Chapter twenty six

Alina and Marcus sit on a bench, watching the children play. The air is filled with the distant sound of laughter, but a heavy silence hangs between them.

Alina, uneasy and sensing Marcus's distress, says, "Marcus, you don't have to tell me if it's hurting you this much. I can wait until you're ready to talk about it."

Marcus's voice is heavy with emotion. "No, I want to tell you." He sighs deeply, gathering his thoughts. "Evan and I were very close when we were young. In fact, he was my best friend back then. Even though our fathers didn't see eye to eye and were from different packs, we still remained close."

"In Rainbow Town, werewolves have rules and regulations that govern it. One of them is that every pack should have their own land and boundaries in this town. Our pack has the largest land since we are the biggest, followed by Evan's pack.

"Besides your dad and Evan's, were there other packs in town?" Alina asks curiously.