Chapter Twenty-Three: Paige

“Hi, I’m Paige. Can I help you?”

The mom nods her head in defeat. She looks tired.

The pup looks up at me, eyelashes hanging on to his tears, but he still curls his lips in a smile. “Luna! You’re beautiful. Mommy, look, it’s the Luna!”

His hyper body wins the fight against his restrictive chair as he throws himself at me for a hug. I stumble when he lands in my arms, but I steady myself.

“Jonah, you can’t just hug the Luna! I’m so sorry, Luna. Jonah is excitable.”

“It’s okay. It’s nice to meet you, Jonah.” I look to the mom. “And you are?”

“I’m Tally.”

Tally reminds me of Val. Maybe it’s because she shares the same shade of blue eyes. Tally pulls her short white hair into a small bun, keeping the frizzy strands from her face.

“So, what’s going on here?” I ask.

Jonah says, “My mom wants me to eat, but I want to play. I’m not hungry.”

“You’re never hungry. You need to eat to grow into a powerful wolf,” says Tally.

“She’s right, Jonah.” My eyes meet his gaze. I can’t tell if he’s sad t