Iva looked at her best friend, her expression calm in a way that surprised even herself.
“I would like to tell you,” she said quietly. “More than anything. But if I leave the pack… the Alpha will come to you.”
Lori frowned. “To me?”
Iva nodded. “They’ll question you. Pressure you. And knowing them… they might even enforce an Alpha command to make you speak.”
Lori paled.
“So the less you know,” Iva continued gently, “the safer you are.”
“Oh, Iva…” Lori whispered.
Her eyes filled with tears as she pulled Iva into a tight embrace, holding her like she might disappear if she let go. “I hate this. I hate that you have to do this alone.”
Iva hugged her back just as tightly. “I won’t be alone,” she murmured. “Not really. I have Avalon.”
Shortly after, they returned to their classes.
The
