Chapter 2 The Choice Theo Made

By breakfast, the whole pack seemed to know that Theo had been appointed to the joint border team. Warriors congratulated him in the courtyard, elders praised his discipline, and younger wolves followed him with the admiration usually reserved for an Alpha's heir. Delia heard his name from every direction, but she kept her attention on the stack of supply lists in front of her.

Her father had asked her to help organize the household preparations for the visiting packs. It was work she understood, and it gave her an excuse to remain busy while the packhouse buzzed around her. She checked sleeping arrangements, confirmed the delivery of flour and dried meat, and made sure the guest rooms had fresh blankets. Whenever she felt her thoughts wandering toward Theo, she returned to the lists.

Lila arrived just before noon wearing a pale blue dress and a hopeful expression. "Have you seen Theo?"

Delia continued writing. "He was in the courtyard with the border team."

"I know that. I mean, have you spoken to him?"

"No."

Lila's fingers twisted together. "Delia, I need you to understand something."

"I understand that you want to talk about Theo."

"I didn't plan for this to happen." Lila sat opposite her, lowering her voice. "I never wanted to hurt you."

Delia set down her pen. "But you did."

Her sister flinched, and for a moment the room was silent except for the scratching of a branch against the window. Delia did not raise her voice. She had imagined this conversation many times, but anger had never made the truth easier to say.

"I loved him," Delia continued. "I thought we might be mates one day. Then he told me he wanted you. I cannot change his feelings, and I will not force him to choose me. But you cannot ask me to pretend that nothing happened."

Lila's eyes glistened. "I'm sorry."

"I believe you are sorry that it hurts. I hope you will be careful with what you have chosen."

Lila stared at her, then rose and left without another word. Delia watched the door close, feeling neither victorious nor relieved. She had spoken honestly, and that was all she could do.

Later that afternoon, Delia went to the training grounds to deliver a message from her father. Theo was finishing a sparring session with Caleb, sweat darkening the collar of his shirt. He was quick and strong, with the easy confidence that had first drawn her to him. Seeing him in the place where they had once trained together brought back memories she had been trying to set aside.

Caleb noticed her first. "There you are. Father needs you to confirm the guest patrol schedule."

"I have it." She handed him the folded paper. Theo stepped away from the practice ring.

"Delia, can we talk?"

Caleb looked between them and quietly moved toward the weapon racks. Delia wished he had stayed, but she refused to let that wish show.

"What is there left to say?" she asked.

"I wanted you to hear this from me before the festival. Lila and I have decided to accept the bond if the Moon Goddess confirms it."

The words landed with a dull, final weight. Delia had known the choice was coming, but hearing him speak it aloud made it real in a way rumor never could.

"You have decided," she repeated.

"I care about you," Theo said quickly. "You've been part of my life for years. I never wanted to hurt you."

"Then you should have been honest sooner." He looked down. "I know."

Delia drew a slow breath. "I wish you and Lila well. I mean that. But do not ask me to comfort you about a decision you made."

Theo's face tightened with shame. "I wouldn't."

"Good." She turned to leave, then paused. "You were my first hope, Theo. That doesn't mean you have to be my last."

She walked away before he could answer. Her hands trembled, but her steps remained steady. she did not feel free, not yet, but she felt as if she had closed a door that had been left open long enough to let the cold inside.

The days leading to the festival passed in a rush of preparations. The kitchens filled with the smell of roasted apples and fresh bread. The blacksmith repaired ceremonial blades, and the pack's seamstresses stitched silver thread into cloaks for the visiting leaders. Delia worked beside her mother, helping prepare the welcome gifts and arranging flowers along the hall's stone pillars.

On the evening before the festival, Alpha Marcus summoned the family to the smaller sitting room. Theo and Lila were there too, standing beside one another with their hands nearly touching. Delia understood at once why her father had gathered them.

"Theo has spoken to me," Marcus said. "He intends to ask for Lila's hand in front of the pack tomorrow, and I have agreed that the family may witness the pledge tonight."

Delia's mother glanced at her with concern, but Delia nodded before anyone could ask whether she wished to leave. She would not allow the room to turn into a stage for her pain.

Theo faced Lila and spoke the words of commitment used by Eldridge wolves. Lila answered, her voice shaking at first, then growing stronger. When their hands joined, a faint silver shimmer passed between their wrists-the first sign that the Moon Goddess might recognize their bond.

A murmur of approval moved through the room. Lila's eyes filled with tears, and Theo looked at her as if the rest of the world had disappeared.

Delia felt the familiar ache, but beneath it was something quieter: the knowledge that the truth had finally been spoken. She stepped forward, offered her sister a gentle embrace, and whispered, "I hope you are happy."

Lila clung to her for a moment. "I never wanted to lose you."

"You haven't lost me," Delia said, though she knew their relationship would have to change. "But we will have to learn how to be sisters again."

When she left the sitting room, the night air was cool against her cheeks. The moon hung behind thin clouds, and a strange, familiar sensation stirred inside her once more. It faded before she could understand it.

Delia looked up at the sky, then turned toward home. She would not chase a feeling she could not explain. Tomorrow, the visiting packs would arrive, and Eldridge would have to stand united. she would stand with them, even if she was still learning where she belonged.