The Last Spirit Wolf (Elena Norwood)

Vera-

The more I near Lucas and everyone else, the more intense the smell of alcohol gets. Soon, I hear loud chatter coming from the clearing and feel the warmth coming from the bonfire. Oh Goddess, what am I walking into?

When I step into the clearing, this is a lot more people than I initially anticipated. I recognize a few familiar faces; Ethan and Charlotte, Mason and Eva, Lucas and Violet, and then Ezra, Jeremy, and Thomas off to a side. "Vera! You came!" Lucas notices me; it doesn't escape me that he's a little more smiley than usual.

In fact, they all seem a little drunk.

"Of course! Are we celebrating something I wasn't aware of? There's a lot of people here."

"Well, it was initially going to be something small, but when everyone else heard about the bonfire, more and more wanted to come, how could I say no?"

"Yeah, how could you?" I mumble to myself.

The bonfire is voraciously eating away the wood within it, demanding more and more firewood. It's crackling in the middle of the clearing, taking away the chill of the evening.

"Hey, Violet! I told you she'd come!" Lucas yells.

Chatting away with a group of people, I notice Violet meet Lucas's eyes and then mine.

She pales.

There's a certain level of satisfaction I feel in her reaction to me; a wolf coming into lycan territory and defeating their equivalent to a princess, without turning or cheating? I should make sure it's at least a footnote in their history books. Despite this feeling though, I did promise Lucas to make this right. It's ridiculous to think that they'll be avoiding me forever if we live in the same place. Not to mention how close Lucas is to Noah and I.

I smile at her and she gulps.

Violet turns to look at Lucas again and he nods reassuringly, extending his hand to her.

She takes a few wary steps towards us and when she finally reaches us, she chokes on her first few words.

"H- Hi. Vera, we were hoping you'd come," she says, holding her drink tight.

I smile at her again and take a step closer, surprising her.

I guess I could "tell* her it's alright, that she has nothing to fear and that we're good; but I tried that last time on our way here and apparently it didn't work. Even buzzed, she seems very anxious. So instead, I surprise her - and myself - and I hug her.

It takes her a moment to process what's happening, so I hug her a little tighter. It's a comforting hug, one that really says 'you have nothing to be afraid of'; of course, I'm also using a little magic for her to relax.

She hugs me back, finally releasing the tension she had been carrying.

When I separate from her, I hold her at arm's length.

"Violet, I'm sorry you've been walking around here thinking of me as a threat. I'm really not; everything worked out wonderfully despite us meeting under such... stressful circumstances."

"Thank you so much." she says, genuinely, "I just... during training everyone kept saying how I should watch my back because I tried to take your mate from you and how I was lucky you didn't kill me back at the manor. It got to me."

I roll my eyes,

"Of course, they would tell you that, boys are stupid," I say, eyeing a few teenagers that I help train that no doubt have been telling her these things.

They quickly disperse when I narrow my eyes at them.

"Are you sure we are good? I mean, I would understand if we weren't..."

"Yes, Violet. You can relax. You're Lucas's mate and Lucas is like a little brother to me."

She turns to Lucas. He smiles down at her and nods again.

"In that case, I was also hoping we could maybe train together?" she blurts out quickly.

I cock my head to a side, surprised by her suggestion.

"It's just... Lucas is too nice! He never *really* trains with me. Back at the manor I used to train with Jeremy but he's as bad as I am. The other warriors also don't like to train with me because I'm a girl *and* Lucas's mate. You're the only one who won't go soft on me." "You make a good case," I say, pretending to think about it for maybe a little too long; her hope deflating with every passing second, "I'll train with you under one condition," she lights up, he* can't be anywhere near us," I point to Lucas. "Hey!" Lucas protests.

"Done!" Violet says without giving him a second thought.

He looks back and forth between the two of us,

"Unbelievable," he says, turning around and walking away from us angrily.

Violet and I stare at him as he walks away and then turn to each other.

We start giggling at Lucas's expense.

"I can hear you!" He shouts behind him, and then we really start laughing at him.

"I'm sorry, he can be very protective," Violet says.

"You don't have to apologize, they're all like that."

I stay chatting with Violet for a few minutes until someone else calls her and she leaves.

"What was that about?" Charlotte comes up behind me. She had been looking at the exchange from the distance, "I wasn't sure if I should come rescue you so I just watched," she laughs.

"Oh no, I was just burying that hatchet. Apparently, Lucas and Violet had been avoiding me altogether."

"Goddess," she says, face-palming her face, "I didn't think it was that bad."

"Me neither."

I shrug it off.

"I need a drink," I tell her.

"Well, if it's wine you want, Ethan can go get it for you," she says, "Ethan!" she calls to him.

I look at Charlotte and notice the drink she's holding is not alcoholic,

"What are you drinking?" I ask her, curious.

"Hmm this? It's this tea Jeremy prepares, it's delicious. Want to try?"

She offers me her cup but I decline, something about the smell makes me slightly nauseos.

"Why aren't you drinking?" I ask.

Charlotte is not one to shy away from a glass of wine or two.

"I didn't feel like it today. I have an early morning tomorrow," she says dismissively.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

I narrow my eyes at her, not believing her in the slightest, but I decide to not press for more information as Ethan comes over and hands me a drink. "Thank you," I say, smiling at him.

"You're welcome," he says in a tone that's colder than usual for him as he walks way.

I frown, not understanding his mood.

"Don't mind him, we had a fight and he's being pissy about it," she says, rolling her eyes.

I open my mouth to say something but close it; it's really not my place. If she wants to tell me, she knows she can come to me anytime, anywhere.

Unexpectedly, the wind starts blowing in my general direction, demanding my attention.

I let it soak into my skin, urging me to walk a certain direction.

After only a few steps, I know exactly where I'm going.