Chapter 42
794 Words
The council room still felt heavy long after Elias left. Devon had sent me to rest, but I couldn’t sleep. His brother’s words clung to me like smoke, poisoning every thought. He made it sound so certain that no matter what we did, our happiness would be ripped away.
I found myself wandering, hoping the quiet of the halls would calm me. It didn’t. Everywhere I walked, voices followed.
“She doesn’t belong here.”
“Did you see the way she looked when she walked past? Like she’s hiding something.”
“No wonder the Alpha is acting strange. Ever since she came, things haven’t been the same.”
Their whispers dug into my skin, each one a blade I couldn’t block. I forced myself to keep moving, chin high, but inside I was breaking.
By the time Devon came to find me, my hands were shaking. He wrapped me in his arms without a word, pulling me close, but even his warmth couldn’t stop the cold settling deep inside me.
It wasn’t long before the whispers turned into something sharper. The very next day, as we walked to the training grounds, a crowd had gathered. Their eyes burned with suspicion, their mouths twisted with anger.
“She’s a curse,” someone spat.
“Ever since she came, rogues keep attacking.”
“She’s brought trouble into our pack.”
Devon’s Alpha voice cut through them like thunder. “Enough.” His tone left no room for argument, but the weight of their stares didn’t fade. If anything, it grew heavier.
Then an elder stepped forward. His face was drawn tight, his eyes full of disdain. “Alpha,” he said, voice steady though the malice behind it was clear, “it has come to our attention that your mate hides more than she shares. She carries secrets. Dangerous ones.”
My blood froze. Someone had told.
Devon’s grip on me tightened, but the elder pressed on. “We know about the visit. About your brother. About the threats. And yet you said nothing to us.” His gaze slid to me, sharp as a knife. “Is that what you call loyalty, Alpha? To shield her and not your pack?”
The crowd rippled with murmurs, words like poison on their tongues. Traitor. Curse. Outsider.
My heart hammered so hard I thought it might burst. My secret. Our secret. It was gone.
Devon stepped forward, his voice low but carrying enough force to silence them. “She is my mate. What affects her affects me. Do not mistake my silence for betrayal. I owe this pack everything, but I will not sacrifice her to satisfy your gossip.”
The elder’s eyes narrowed. “You put her above your people. That is not the way of an Alpha.”
Devon’s growl rumbled through the air, his presence flooding the grounds until several wolves lowered their heads instinctively. “And what kind of Alpha would I be if I let you tear apart the one fate chose for me? I will protect her, even if it means protecting her from my own pack.”
Gasps broke through the crowd. Some bowed their heads in submission, but others glared openly, their resentment a living thing.
I wanted to shrink, to disappear under their hatred. My throat burned with unshed tears, guilt choking me. If I had told Devon earlier about Kyle, if I had trusted him fully, maybe this wouldn’t have spiraled like this. Maybe the pack wouldn’t look at me as though I was poison.
But Devon stood tall, his hand steady on my back. His voice dropped low, dangerous. “This conversation is finished. Any who question my mate question me. And I will not be questioned.”
The Alpha command hit like a wave. The crowd stiffened, some flinching, others bowing. But submission did not erase the anger in their eyes.
Devon pulled me away before more words could be thrown. We walked in silence until we reached his chambers. Only then did he let out a breath, dragging a hand down his face.
“They weren’t supposed to know,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I ruined everything.”
“No.” His eyes burned into mine, fierce and unyielding. “You did nothing wrong. They don’t see it yet, but they will. You’re mine, Addy. They’ll learn to respect that, or they’ll answer to me.”
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to let his strength wrap around me and shield me from everything. But as I pressed my face into his chest, one truth cut deeper than all the rest.
The pack hated me more than ever. And something told me this wasn’t the end of it.
- Writer
