When I opened the door, moonlight spilled over the porch, illuminating the delicate crystal statue in Trisha’s hands.
It was beautiful — painfully so.
The award gleamed like a shard of the moon itself, caught in the shape of a hawthorn tree. The fragile branches seemed to sway faintly in the light, and beneath it, my name was carved with perfect precision. The magic sealed into the crystal shimmered like starlight. I knew exactly how much gold it cost the pack to commission something like this.
And yet… not a trace of congratulations touched Trisha’s face.
She stood there biting her lip, her usual wide, innocent eyes shimmering like she’d been hurt just climbing the stairs. The picture of frailty.
“Alli,” she said softly, almost as though she were reluctant to disturb me. “Alpha Caden asked me to bring this over. You’re amazing… to win something so precious.”
Her gaze dipped down to the award like it belonged to her already. Then she lifted her eyes back to me, feigning shyness.
“I…” she began, shifting her weight and clutching the crystal a little tighter, “I have a small favor to ask. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful before. And you know how much I love things like this, right? Could you… lend it to me for a few days? Just to motivate myself. Maybe…” She gave a weak little laugh. “…maybe someday I could even replace you as Alpha Caden’s strategist?”
She looked up at me through her lashes. “I know it’s too much to ask, but please… just consider it? I really want to feel motivated.”
For just a moment, I didn’t know how to react. The sheer audacity of her request stunned me into silence.
Then I smiled faintly — but it wasn’t a kind smile. It was cold. “You already know you’re being thick-skinned to even ask,” I said, my voice sharp and low. “So don’t. If you want one, earn it yourself.” My eyes swept over her slight figure, her trembling hands. “But you can’t, can you? Because you don’t have the kind of talent I do.”
Her cheeks flushed at that, the pale skin turning pink with embarrassment, but she didn’t back down.
Instead, she clung tighter to the crystal, whispering, “Why are you saying it like that? I wasn’t going to keep it… just to keep it at home for a few days. Are you really so stingy you won’t even lend it to me? Am I being so unreasonable to you?”
I said nothing. I simply extended my hand, my meaning clear.