Chapter 340: The Questions He Refuses to Ask

Chapter 339: The Questions He Refuses to Ask

Orion was halfway to the office when the silence finally cracked.

It was not the normal kind of quiet that descended upon pack grounds—no, this had more to do with him than the pack itself. The kind that pressed against the inside of his skull and waited.

He rolled his shoulders, loosening the tension there, boots striking the snow-coated ground in a steady rhythm. The office would be loud when he got there. Garron would be there, along with some others who would be helping out during the placement test. Hunters had already scouted the area to know if it was safe or not.

*Was that really necessary?*

Noctis’ voice slid into his thoughts without warning, deep and calm, carrying the weight of ancient patience stretched thin.

Orion didn’t stop walking. "Which part?" he asked dryly. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

*The part where you asked Micah to watch her during the test.*

Orion exhaled through his nose. "I didn’t ask him to babysit her."

*You asked him to take care of her,* Noctis replied. *Your words.*

Orion shrugged, the motion subtle but deliberate. "I was going the extra mile."

*Of course you’d say that.*

"Why are you pretending like what I did is unreasonable?" Orion asked.

*It isn’t unreasonable,* Noctis said more quietly now. *But it is... telling.*

Orion’s jaw tightened.

*She’s capable,* Noctis continued. *You and I know that. She’s not weak. She trains very hard—especially since she cannot connect with her wolf—even harder than most others.*

"I know that," Orion said. "And that doesn’t change the fact that things happen."

"You’re forgetting that Sophia is clumsy," Orion went on. "She could miss a step. The paths won’t be clearly marked during the test, and I don’t want her to go missing because of that. Also, things could happen."

*You made her memorize every pathway in the forest,* Noctis reminded him calmly.

"And?"

*And in the event she gets lost,* Noctis said, *she will know how to find her way back.*

Orion stopped walking.

He stood there for a moment, fingers curling slowly at his sides.

"And yet," he said at last, "there’s nothing wrong with being extra prepared."

Silence answered him.

Not the comfortable kind.

Noctis didn’t immediately respond, and that alone was enough to set Orion on edge.

*Orion.*

"Yes?"

*Don’t you have any questions you want to ask me?*

Orion’s stride faltered.

"What do you mean?" he asked, keeping his tone neutral.

*There are strange things happening.*

Orion said nothing, even though it was true.

*I expected you,* Noctis continued, *of all people, to be tearing the world apart trying to understand them.*

Still nothing.

Instead, Orion continued his walk back to the office, taking shorter steps now.

*You’ve been conveniently avoiding it.*

"Avoiding what, exactly?" Orion asked.

*Don’t play dumb with me, Orion.*

Orion closed his eyes briefly.

"Fine," he said. "What do you think I’m avoiding?"

*For one,* Noctis said without hesitation, *you’ve made no move to find out who the woman was.*

Orion’s chest tightened.

*The woman who led you to Sophia. The one you said you saw the day you got your ability. She has conveniently disappeared, and we haven’t even heard her voice again.*

Orion swallowed.

*You never questioned it,* Noctis went on. *Not her presence. Not why she vanished without a trace.*

*Second,* Noctis continued, relentless, *the mark.*

Orion swallowed again. He had told Sophia he was going to ask Noctis about the mark, and he had not done that at all.

*You told her you would ask me about the mating mark and why yours are different from everyone else’s—but you haven’t done that, which means you lied.*

"I told her the truth when I said I would ask you."

*And you still haven’t asked me. So it’s turning into a lie... at least until you ask me.*

*And third,* Noctis said, voice dropping lower, *the dreams.*

That stopped him.

Orion froze mid-step.

*You cannot deny,* Noctis said carefully, *that Sophia has had two dreams that came to pass.*

Orion turned sharply. "Should we really be talking about this now?"

*Yes.*

The answer came without hesitation.

*You’ve been avoiding it,* Noctis said. *Since the first time.*

Orion dragged a hand through his hair, frustration bleeding into his expression. "Or maybe I just don’t want to jump to conclusions."

*Conclusions,* Noctis said sharply, disappointed.

"She had a dream about Zena," Orion argued. "It could have been a coincidence. Déjà vu, or... I don’t know, something else."

*You know that’s not true. The last dream Sophia had—the one about Brynhild—we both heard her crying, Orion. And when you opened your eyes, Sophia was gone. She had gone into the rain to save her friend.*

Orion swallowed hard.

"I know," he said quietly.

*I don’t think you do. Or maybe you do, and you just want to be ignorant about it all.*

"Haven’t you heard?" Orion muttered. "Ignorance is bliss."

*And knowledge is power,* Noctis replied. *You are refusing to admit that things are changing. You are refusing to admit that there is more. You are choosing to be a coward, Orion—and from what I know, you are not one.*

Orion swallowed nervously. "Why are you bringing this up now?"

*Because when it comes to Sophia,* Noctis said, voice softer but no less firm, *you’re too relaxed.*

Orion let out a bitter laugh. "Relaxed?"

*You’re happy,* Noctis said. *And I get that. I’m happy too. But sometimes, to cherish that happiness, one has to do the work. You are too relaxed, Orion, and you know deep down that this peace you have with Sophia is fragile if you do not find a way to protect it and uncover the secrets.*

The words hit deeper than Orion wanted to admit.

*You’re content just being with her,* Noctis went on. *Pretending that the world will wait because you finally have something you don’t want to lose.*

Orion clenched his fists.

*But it won’t,* Noctis said. *And you know that.*

Silence stretched between them.

*If you truly love her,* Noctis said at last, *then you need to do better.*

Orion closed his eyes.

*And so do I,* Noctis added. *But that starts with you.*

Orion inhaled slowly, then exhaled. "Do you know?" he asked quietly.

*Know what?*

"The answers," Orion said. "To the questions you threw at me."

*Yes.*

Hope flickered in Orion’s eyes. "Then tell me."

*No.*

The word landed like a slap.

*You must find them yourself,* Noctis said. *And you must stop being so fucking relaxed.*

His presence pulled back sharply, retreating with a huff of irritation that echoed in Orion’s chest.

Orion rubbed a hand down his face.

Noctis was right.

And he needed to stop being relaxed.