Dinner eventually pulled everyone to the table, though it took some effort to gather them all in one place. The long wooden table that dominated the dining room was quickly filled with plates, bowls, and the comfortable noise of a pack settling down to eat.
Levi sat at one end with Byra beside him, Hayati squeezed happily between them like a small queen presiding over the gathering. Crystal took the seat across from them, while the younger wolves scattered wherever space was left, arguing about who had stolen whose chair.
Ithilien slipped quietly into an empty seat near the middle of the table.
Kidd chose one at the far end.
The distance between them was not large in any physical sense, yet it might as well have been the width of the forest. Neither of them acknowledged it openly, but both moved with the careful awareness of people who had decided, without words, to remain on opposite sides of the room.
Conversation filled the gap.
Carter launched into a story about a failed hunt that somehow involved slipping down a muddy hill and landing directly on top of Christian. Christian protested loudly that the version being told was "highly inaccurate," while Colton added details that made the entire story sound even worse.
Laughter bounced from one end of the table to the other.
Levi occasionally tried to restore some order, though the effort rarely lasted longer than a minute before someone started another argument about hunting routes or New Year's plans.
Ithilien found herself smiling more often than she expected.
For a while she simply listened, letting the noise of the pack move around her like a warm current. Hayati kept interrupting the adults with random observations about the drawings she had made earlier, and every time someone took the time to examine them as if they were masterpieces.
At some point during the meal Carter quietly slipped away from the table.
No one noticed at first.
They were halfway through the main course when he returned, attempting to look perfectly normal as he slid back into his seat.
Byra froze mid-sentence.
Her eyes narrowed slowly.
"Oh no," she said "You didn't."
Carter looked up innocently.
"What? What did I—?"
The attempt at ignorance might have worked if he had managed to keep the laughter out of his voice. Unfortunately, the evidence was also still smeared clearly around his mouth.
Byra pointed dramatically.
"Tiramisu."
Every head at the table turned toward him. Carter wiped his mouth instinctively, then realized his mistake. The room exploded with laughter.
"You ungrateful brat!" Byra groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "That was for all your brothers, not just you!"
Carter leaned back in his chair with the satisfied expression of someone who had no regrets whatsoever.
"Well," Zane said with mock seriousness, glancing toward Ithilien, "next time remember to bring at least two trays of that tiramisu of yours."
"I second that," Christian added immediately.
Ithilien laughed softly, shaking her head.
"I'll keep that in mind."
The meal stretched comfortably beyond the point where anyone was actually hungry. Plates were slowly cleared, chairs pushed back, and the gathering gradually dissolved into smaller groups drifting through the house.
Some of the younger wolves ended up sprawled across the living room floor with Hayati, building an elaborate fortress out of couch cushions that seemed to change shape every five minutes.
Crystal eventually slipped on her coat and convinced Zane to join her for a short walk outside, claiming she needed fresh air after eating too much.
Inside, the house remained bright with laughter and scattered conversation.
After a while Ithilien quietly stepped away from the living room and moved toward the door.
No one stopped her.
She slipped outside into the cool night air, closing the door gently behind her.
The forest smelled of damp earth and pine, the quiet so different from the warmth and noise she had just left behind. She walked slowly down the short path leading away from the house, her hands tucked loosely into the pockets of her coat.
Her thoughts moved lazily, untangled by the calm of the evening.
It had been a long time since she had spent a night like that.
A loud house.
Too many voices speaking at once.
Laughter that filled every corner of the room.
For a moment she allowed herself to simply breathe it in.
She had needed this more than she realized.
Even if it was not her pack.
Even if she stood slightly outside the invisible circle that bound them together.
They had still made space for her tonight.
And for that she was quietly grateful.
Behind her, the door of the house opened again.
Kidd stepped outside before he had fully decided to do it.
He told himself he only needed some air.
Yet the moment the cool wind touched his face, he already knew he had followed the same path she had taken.
Ahead of him, Ithilien moved slowly along the edge of the clearing, her pale hair catching faint glimmers of light from the windows behind them.
She had not noticed him yet.
For a moment he simply stood there, watching her walk through the quiet, and wondered why the sight of her standing so easily among his wolves inside that house had unsettled him far more than he was willing to admit.
Ithilien heard the door long before she turned around.
The sound of it opening, the soft shift of air, the familiar weight of a wolf stepping out into the night—none of it escaped her senses. She didn't need to look to know who had followed her.
Of course he had.
For a brief moment she closed her eyes, steadying her breath. She had promised herself she wouldn't be dragged into another pointless argument. The last one had already said everything that needed to be said.
He knew about Ace.
She knew exactly what he thought of it.
End of story.
By the time Kidd's footsteps reached the gravel path, she had already composed herself.
"Didn't expect to see you here tonight," he said at last, his voice calm, almost conversational as he approached her.
He did not stop immediately.
Ithilien noticed that.
He closed the distance slowly, deliberately, the way a wolf might circle something he didn't fully trust. And she understood perfectly well that he was doing it on purpose.
He knew it made her uncomfortable.
With anyone else he might have kept a respectful distance.
But not with her.
Some part of him wanted the unease. Wanted to press just a little harder against her boundaries, to see how far they would bend. As if provoking her gave him some small, private satisfaction.
Ithilien turned toward him, her expression composed.
"I wasn't sure if I should come," she admitted after a moment. "But it was nice of Byra to invite me."
Kidd watched her carefully.
"Yeah," he said. "She's a good one. Very understanding."
Understanding.
The word landed wrong.
Understanding? Ithilien thought sharply. What the hell am I supposed to be? Some kind of pariah they're politely tolerating?
The thought flickered through her mind, but she didn't let it reach her face.
"I appreciate that," she said quietly, when it became clear he was waiting for a response.
Kidd's gaze lingered on her.
"Good," he replied. "I wouldn't want her to regret that."
That did it.
Ithilien's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What exactly is your point?"
He tilted his head just a fraction, studying her.
"What if I said I don't want you here?"