Chapter 166: This was War

Though Lewis always looked calm and unshakable, I knew the truth. He had grown up without warmth, without the steady presence of a pack that chose him first. That kind of absence didn’t fade with time it settled deep, teaching him to doubt even the gentlest words spoken to him.

Every time I praised him, I could feel that hesitation in his silence. As if he were asking himself whether he truly deserved it.