**Tiana's POV**
Just as I was approaching the pack house after training, someone grabbed me from behind. I spun around, startled, to find Layla and Amara, both with wide, eager smiles on their faces. They pulled me into a corner practically buzzing with excitement.
"You have to tell us everything about last night!" Layla exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Did you two kiss? What happened?"
"By the moon goddess, Layla!" I exclaimed with laughter. Theo's sister did not have a filter in her body.
My cheeks warmed at the idea of Theo kissing me and butterflies quickly swarmed my belly.
"Oh my!" Layla gasped. "You are most definitely blushing. Does that mean it happened?"
"No, no," I said hastily, covering my cheeks with my hands. "Nothing of the sort happened."
"Well tell us what happened!" She squealed.
"Yes, every single detail," Amara added, nodding vigorously.
I couldn't help but smile at their enthusiasm. "Alright, alright," I said, laughing. "Let's go to Layla's room or mine, and I'll tell you everything."
As we walked inside the pack house, I began recounting the events of the dinner. "So, we had dinner."
"Well, obviously," Amara rolled her eyes playfully.
"We just talked about random stuff and then he, uh... he said he was doing research to understand why people of age had not yet wolfed out."
Amara and Layla looked at each other and then squealed excitedly. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" They asked themselves.
"Uh, what are you guys thinking?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at the two of them.
"For years we've had pack members who are of age that have not wolfed out," Layla began.
"Theo has never bothered to look into it," Amara continued. "You show up, and suddenly he wants to know why. I wonder what he's hoping for." Amara teased, wiggling her brows.
"Oh my goodness, you get me so well Amara! I was thinking the same,' Layla said. "Imagine these two are mates?" She squealed.
"Yes!" Amara agreed excitedly.
"You two!" I cautioned, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks again. They were so delusional and hopeless romantics.
"What?" Amara and Layla asked innocently.
"Anyways," I continued, rolling my eyes. "He said it's probably because of the trauma in my pack," I shrugged.
"Yeah," Amara said. "Things like that could mess up with your mental health. And then your wolf may become scared to come out."
"Yeah," Layla said dejectedly. "She might be scared she won't have that freedom as a wolf. To hunt and stuff. Or your mental health is not strong enough to make you shift yet."
"It's possible," I shrugged.
"Well," Amara's eyes twinkled. "What next?"
"After that, Fiona joined us for a bit."
"Oh?" Amara appeared shocked. "Wasn't the dinner meant to be private?"
"It was," I sighed. "But I guess she heard of it and thought she could join in. Maybe she didn't know it was private."
"I'm sure she knew," Layla rolled her eyes dramatically. "What a spoiled sport. Must she be everywhere Theo is?"
I quickly interjected, not wanting to stir up any negative feelings. Theo clearly liked Fiona as a person, so I did not want to make him hate me for hating her. "Oh no, Fiona's cool. She just wanted to get to know me at the dinner. Once Theo told her it was private, she apologized and left. She didn't intend to intrude. She said so herself."
Amara snorted, shaking her head. "I saw her at the training ground today. She might be cool to us, but she doesn't seem to like you."
Layla nodded thoughtfully. "It's probably because she's Theo's best friend and doesn't like to see him showing others' attention. Especially women, because according to her, no one's good enough for him. We fought one time because Theo was showing me so much attention. I'm literally his sister."
Amara snorted again, rolling her eyes. "She's probably in love with Theo."
We reached Layla's room, and I continued my story, ignoring everything they said about Fiona. I did not want my words to be used against me. It wasn't like I did not trust them, but the walls had ears. "After dinner, Theo and I took a walk in the garden. He told me about their traditions in the pack and everything."
Layla's eyes widened. "The garden at night? That's so romantic!"
"Yeah, it was," I admitted, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks. "He told me about the Moonlight Hunt and the Rite of Passage. It was fascinating."
Layla smiled softly. "Theo is such a sweetheart. He really cares about the pack and its traditions and doesn't share them with strangers often."
Amara nodded in agreement. "You're lucky, Tiana."
"Thanks," I said, feeling a warm glow of happiness.
We chatted for a while longer, talking about random things and enjoying each other's company. Layla asked about my training, and I told her it went well, despite Fiona's comments.
"Fiona was really trying to bond with you, huh?" Layla asked.
"Yeah," I said, not wanting to delve into the details of Fiona's remarks. "She said she wanted to make me feel welcome."
Amara snorted. "More like make you feel inadequate."
"Maybe," I said softly, feeling a pang of sadness.
Eventually, it was time for me to head back to my room. As I was walking down the hallway, I saw Fiona coming toward me. My heart skipped a beat, and I tried to remain calm.
"Hello, Tiana," Fiona said, her voice unusually formal. "May I have a moment with you?"
"Of course," I replied, wondering what she wanted to talk about.
Fiona smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I just wanted to talk about the training today. I hope I didn't come across too harshly."
"Um, no, it's fine," I said, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"I was just trying to help you improve," she continued, her tone overly sweet. "It's important for everyone to be strong, especially those without a wolf."
I forced a smile. "I understand. I'll keep working on it."
"Good," Fiona said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "It's for your own good, after all."
"Thanks," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Anyway, I just wanted to clear that up," Fiona said, her tone lightening. "And there's something else as well."
"Oh? What's that?"
"Well," she began, still in a sickly sweet voice. "For a stranger in the pack, aren't you a bit too useless?”