It had been a month since the merging — since Orion, once just a hunter, had been fused with a wolf in a desperate act of survival. The line between man and beast blurred that day, yet there was still no sign of Artemis.
The worry Megan carried for her sister had begun to surface in quiet, unspoken ways — lingering stares, slow responses, smiles that didn't quite reach her eyes. To strangers, she might've seemed merely distracted. But to those who truly knew her, it was becoming undeniable.
At home, her parents were the first to notice. The dinner table had grown quieter lately. Forks scraped softly against plates, and Megan's food remained mostly untouched.
"Megan, sweetheart?" her mother said gently, voice laced with concern as she watched her daughter stare blankly at her plate.
Megan blinked as if waking from a dream, her hand tightening slightly around her fork. She looked up, offering a smile too quick to be real. "Hmm?"
