Side Story 7

Aira The days passed smoothly—almost too smoothly, until Owen told me the news of his returning. The moment I heard it, excitement bloomed in my chest. I was finally going to see my friend again after what felt like forever. We had kept in touch through calls, sometimes late into the night, talking about everything and nothing. After my shift, he had been desperate to know the color of my wolf, almost annoyingly persistent, but I refused to tell him. I wanted to see the look on his face when he finally saw her himself, that tiny secret made me feel close to him in a strange way. But alongside the excitement, there was something else. Something I could no longer ignore. Every time he called, every single time—Dee would become overly excited, her energy bursting through me until I had to physically bite back a smile or hide the way my heartbeat changed. It made no sense. I had told her countless times not to act that way. Not for him. “Owen is not our mate,” I would remind