Silver Creek out for a paddle

Shreya shook her coat again, sending droplets of fresh water up into the sky, but not for long: she didn't want to miss Heston's reaction. And it was a good reaction. Fair and with an implication that he had understood the story entirely.

What she didn't expect, however, was that the tragedies of the Maplewood had some personal relevance to him. One result of this was that he now seemed to regard Silver Creek with greater respect, its wolves having something in common with him. It would tie him to the people here, and of this Shreya approved.

But another consequence was that he was prepared to judge the treacherous Reek in a very current way, rather than deem him simply a figure in an ageing story. Hmm...

Shreya was silent a few seconds as she wondered how much to tell him, and then decided that she had no reason to hold anything back.

The Alpha Female was called Saena, Spring's predecessor. The Alpha Male was called Reek — my grandson, and one of the reasons why I settled at Phoenix Maplewood to begin with, she revealed. Nobody's caught scent of Reek in this part of the region at any point — at least, not that I've heard. I don't know if he lives, but I hope he does. She gave the male a rare glimpse into her psyche. He has much to learn, and — from what I knew of him — the will to learn it.