voice low, carrying the gravity of one who had made that same argument before, perhaps even to himself. "I can enjoy it from here."

Sophia scoffed loudly, the sound bouncing up the trunk. "Enjoy it? You weren’t enjoying anything when I found you. Your hand was over your eyes like you were hiding from the world."

Orion grumbled something but she couldn’t place what it was.

"You weren’t looking," she pressed. "You weren’t observing. You weren’t even listening. You were sulking. And don’t try to deny it."

The word sulking earned her a sharp exhale through his nose, almost a laugh but not quite. He didn’t bother denying it either.

"You don’t even know what you’re missing," she began, her words spilling with a momentum he couldn’t stop if he tried. "When you took me through the compound this morning, it was quiet. The decorations were there, yes, and some stalls were opened but they weren’t alive yet. Now...now everything is glowing. The lanterns hanging from the poles are lit, and they flicker with every breeze like little stars that decided to settle among us."

She smiled as she spoke, "Children are running around with ribbons shaped like stars tied to sticks, chasing each other like the wind itself is part of their game. The air itself smells like roasted meat and spiced bread...believe me, you can practically taste it before you even find the stalls...and celebration."

Orion almost pointed out that the air can’t smell like celebration but hearing her speak with a deep fascination and joy made him quiet.

"And let me tell you, there are new stalls too. I swear, I saw at least three that weren’t there when you showed me around. There was this man selling candied nuts, and I want to try it. It smelled so good." She said dreamily.

"And the music!" Sophia clapped her hands once, the sound sharp in the night. "Drums, flutes, strings. The music sounds so beautiful. I saw some people dancing in the square and it doesn’t matter if they know the dance steps, they just kept twirling around. Moving however they could."

Her voice softened. "And you know, it’s strange. With the snow on the ground, I thought I’d be freezing or battling the cold like normal. But with the fires burning and people so close together, and the excitement buzzing like it’s contagious, I barely noticed the cold. Not until I stepped away and came here."

For a long moment, she let the words hang in the air, her gaze searching his face above.

Orion’s jaw flexed, the faintest movement betraying that he had, in fact, been listening.

Finally, he shifted, his voice breaking the quiet once more. "I am alpha of this pack, Sophia."

"I know how beautiful the lanterns are," he continued. "I know the music, the food, the laughter. I know the stalls better than anyone because I had to approve every single one before it was built. Even the candied nuts." He ssid pointedly. "So everything you described...I already know. I know it better than you do."

Sophia nodded, acknowledging the fact. "I know you do. That’s exactly why I don’t understand why you’re here instead of there. And why..." she hesitated, her voice taking in a soft edge."...why you’re sad too."

Orion froze.

Sad.

It wasn’t a word anyone dared place on him, not even Ronan or Brynhild, not even Madam Tyler when she saw him pacing with storms in his eyes. Alpha meant strength, meant unshakable command. But here she was, cutting through the shield he wore with nothing but the simplest word.

A sound tore from him suddenly—a laugh.

Not bitter, not cruel, but startled, almost incredulous. He leaned back against the branch, one hand pressed against his mouth, shaking his head as though trying to reconcile her audacity with the truth that she wasn’t wrong.

"Sad," he repeated against his palm, a disbelieving chuckle rolling out into the night.