Nyra looked around the room and felt the fear hanging in the air. You’d think it might comfort her, at least a little, after everything—seeing those who’d mocked her just moments ago now frozen and silent, the weight of the stranger’s arrival pressing down on everyone. But it didn’t help. If anything, it just made everything worse.
Laughter? Gone. Applause? Dead. The wolves who’d snickered were now statues, even Ryker seemed rattled, and the elders… well, even they weren’t hiding their unease. But honestly, none of that changed a thing for her. The damage was done. Humiliation burned through her like fire, the ache of rejection still raw and throbbing. Those cruel words—because you’re weak—kept echoing in her head, digging in deeper, gnawing at everything she’d tried so hard to bury.
Tha
