The air in Silverfang felt heavier after Kael’s confession.
Everywhere I went, whispers chased me like shadows. Some said I had seduced him, others swore I was already pregnant with his heir, and a few whispered the word no one dared say out loud, mate.
I kept my head down in lectures, ignored the stares in the cafeteria, and skipped training altogether. Every glance felt like a knife. Every snicker echoed like truth.
And every time Kael entered a room, the bond flared beneath my skin, reminding me he wasn’t just near, he was watching. Always watching.
But it wasn’t him who found me first.
Elias cornered me outside the west quad, where the marble fountain stood half-frozen under the weak autumn sun. He didn’t look like the polished Beta heir today. His shirt was wrinkled, tie loose, e
