bChapter 194 /b

Aurora’s PO.V

bI /bbwalked /binto the dining hall, the low hum of conversations filling the room as sunlight bstreamed /bbin /bthrough the tall windows. My eyes scanned the spaceb, /bsearching for Caroline, and I spotted bher /bbat /bthe far corner, sitting with Jade. Both were busy talking, their heads leaned slightly toward each other, forks in hand as they worked on their tes of food.

Not wanting to interrupt, I made my way to the buffet. The aroma of fresh eggs, baconb, /band waffles wafted up, and I grabbed a te, quickly surveying my options.

My stomach grumbled loudly, and I felt my mouth water as I filled up my te with ball /bthe goodies. Lots of bacon and eggs, even some strawberries and blueberries for desserts.

I was almost done with my selection, waiting for Caleb to join the table as well. But just bas /bbI /breached for a slice of toast, someone bumped into me.

“Sorry,” I muttered, looking up–and froze.

The woman in front of me was striking, to say the least. White, almost silver hair framed her pale face, her expression unreadable, but there was something about her that made my chest tighten. I felt a shiver run down my spine, though the room was far from cold.

“W–who are you?” I asked, my tone sharper than I intended. It wasn’t often I saw someone I didn’t recognize around here, and I couldn’t shake the strange feeling gnawing at the back of my mind that she didn’t belong here.

She gave me a small smile, one that didn’t quite reach her light gray eyes. “You must be Aurora,” she said smoothly, her voice carrying an air of familiarity that set me further on edge. “I’ve heard a lot about youb./bb” /b

“That’s great, but you still didn’t answer my question,” I replied, gripping my te a little tighter. “I’ve never seen you around before.”

“I’m Harmona,” she said simply, her voice carrying a soothing yet calcted tone. I reached out, shaking her hand, and introduced myself.

“Aurora,” I replied, my wordsing out slower than I intended, as though my gut was trying to stop me from saying anything at all. Her grip was firm but fleeting, like she wasn’t fully present in the moment. She held my gaze for a second longer thanfortable before stepping back. Her smile didn’t waver, but something about it felt… off.

“I’ve been overseas,” she said simply, brushing a strand of her white hair behind her ear. “There were… urgent matters that required my attention. The Alpha sent me to deal with themb, /bbut now I’m

b1/3 /b

bChapter /bb194 /b

backb. /b

b“/bbFor /bbgood/bb?/bb” /bbI /basked, unable to mask the suspicion in my voice.

She tilted her head slightly, her smile widening. “For now. You’ll see me around.” And just like that, she turned and walked away, leaving me standing there with a strange, lingering unease.

I nced back toward Caroline and Jade, suddenly feeling the urge to join them. Whatever bthat /bwoman’s story was, I didn’t like the way she’d made me feel as if she knew something I didn’tb, /bsomething she had no intention of sharing.

I turned to watch Harmona walk away once again, her strides deliberate and almost too smoothb, /blike someone who had rehearsed how to blend in but missed the human ws that made it natural. My chest tightened with a feeling I couldn’t shake, something between unease and curiosityb. /b

It wasn’t fear exactly, but more like suspicionb, /ba nagging sense that Harmona wasn’t who she imed to be. I was so caught up in dissecting the encounter in my head that I barely heard Caroline’s voice calling out to me.

“Aurora! Over here!” she shouted, her tone light, cheerful. I blinked and turned to see her waving me over to their table, Jade seated beside her. The unease dissipated–at least for the momentb–/band I walked over, forcing myself to focus on familiar faces instead of mysterious strangers. Sliding into the chair across from them, I leaned forward, keeping my voice casual but curious.

“Who’s she? Harmona, I mean. I’ve never seen her around before.”

Caroline and Jade exchanged one of those quick nces, the kind that carried a whole silent conversation I wasn’t a part of. Caroline was the first to speak, her tone almost too breezy, too

rehearsed.

“Oh, she just got back from overseas. She’s been away for a while. Family business, bI /bthink.”

I nodded, but the answer didn’t sit right with me. It was too generic, too convenient. “Overseas? For how long?b” /bI pressed, my eyes darting between Caroline and Jade. Jade hesitated, his fingers brushing the rim of his coffee cup, while Caroline filled the awkward silence with another smile.

“Yearsb, /bI guess. It’s been a long time. She was pretty close with some people around here before she

left.”

“Close with whom?” I asked, the words leaving my mouth before I could second–guess bmyself/b. Caroline’s smile faltered slightly, and Jade gave her a subtle nudge under the table, bas /bbif /bbto /bbwarn /bbh /bto tread carefully.

“What’s with the twenty questions, Aurorab?/b” Caroline deflectedb, /bughing nervously. “She’s just another person in the pack. It’s no big deal, really.”

bi2/3 /i/b

I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms as I studied their faces. “No big deal,” I said slowlyb, /bthough my tone suggested the opposite. “It’s just… she doesn’t seem like she’s from around here. Something about her feels off.”

“Maybe you’re just overthinking it,” Jade finally spoke, his voice firm but not unkind. “Not everyone has a hidden agenda, Aurora.b” /b

“Maybe,” I muttered, though I didn’t believe it. The feeling that something was off with Harmona hadn’t gone away, and I doubted it would anytime soon. But for now, I let the subject drop, even as my mind kept turning it over. There was more to this than they were telling me–bI /bcould feel it. And I wasn’t about to let it go.

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