Chapter 23

　　Damon

　　The evening was a bit chilly as I and the Alpha sat at the dinner table. The table looked fancy with its nice dishes and shiny silverware. But there was an odd feeling in the air because two familiar faces were missing.

　　The Alpha, with his sharp eyes, noticed that Rina and her mom, Mathilde, weren't at the table. Their absence was noticeable, especially tonight. Rina was really sad about losing her dad, and it was hitting her hard. Because of this, they decided to eat dinner inside their room instead of joining us.

　　He was worried about her, and you could tell by the way he was acting. "Damon, where are Rina and Mathilde?" he asked, and his words felt serious. I shifted in my chair as I turned to him and answered.

　　"They can’t join us, Alpha," I said courteously, "Rina is still having a tough time after what happened to Goldenridge. The loss of her father hit her hard.”