The days that followed became strangely ordinary.
For the first time since the Blood Moon Gathering, I almost forgot that the entire pack had once been watching me.
The whispers didn't disappear completely.
They simply became quieter.
Shadowfen had given Silvercrest something far more important to talk about.
The border patrols increased. Warriors trained longer. Scouts came and went at odd hours. The Alpha called meetings more frequently, and even the ranked wolves seemed too busy arguing over territory lines to concern themselves with the unmarked girl who had supposedly been rejected by the future Beta.
For once, being forgotten didn't hurt.
It felt like breathing room.
And somehow, I found myself grateful for it.
My new assignment had officially become part of my routine.
Patrol.
At first, I had assumed the Alpha would send me straight into the forest and expect me to somehow know what I was doing.
Thankfully, that wasn't the case.
The first few mornings were spent learning the basics.
Tracking.
Reading scents.
Identifying disturbed ground.
Recognizing the difference between a normal forest sound and something that didn't belong.
I wasn't being trained as a warrior.
I wasn't suddenly becoming some great fighter.
I was simply being taught enough to survive and contribute.
And strangely enough...
I liked it.
That morning, I woke before sunrise.
The cabin was still dark, the only light coming from the faint gray sky outside my window.
I dressed quickly and tied my hair back.
My wolf stirred lazily.
Patrol today.
"Unfortunately."
You like it.
I paused while tying my boots.
"I never said that."
You didn't have to.
I rolled my eyes.
"You're becoming annoying."
You're becoming happier.
That shut me up.
I looked toward the window.
Maybe she was right.
I grabbed the basket of herbs I had prepared the night before and stepped outside.
The morning air was cool and damp.
The forest smelled like pine and wet earth.
For a moment, I simply stood there.
Then I started walking.
My first stop was the healer's hut.
Lysandra was already awake, of course.
She seemed physically incapable of sleeping past dawn.
I entered the garden and found her kneeling beside a bed of herbs.
"I brought the supplies."
She glanced over her shoulder.
"You're late."
I looked at the sky.
"It's barely sunrise."
"Exactly."
I laughed.
She stood and took the basket from me.
"Chamomile?"
"Yes."
"Wolfsbane?"
"Three bundles."
"Mint?"
"Two."
She looked inside again.
"And dried feverfew."
I nodded proudly.
"You asked for it."
"Good."
She handed the basket back.
"Put those on the shelves."
I carried everything inside.
The infirmary smelled like dried herbs, clean linen, and something bitter simmering over the small stove.
It had become one of the few places where I felt completely comfortable.
Nobody here cared about my rank.
Lysandra certainly didn't.
When I finished organizing the supplies, she glanced toward me.
"Patrol?"
"Yes."
"Training first?"
"Apparently."
Her lips twitched.
"Try not to get yourself killed."
"I'll do my best."
"That's what everyone says before doing something stupid."
I smiled.
"You're very encouraging."
"I'm a healer. I deal with consequences."
I laughed again.
It felt good.
Normal.
I hadn't realized how badly I'd needed normal.
After leaving the healer's hut, I headed toward the smaller training area.
The main training grounds were crowded with warriors preparing for the growing threat at the borders.
I preferred the smaller field.
It was quieter.
One of the scouts was waiting for me.
"Morning, Elara."
"Morning."
He handed me a short wooden staff.
"Today we'll work on reaction speed."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Reaction speed?"
"You'll need it."
I gripped the staff.
The training was simple.
Block.
Step.
Turn.
Move.
Again.
Again.
Again.
At first, I was terrible.
I nearly tripped twice.
I blocked too late.
I moved in the wrong direction.
The scout laughed.
"You're thinking too much."
"I do that."
"I noticed."
He demonstrated again.
"Don't think. Feel."
I tried.
Something shifted.
My body reacted before my mind could interfere.
I blocked the staff.
He smiled.
"Better."
I smiled back.
"Maybe I'm not completely hopeless."
"Didn't say that."
