Chapter 90: See you Tonight

The laughter still clung to the air like a stubborn echo, but Orion’s shoulders had already settled. The glint of humor faded from his eyes, replaced with the controlled calm that came so naturally to him. He straightened to his full height, the pain from Sophia’s punch or rather hit, forgotten.

He stared at a distance and Sophia turned in time to see some people dressed in grey clothing, their faces half hidden by cowls. They moved with quiet precision like they knew exactly where they were headed to.

"Who are they?" she asked him.

"Coroner’s. They are headed to Zena’s home to get the body." He told her.

At the sound of the name, Sophia’s heart gave a small, guilty stutter. Zena. The dream she’d had about her just the previous night flickered across her mind. She shook her head choosing to listen to Orion’s words. The mind has the tendency to play tricks on people and perhaps that’s what it was doing right now.

Orion tore his gaze away from the retreating figures and turned back to her, his voice softer now, though edged with distraction. "I have to go. I won’t be able to keep showing you around." He hesitated, as though choosing what to say next. "I’ve been away for far too long already."

Sophia blinked at him, fighting to mask the fact that her heart gave a low drop at sensing how lonely she would be without him around but he was the alpha and he had duties to attend to. She had no right to claim him or to even want his attention the way she did.

"I understand," she said. "Actually, I have to go too. I was supposed to be at the library today."

Orion’s lips quirked at that, a flicker of amusement breaking through. "The library?" he echoed. "Sophia, you do realize it’s the festival of the fallen right? A festival that made those who had been outside the pack come back. The library won’t be open. Everyone’s wrapped up in the festivities."

She frowned, half-skeptical, half-annoyed at herself for not realizing. "Really?"

"Do I look like I’m joking?" He asked her.

"I wouldn’t know."

He released a sigh. "If you don’t believe me, you can go to the library. Maybe you’ll even see Eldric and then tell him to come see me."

Sophia rolled her eyes. "I get it. No need to be like that okay?"

Her gaze followed some children who ran past them.

"What am I going to do now though?" She asked aloud.

If she couldn’t go to the library then that meant there was absolutely nothing she could do.

Orion’s eyes softened as he watched her face. "You could go see Brynhild," he suggested. "You two are... akin to friends now, aren’t you?"

The suggestion caught Sophia off guard. She realized, with a small jolt of guilt, how it had been a while since she’d had a real conversation with Brynhild. Brynhild had been the first person to offer her a kind of quiet acceptance when she’d been lost here, the first who hadn’t looked at her like she was a nuisance or an irritation on their skin.

"Maybe I will," Sophia said slowly. "It’s been a while...but do you think she’ll..."

"I’ll stop you there. Has there ever been a time you visited Brynhild and she didn’t open her doors?" He asked her.

"Well...no."

"There you have it. You can see her. Besides, she’s been grumbling about how Lysander has been monitoring her like she’s some child who’d fall any moment. She will enjoy another person’s company." He told her.

Sophia nodded, her throat tight for reasons she couldn’t quite name. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For... for distracting me. For taking my mind off things."

Orion raised a brow, that smug glimmer flickering back. "I’m good like that," he said, almost teasing.

Sophia rolled her eyes, though a smile ghosted across her lips. "Sure you are."

They stood like that for a heartbeat, but then Sophia glanced up. "Will I see you later tonight? For the main festival?"

Something flickered behind Orion’s eyes at her question, a storm but it passed so quickly she almost thought she’d imagined it. His expression smoothed before she could question it, the mask sliding back into place.

"You might," he said. "It’s under probability."

Sophia tilted her head, sensing the deflection but letting it go. "Okay."

She did not understand why he was deflecting especially when he was the alpha. He was sure to be at the festival at night. He had to be...right?

Orion gave her a single nod, the kind that ended conversations without feeling abrupt. He raised a hand in a brief wave just as a sharp voice cut through the festival noise.

"ORION!" Ronan’s bellow, amplified by a megaphone, cracked across the square like thunder. Heads turned; some children squealed in excitement, recognizing the Beta’s voice. "GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE NOW!"

Orion winced lightly.

"Next time, I’m not making my best friend my assistant." He said.

Sophia laughed lightly. Funny how Orion had been able to hear her laugh numerous times just in one day. Perhaps when they were nit at each other’s throats, they could actually be friends?

He glanced at Sophia, his expression caught somewhere between exasperation and reluctant amusement. "That’s my cue," he said. Then, with an exaggerated, mock-formal salute, two fingers to his brow, he spun on his heel and started toward the path the coroners had taken. His long strides carried him quickly.

Sophia stood watching him until he disappeared towards Zena’s home. Who would have thought that Orion would be the one person to calm her down.

But even with how calm she felt, she couldn’t shake off the dream. Maybe it really was her mind playing tricks in her though or maybe not, but now wasn’t time to dwell on it. With a relived sigh, she started making her way towrds Brynhild and Lysander’s home. While Orion moved swiftly towrds Zena’s home.