Chapter 51 A break
LISA'S POV
Western Pack felt different from Moonstone and the difference made breathing easier. The pack members here did not know my complicated history. I was just Alpha Adrian's friend and the simplicity was refreshing in ways I had not expected.
Adrian gave me space but also carried me along in the pack events but he didn't force anything. He invited me to training sessions and I offered my perspective on combat techniques. I helped resolve pack disputes and found myself genuinely interested in problems that were not tangled up with my own emotional mess.
The first week was an adjustment. I learned Western Pack's routines and met top-ranking members, who welcomed me again.
I felt lighter here and I started to relax.
I used my mornings to jog through the forest and let my wolf breathe without the task of Alpha duties. Adrian joined me sometimes and we ran side by side in our wolf form. We were friends, no benefits or strings attached, which was exactly what I needed.
In the evenings I sat on my cottage porch and thought about Ryan's letter. I had read it so many times the paper was wearing soft at the creases. He was right that I could not choose someone else just to escape him. But I also was not ready to forgive him. The anger was still there beneath the exhaustion.
Nathan called daily. "Just checking that you are okay," he would say. "I miss you." Then he would hang up before I could feel obligated to say anything complicated in return. His restraint surprised me and I appreciated it more than he probably knew.
Emma sent funny texts about pack gossip. Her messages made me laugh and reminded me that home continued without me there to manage everything. Daniel provided brief updates on the pack business through efficient emails. Everything was running smoothly and his confidence helped ease my guilt about leaving.
Ryan did not contact me at all. The silence felt both relieving and painful. He was respecting my need for space in ways he had never managed before and the growth showed. The mate bond still pulsed between us across the distance but without his constant presence, the pull felt less overwhelming.
By the second week, I started to feel like myself again. Not Alpha Lisa or Rejected Lisa or Silver Wolf Lisa. Just Lisa. The woman I had been before everything got so complicated and broken.
Adrian noticed the change. I saw it in the way he smiled when I laughed at something during training or when I actually ate a full meal without forcing myself. He did not comment on it but his eyes held quiet happiness that I was healing.
"There is a pack celebration tomorrow night," Adrian said one evening while we sat on my cottage porch watching the sunset. "Bonfire with music and food. Very informal. You are welcome to come if you want. No pressure."
"What is the celebration for?" I asked.
"Pack tradition," Adrian answered. "Every month we gather to strengthen bonds and just enjoy being together. It is good for morale."
The idea sounded nice to me. It was a chance to meet Western Pack members properly without the formality of Alpha duties or political positioning. Just people being people.
"I will come," I said.
Adrian's smile widened. "Good. I think you will enjoy it."
The next night I walked to the bonfire with Adrian and the sound of music and laughter reached us before we cleared the trees. The gathering was large with pack members of all ages mingling around massive fire.
Western Pack members greeted me, familiar with my face from my last visit. We shared stories about their own territories and they included me in conversations without making me feel like an outsider.
I found myself laughing at jokes and actually enjoying the company. The food was good and the music was lively. Some people were dancing near the fire and the whole scene felt uncomplicated in ways I had forgotten were possible.
Adrian stayed near me but not hovering. He introduced me to people and then stepped back to let me have my own conversations. He was really supportive without being possessive and I appreciated the balance.
I was talking with a group of young warriors about training techniques when I felt someone watching me. I turned to see an older woman approaching me with graceful steps and a bright smile. She looked like she was in her sixties with silver threading through dark hair and a Luna's bearing that spoke to years of leadership.
"Finally, you must be Lisa," the woman said, her voice warm. "I am Margaret, Adrian's mother and former Luna of Western Pack. I wasn't in the pack the last time you came.”
"It is nice to meet you," I said, shaking her offered hand.
Margaret's grip was firm and her eyes studied me with maternal assessment. "Walk with me for a moment?" she asked. "I promise not to keep you from the celebration long."
I nodded and followed her away from the bonfire to a quieter area at the edge of the gathering. Margaret did not waste time with small talk.
"My son is falling in love with you," Margaret said directly. "I see it in the way he looks at you and in the way he has changed since you arrived. He is happier and more settled than I have seen him in years."
My chest tightened with complicated emotions. "Margaret, I do not know what to say."
"I also sense you carry a mate bond with someone else," Margaret continued, her tone gentle but probing. "I will not judge your situation because I do not know the full story. But I need to know something for my son's sake."
She paused and her eyes held mine with intensity that demanded honesty.
"Are you here to heal and then return to your mate, or are you genuinely considering a future with Adrian? Because Adrian deserves the truth, not false hope."