The dining hall was a cavern of low murmurs and the clinking of heavy silverware against ceramic. Most of the pack members were already seated at the long communal tables, the scent of roasted meat and savory herbs filling the vast space. Rhea slowed her pace, her shoulders slumping slightly as she scanned the room.
"We are always late, no matter how early we start," she muttered, frustration bubbling in her throat.
Tavian didn't miss a beat, casting a pointed look in her direction. "And whose fault was that, exactly?"
Rhea chose to ignore the jab, her attention shifting toward the raised dining dais at the front of the room. Jason was already there, tucked into a seat directly beside Ellie. He looked remarkably domestic for someone who had disappeared all day. Ares sat just one seat away from Ellie, his expression carved from granite, his posture so rigid it made Rhea's own back ache just looking at him.
