It had been three weeks since she’d left Etienne at the palace. Three weeks since he’d kissed her and she’d run away like a coward. No explanation, no goodbye, no nothing. Loupe lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She’d done everything she could think of to take her mind off Etienne. She’d scrubbed every inch of the house, swept every inch of the stable, cleaned every article of clothing, and weeded every corner of the garden. The only thing she hadn’t done was finish the skins waiting for her attention. And she couldn’t bring herself to do that. Not when all she could see when she looked at them were the wolf pups. Those tiny little balls of fluff that had brought so much joy into her life. Joy that she might never feel again. A sudden sob escaped her throat and Loupe clapped a hand over her mouth. She missed the pups too. They’d been the closest she’d ever have to children and now they were gone, safe but far away from her. She knew Etienne would take care of them, but for some reason that thought only made her cry more.
