~Bella~
The evening sun cast long shadows over the training grounds as I stood at the edge, watching the intense sessions unfold. My mind was elsewhere. My mate, Lucas, was facing another round of challenges within the pack. Being a vampire in a werewolf pack was never going to be easy, but I had hoped that, with time, he would be accepted.
But it wasn't that simple.
The pack had always been wary of outsiders, and vampires were particularly distrusted. Despite Lucas's efforts to prove himself, the tensions remained high, and conflicts seemed to spring up more often than not. Some of the wolves even wrinkled their noses at him, clearly uncomfortable with his scent.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I watched him from a distance. He was talking to Gabriel, our beta, and from the looks of it, the conversation wasn't going well. I could see the tightness in Lucas's shoulders, the barely concealed frustration in his eyes.