I hit him lightly with the staff.
He laughed.
"Now you're getting confident."
Maybe I was.
A little.
After training, I headed toward the patrol station.
Three other wolves were waiting.
They weren't high-ranking.
That made things easier.
One of them was an omega named Tessa.
I'd spoken to her before, but never more than a few words.
She looked at my staff.
"Did you survive training?"
"Barely."
She laughed.
"Same."
Another omega, Finn, joined us.
"You're the new patrol girl, right?"
I nodded.
"Apparently."
He grinned.
"Good. We needed someone who doesn't complain."
"I haven't been here long enough to know what to complain about."
Tessa laughed.
And just like that...
We started talking.
Nothing important.
Nothing dramatic.
We talked about the weather.
The patrol routes.
The terrible food being served at the packhouse.
Finn complained about the early mornings.
Tessa complained about the boots.
I complained about both.
It was strangely comforting.
I hadn't realized how much I missed having ordinary conversations.
Not whispers.
Not pity.
Not people discussing me when they thought I couldn't hear.
Just conversation.
For a little while, I wasn't Elara, the rejected mate.
I was just Elara.
One of them.
When we finally left for patrol, I felt lighter.
The forest was quiet.
The four of us moved along the familiar route.
I checked scents and watched the ground.
Every so often, one of them pointed something out.
I was beginning to understand the rhythm.
Stop.
Listen.
Move.
Observe.
Report.
I liked knowing what was expected of me.
I liked having something useful to do.
And somewhere along the trail, my thoughts drifted.
Keiran.
I frowned.
I hadn't thought about him all morning.
Apparently, my brain had decided to correct that.
I wondered if he was training.
If he'd already heard about my patrol.
If he'd noticed that I was doing better.
Maybe I should talk to him.
Maybe I should stop running every time he appeared.
Maybe I should finally ask what happened that night.
I opened my mouth.
Then Tessa called from ahead.
"Elara!"
I looked up.
"What?"
"You're falling behind."
"Oh."
I hurried after them.
The thought of Keiran disappeared.
By afternoon, I had completely forgotten about it.
That seemed to happen often.
I'd think about talking to him.
I'd tell myself I'd do it later.
Then something else would happen.
A patrol.
A task.
A conversation.
A basket of herbs.
A report.
And the thought would simply...
Slip away.
Maybe that was better.
Maybe I wasn't ready.
By the time we returned to Silvercrest, the sun was beginning to sink.
The pack was still busy.
Warriors moved through the courtyard.
Scouts gathered near the main house.
Someone was repairing weapons near the training grounds.
Everyone had somewhere to be.
Everyone had something to do.
Nobody looked at me twice.
And strangely...
I didn't mind.
I walked back toward the healer's hut to drop off the patrol report.
Lysandra looked up when I entered.
"How was it?"
"Good."
"Just good?"
I smiled.
"Actually... really good."
She studied me.
Then smiled.
"I knew you'd find your place eventually."
I looked down at the report in my hands.
"Maybe."
"No."
She shook her head.
"Not maybe."
I looked at her.
She pointed toward the door.
"Go home, Elara."
I smiled.
"Goodnight, Lysandra."
"Goodnight."
I stepped outside.
The evening air was cool.
I walked slowly toward my cabin.
For the first time in weeks, I didn't feel like I was walking away from something.
I felt like I was walking toward something.
I wasn't healed.
I wasn't suddenly confident.
I still had questions.
Especially about Keiran.
But the questions weren't consuming me anymore.
Maybe one day I'd speak to him.
Maybe one day I'd ask him what he'd been trying to say at the door.
Maybe I'd finally find out what really happened that night.
But tonight?
I was tired.
And tomorrow, I had patrol again.
So I let the thought disappear.
Just like I had been doing.
Little by little, I was finding a place in Silvercrest.
Not as someone's mate.
Not as someone's rejected girl.
Not as the forgotten daughter of the pack.
Just as Elara.
And for now...
That was enough.