The confrontation didn’t stay quiet.
By morning, the pack knew something had happened.
Wolves didn’t need gossip when tension clung to the air like smoke.
Aisha felt it the moment she stepped into the common hall—conversations stalling, eyes lifting too quickly, bodies angling subtly between her and Callen even when he wasn’t there.
She kept her head held high, just as she’d been taught.
It was an elder who finally approached her.
“Luna,” he said, voice careful. “You should come with me.”
Her chest tightened. “Did I do something wrong?”
The elder paused, studying her face. “No,” he said slowly. “But you’ve been misunderstood. And misunderstandings in a pack are dangerous.”
He led her into a smaller chamber, warmer and quieter, the scent of old wood and herbs hanging in the air.
