A Meadow

The air outside the healer's hut felt fresher as Brad and I stepped out, the calming scent of the healer's herbs still lingering on my skin. The fresh air was a nice contrast to all the mists and scents and aromas that were in the healer's hut, but my relief did not last long.

Her warning about potential danger from someone close to me weighed heavily on my mind, and as we started walking towards the pack farm, I couldn't shake off the unease that had settled inside my chest. Now I felt like instead of solving the problem, she had just amplified it, made things a lot worse by making me more paranoid about all of my friendship.

"Who do you think Healer Ruby meant by 'beware of friends,' Layla?" Brad asked, his brow furrowing in concern. I remembered just then that he had come to the healer with me, and I felt a lot of relief that he had. "I can't imagine anyone in our pack wishing harm upon you. We've all been through so much together. And the people you call your friends are people yo