Chapter 27: Reluctant Tours With Orion

Sam didn’t hang around long after stepping through the Nightshade Pack gates, her boots barely making a sound as she strode straight toward Orion’s quarters. Her cloak swayed behind her, dark as the night itself, and her sharp eyes darted briefly over her shoulder even though she was safely within the pack’s bounds, old habits of caution clung tight.

Orion was tinkering with a piece of leather armor when she arrived, head down, fingers deft and sure. Without looking up, he grunted a greeting.

"He’s okay," Sam said, voice clipped, leaving no room for questions or pleasantries.

Orion paused mid-stitch, raising a brow but saying nothing in response.

"And... that’s it?" he pressed.

Sam shrugged, tossing the cloak from her shoulders and already turning away. "That’s all you need to know. Tobias is alive and intact."

Orion gave a short laugh, shaking his head. "Something happened between you two again, huh? Not surprising."

Sam didn’t look back but added, "I’m done here." And with that, she disappeared, leaving a subtle scent of cedar and cold earth hanging behind her.

Orion stared after her for several long seconds, his grin fading into a shadowed frown. Something between amusement and exasperation flickered in his dark eyes before he returned to his work which wasn’t the documents he was supposed to be going through.

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Days drifted by, marked only by the subtle signs of Sophie’s full recovery. The flush of fever had left her cheeks, the fire in her blue eyes burning steady and bright instead of flickering. She moved with cautious strength, each step less uncertain than the last.

One brittle morning, her resolve hardened alongside her healing. Today was the day to see the pack up close, to stop lurking in the shadows of corridors and whispered conversations.

She gathered her cloak and set foot toward where Brynhild usually spent her mornings, near the central gardens, where the wild herbs and medicines grew in tended beds that smelled of earth and rain.

But as she rounded the corner behind the infirmary, she nearly bumped straight into Orion.

He looked impossibly casual as usual, arms folded over his broad chest, that sarcastic smirk playing on his lips like he knew exactly what she was about to do.

"Fancy seeing you here... stalking what, the resident pregnant goddess?" he quipped.

Sophia rolled her eyes but squared her shoulders. "I was hoping to find Brynhild. Thought she might show me around the pack. You know, so I don’t have to ask directions every time I want to find the mess hall."

Orion’s smirk deepened, his eyes narrowing a touch. "Oh? So you want a guided tour?"

Sophia folded her arms, unwilling to let him win this one too easily. "Maybe I do."

He took a step closer, voice dropping to that edge-of-danger tone she knew all too well. "Let me guess... you’re scouting territory. Passing info to your people."

"Right," Sophia said coolly, "because I want to make it so easy for you to hunt me."

Orion felt it immediately, she had just told a lie. But he shook it off. Perhaps it was only a lie because she didn’t remember who she was.

Orion chuckled darkly. "You’re full of surprises."

Sophia matched his smile with a harder one of her own. "Not all of them are pleasant, I’m afraid."

He turned away briefly, then over his shoulder said, "Fine. I’ll be your guide."

Her brow lifted sharply.

"What? Brynhild needs more rest these days with the last trimester and someone has to keep your stubborn ass from getting lost."

Sophia huffed, annoyed. "Well, I suppose I’m stuck with you then."

He nodded solemnly, making a show of authority. "Consider it your lucky day."

Their tour started off brisk.

Orion led through the winding paths lined with tall pines and stone markers carved with dates and names, memorials venerating fallen pack members. The air smelled of pine resin and damp earth, the sound of distant voices and laughter drifting like ghosts on the wind.

"You’re unusually quiet," Orion muttered after a moment, glancing at her with a sideways smirk. "Don’t tell me you’re enjoying yourself."

Sophia scoffed but kept pace, her hands stuffed deep in the pockets of her cloak. "If I was likely to enjoy your company, I’d be asking for that guided tour a lot earlier."

He shook his head but didn’t reply, instead pressing on toward the central clearing. The pack moved like a living organism here, hunters sharpening blades beside stoves smoking thick stew, cubs chasing one another around with reckless joy, elders seated beneath a great oak sharing stories.

Sophia’s sharp eyes caught the curious and cautious gazes aimed her way, some open curiosity, others laced with disdain. She couldn’t decide if the looks were warnings or invitations.

They passed the training grounds next, where fights and drills were underway. Young wolves sparred with intense concentration, muscles rippling, eyes burning bright with fresh ambition.

"Look," Orion remarked dryly, "the future slaughterers in training. All wishing to be on my good side."

Sophia snorted. "Don’t flatter yourself. You’re probably the most feared, not the most liked."

Orion grinned. "Fear’s a kind of respect. You should try it."

Sophia gave a mock shudder. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

The tour moved on with Orion leading, barely pausing. She stumbled now and then, rattled by the confusion of the winding layout and the brisk pace.

"I’d let you ask questions," he told her without looking back, "but you might actually think I’d answer."

"Really?" she called, one hand gripping a tree to steady herself.

He stopped and gave her a rare, direct look. "Of course."

Sophia made a face as if to bite back a retort, then relented. "Wouldn’t expect any less." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

They rounded a bend and came to the pack council hall, an imposing stone building etched with silver runes that glowed faintly blue in the broken daylight.

"Ah, the seat of all terrible decisions," Sophia said wryly.

Orion nodded, looking momentarily serious. "Some of the best decisions come from here. When they don’t blow up in our faces."

Sophia glanced at him, puzzled for a moment. "You sound almost hopeful."

He shrugged. "I prefer cautious optimism."

As the sky shifted toward dusk, their brisk tour wound down near a small clearing where the pack held markets on full moon nights, and ritual gatherings in the cold season.

Sophia took a deep breath, her sharp gaze scanning the faces around.

Orion’s voice cut through her thoughts. "So, what do you think? About the pack? This place?"

She exhaled slowly. "It’s... beautiful, I guess. In a wild, dangerous sort of way."

He smirked. "Bet you didn’t expect to find even a shred of ’beauty’ under all the blood and bites."

Sophia shot him a pointed look. "Don’t push your luck."

He laughed, that gruff sound that echoed among the trees. "Luck’s in short supply ’round here."

Sophia gave a short nod. "Yeah, well, it isn’t like I’m some stranger to that."

Overhead, the first stars blinked awake.

Orion glanced up then back at her, voice quieter but laced with steel. "Keep your eyes open. This pack is nothing if not unpredictable."

"And you’re an expert in unpredictability, aren’t you?" Sophia teased.

He bit back a smile. "Only in my dealings with you."

Sophia smirked. "Lucky me."

They shared a moment of silence, the noise of the pack swirling gently around them, a living reminder that however tense or thorny their relationship, the pack and perhaps their fates were irreversibly entwined.

She passed a few more stares on their way back, some curious, some wary, and with every step, she knew she was neither fully an outsider, nor fully part of this strange, snarling family. Somewhere in between, in the sharp exchange of glances, snide comments, and reluctant respect.

Sophia lagged behind Orion as he strode ahead finally, brushing her cloak aside from her arms.

"Now that we are done..."

"You are the worst guide ever." She interrupted him.

"Tell me something I don’t know." He told her with a wide smile.