The change didn’t announce itself.
It just… arrived.
By the third night after the demonstration, Denise noticed something she couldn’t ignore anymore.
The whispers had stopped.
Not entirely.
But enough.
Enough that when she crossed the central path, conversations no longer broke apart mid-sentence.
Enough that eyes still followed her—but didn’t immediately look away.
Enough that the pack wasn’t reacting to her presence anymore.
They were living with it.
Liam noticed it too.
He always noticed first.
“They’ve settled,” he said as they walked through the outer training path.
Denise glanced at him.
“That sounds like you’re describing weather.”
Liam gave a faint shrug.
“It’s similar.”
She huffed a quiet laugh.
“That’s not reassuring.”
“It’s accurate.”
They passed a group of
