HAZEL
The absence of Alpha Wenzel at breakfast turned the dining room into something I had never seen before.
Alive.
Sofiane slouched deeper into his chair and propped his feet on the seat next to him. His sisters relaxed their shoulders. One of them actually smiled. Another reached for a second pastry without hesitation.
I watched them transform in real time. The tension that usually strangled this room had loosened its grip, and they breathed easier for it.
"Two days," Sofiane said. He waved his fork in the air like he was conducting an invisible orchestra. "That's what I heard. Heat season in two days."
One of his sisters looked up from her plate. Her name was apparently Celeste. I had learned that much.
"Two days? That's early."
Sofiane shrugged. "It's not certain. Moon cycles are unpredictable. But the scout reports say the signs are there. Temperature shifts. Behavioral changes in some of the lower ranks. All the usual pre-heat indicators."
