Lucas swung the door open dramatically, making Celia smile despite herself. He had done his best to stay upbeat since they’d left Gray Rock, and for the most part, he truly was. She could feel it through the bond. The tight coil of stress he’d carried for years had finally begun to loosen. He was excited about the Institute, about the future, about being something other than what the pack had decided he should be.
Still, she’d overheard the phone calls with Landon. Heard the worry in his voice, the careful questions, the way he never quite let himself relax when they talked about Gray Rock. He had spent his entire life preparing to be alpha. Walking away from that could not have been easy, no matter how right the decision was.
Celia, on the other hand, felt lighter the farther they got f
