#Chapter 63: Suck-Up

Aria “Want to have lunch with me?” Tracy offered me a kind, warm smile as I looked up at her. Honestly, I was a bit surprised that she was asking me out to lunch today. After what happened yesterday, I sort of assumed that she was mad at me or disappointed with me. “Are you sure?” I asked, half-expecting her to take it back or reveal that it was a cruel joke—that she hated me just as much as Arthur did. But she raised her dark, perfectly manicured eyebrows and gestured toward the door. “Of course. It’s just lunch, Aria. Come on.” I paused for a moment, still a bit shocked. But despite my reservations, I nodded. “Alright. Let me grab my things.” A few minutes later, we were walking briskly through the city. Tracy chatted my ear off the whole time, talking about needing to stretch her legs; “I’m new to the city,” she said as we walked. “Not exactly used to feeling so… cramped.” I knew that she was likely from their pack lands, of course—which mean