I turned my head slightly, just enough to glance at them over my shoulder.
They were both there.
Ryan, his jaw tight, his fists clenching. Warren, his eyes wide with panic.
“Nothing,” I said simply. “They were getting moldy anyway. Might as well burn them.”
Warren surged forward, snatching for the photos still in my hand.
I didn’t even hesitate. I shook my hand just enough to send the stack fluttering into the fire.
The flames roared higher, leaving no chance to save anything.
“No—!”
Warren’s fingers darted for the burning edge of a photo, but the heat licked at his skin and he jerked back with a hiss, his palm already reddening.
He stared at me, his voice cracking. “Even if they were moldy, you didn’t have to burn them! These are our memories!”
I looked at him then — really looked at him — and almost laughed.
Because here I was. A living, breathing she-wolf who’d stood by them through every season, who’d bled for them, who’d loved them quietly all these years…
And they could hurt me again and again for the sake of someone like Trisha.
But now, just some old photos and charred gifts — and they were heartbroken.
How ironic.
Ryan still stood there silently, his expression tight and pained as he stared into the ashes.
I turned my gaze back to the flames. And I wondered, not without a sharp little smile…
When they found out I’d decided to go back to Plum Blossom to marry… what kind of reaction would they have then?
Allison’s POV
I stood there, still in front of the fireplace, watching the last of the photographs curl and blacken into nothing.
Ryan and Warren didn’t move.
They stood just a few paces away, tense as bowstrings, both of them looking at me like they wanted to scold me, drag the words right out of me — demand to know why.
But I only smiled faintly, the faintest lift of my lips, and let the ash settle where it fell.
“It’s just some pictures,” I said lightly, my tone almost teasing. “And a few old gifts. We can always take new ones later… if you want, you can even give me new gifts in the future.”
They blinked at me, surprised, and I tilted my head toward them. “It’s been a long time since we’ve gone on a proper trip, hasn’t it? Now we finally have a reason to make new memories.”
Ryan latched onto the idea immediately, his eyes softening as he stepped closer. “You’re right,” he said, his voice steady now. “We should plan something. A trip… somewhere far.”