The Wolf Within Her

Chapter 8- Eyes Of The Pack

I could feel my heart hammering against my chest as Rose led me down the stairs. The flower dress she had chosen for me swayed softly with each step, delicate and beautiful, but I felt anything but delicate. My hands were in hers, warm and reassuring, but I couldn’t stop the trembling that ran through me.

“Just breathe,” Rose whispered. “You’ll do fine. You’re stronger than you think.”

I nodded, even though I didn’t feel strong. Not in the slightest. Not with all those eyes waiting for me.

As we reached the bottom of the stairs, the murmurs began. Soft at first, then louder as I walked past them. The pack was staring. Their eyes followed every step I took. I could hear whispers—questions, judgments, disbelief. Why had Mario chosen me? A wolfless, a human-born… a mistake in their eyes.

Even I didn’t understand it myself.

Rose squeezed my hand and gave me a reassuring smile. “Ignore them,” she said. “You’re here because he chose you. That’s what matters.”

I forced myself to walk forward, toward Mario, who stood at the center of the hall, his presence commanding every inch of the room. His gaze found mine as soon as I approached, steady, unyielding, and somehow comforting.

He turned to the pack, his voice smooth, precise, carrying over the murmurs. “Everyone, this is my Luna. And if anyone of you regards me as their Alpha,” he began, “you will also regard her—Isabella, daughter of Alpha Dominic of the Silvercrest Pack—as your Luna.”

My stomach twisted. I froze for just a moment under all those gazes, so many eyes staring me down. Matteo, Lucy, and almost everyone else glared at me as if I were a threat. Their stares were sharp, piercing, filled with resentment and doubt.

I felt my knees weaken, but Mario’s hand brushed lightly against my arm. A subtle grounding, a reminder that I wasn’t completely alone.

“It’s time for you to give a speech,” he said quietly.

My throat went dry. A speech? Me?

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to step forward, to speak. I couldn’t hide anymore. I had to face them.

“I… I will try,” I began, my voice trembling at first, “to do right by the Alpha as his Luna, to support him, to stand by his side… even if I am wolfless.”

The words hung in the air. I didn’t believe them myself, but they were the only ones I could say.

A voice cut through the hall, sharp and mocking. “What can a wolfless do? You’ll only bring destruction to our pack.”

My chest tightened. I wanted to fight back, to explain, to argue. But the words didn’t come. My voice faltered, then died completely. I felt heat rising to my cheeks. I bowed my head in shame, wishing the floor would open and swallow me.

Rose was immediately at my side, her hand firm on my shoulder. “Perhaps she may seem wolfless now,” she said, her voice carrying over the murmurs, “but you never can tell what may happen tomorrow. And the Alpha himself chose her as his Luna. His fated mate. She cannot be entirely wolfless. Her wolf might not have awakened yet”

I lifted my head slowly, letting her words sink in. Her belief in me, so steady and unwavering, gave me a small spark of hope. Maybe I wasn’t entirely wolfless. Maybe… maybe there was a wolf inside me, waiting to awaken, hidden and strong.

Mario’s eyes met his sister’s, and he smiled—a small, proud curve of his lips. Then his voice rang out, firm and final: “Enough.”

The murmurs died instantly, and the tension in the room shifted. He looked back at me, then nodded toward Rose.

“Take her back to her room.”

I followed Rose obediently, walking slowly, acutely aware of every stare still lingering on me. Whispers floated through the hall like shadows, but I tried to ignore them.

“Don’t listen to them,” Rose said softly as we walked. “Ignore them. You’ll be fine.”

Once we reached my room, Rose opened the door and stepped inside. She gave me one last reassuring look before leaving, closing the door quietly behind her.

I sank onto the edge of my bed, my hands resting on my lap, staring down at the floor. My thoughts were a whirlwind, mixing the words of the pack with Rose’s encouragement.

Could I really not be entirely wolfless?

Could there really be a wolf inside me, waiting to awaken?

For the first time since Mario brought me to his pack, a tiny flicker of determination sparked inside me. I might be new. I might be weak. But maybe… just maybe… I wasn’t as powerless as they thought.