Chapter 563: The Weight of Laughter

Orion chuckled.

It came softer this time, less edged, as if the sound itself had settled after everything that had come before it. He dipped his head slightly, then gave her a mock bow where he sat.

"I’m honored," he said dryly. "Truly. To have been the one to make you laugh like that."

Sophia let out another breath of laughter, though it had gentled now. She reached up, brushing at the corner of her eyes with her fingers.

"I wasn’t expecting it," she admitted. "Not even a little."

Orion shrugged one shoulder, the corner of his mouth still tilted upward.

"I may not be as funny as Ronan," he said, "but I have my moments."

Sophia snorted softly.

"Your moments are very few and far between."

That earned him another chuckle.

"I’ll take what I can get."

The room settled again after that.

The earlier tension had loosened, replaced by a calmer sort of ease that neither of them seemed in a hurry to disturb.

Orion studied her for a moment.

Her shoulders were no longer tight. The crease between her brows had eased. Even the way she sat had shifted, more relaxed against the pillows.

He let out a slow breath.

"Now that you’ve calmed down about Tobias," he said, "there are other things I need to tell you."

Sophia’s gaze sharpened slightly at that.

"That sounds ominous."

"It’s not," Orion said immediately. "Relax."

"I was relaxed," she replied. "You’re the one who keeps adding things."

Orion ignored that.

"We have new members in the pack."

That caught her attention.

Sophia raised a brow. "New members?"

Orion nodded. "Tobias brought them."

She straightened slightly at that.

"From where?"

"The west," Orion said. "From the Silver Creek pack."

Sophia blinked once, then frowned faintly as she processed that.

Orion leaned back a little more, one hand resting loosely against the bed as he spoke.

"They’re not like Jarek and the others," he continued. "Though the same person brought them. But these ones have a different reason for coming."

Sophia tilted her head slightly. "Different how?"

Orion shook his head once. "I haven’t spoken to their alpha yet to fully understand the circumstances and why they left the west. They looked exhausted. The journey from the west to our pack wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t smooth either."

Sophia nodded at that. "Would there be enough houses for them?"

"Well, Madam Tyler and Serena would inform us if it isn’t. They may come to you and not me, just so you know, since you’re my partner and all, and I look for every opportunity to escape working," Orion told her.

Sophia nodded. "No surprise there," she said with a faint smile.

"There’s something else," Orion told her.

Sophia sighed lightly.

"Of course there is. You just keep on bringing them up when you feel like."

Orion ignored her words.

"The results for the test will be announced in two days."

Sophia blinked.

Then she nodded.

"Okay."

Orion’s brow furrowed slightly.

"That’s it?"

She looked at him. "What?"

"I thought you’d be more excited."

Sophia gave him a look.

"You know I didn’t take the test to get into the ranks."

"I know," Orion said. "That doesn’t mean it’s not something worth reacting to."

She shrugged lightly.

Orion watched her for a second longer, then said casually,

"Gregory and Kevin are disappointed, by the way."

That got a reaction.

Sophia frowned. "Why?"

Orion’s mouth curved slightly.

"Because you scored the highest."

There was a pause as she stared at him with a frown.

"Um... what?"

"Shorty, you and I both know you heard me clearly. It’s not like I spoke a foreign language after all." Orion paused, then tilted his head in thought. "Well, you’d likely understand if I had spoken a foreign language," he told her.

Sophia gave him a flat look.

"Thank you for that. I was just... actually, I am surprised that I scored the highest," she told him.

"You’re welcome," Orion said. "But you shouldn’t be surprised. You did good after all. It’s worth getting the highest score."

He paused, then added more quietly,

"And you may not want to be a guard or a hunter... but you could be. If you chose to."

Sophia’s gaze flickered slightly at that, then her lips pulled up in a small smile.

"You’d be lonely," she said.

Orion’s brow lifted. "Oh?"

"If I started going on missions," she continued. "You’d miss me."

Orion huffed quietly.

"I might."

Sophia’s smile widened just a little.

"Admitting it so easily?"

"I’m not in the mood to argue obvious things right now."

She let out a soft laugh.

Orion watched her for a moment, then said,

"I can show you the results of your friends too, if you want."

Sophia stilled slightly.

Then she shook her head.

"No, I’d rather see it with them."

She shifted slightly against the pillows.

"It should be a surprise."

Orion studied her face for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright."

"I’ll visit them tomorrow," she added. "It’s been a while since I saw them, after all."

"You saw Cat and Laia just a few days ago."

"And I’ve been seeing you every day. I have to balance the scale, you know."

Orion gave her a flat look. "Balance the scale," he said, mocking her with an eye roll.

"Anyway, just so you know, it’s going to be a big celebration," Orion told her.

Sophia nodded, her voice quieter now. "I really hope they pass. I want to celebrate with them. Micah especially—he’s been a trainee for long, after all."

"Instead of worrying, you could just let me tell you the results," he told her.

Sophia shook her head again.

"I’d rather wait."

Orion released a deep exhale, then moved suddenly.

He wrapped his hands around Sophia’s waist and lifted her easily from where she was seated, settling her onto him, her legs sliding to either side of his thighs.

She blinked at him in shock.

"What are you doing?"

"You have the audacity," he said calmly, "to sit there worrying about other men... while I’m right here."

Sophia stared at him.

Then her lips twitched.

She lifted her hands, resting them lightly against the back of his neck.

"Perhaps," she said, "if it was Noctis, I’d respect him better."

There was a beat of silence.

Then Orion’s hand shifted.

It slid slightly, fingers pressing more firmly against her thigh as his gaze darkened just a fraction.

"I haven’t forgotten," he murmured, his voice lower now, "that you told Noctis he might be more handsome than me."

Sophia’s brows lifted slightly.

"Oh?"