bChapter /bb16 /b

bD /b

ra’s POV

“Don’t expect me to feel sorry for you just because you’re barefoot,” Vessa muttered under her breath, arms crossed as Mi whimpered behind Thorne.

I didn’t say anything. I didn’t need to.

Thorne stood beside Mi, silent, his expression unreadable. The air was still heavy from everything that had just happened at the cliff–the dive, the jealousy, the p of truth in Mi’s failed theatrics.

And now?

She was milking it for all it was worth.

“My ankle’s still sore,” Mi sniffled, clutching Thorne’s arm like a lifeline. “And I nearly drowned. How could I possibly walk all the way back?”

Her eyes darted to Cael, hopeful. “Unless Alpha Cael can spare a helicopter… You know, we use them often back in Direstone Keep Pack. Thorne always sends one when I’m too tired to walk–don’t you, Alpha?”

I raised an eyebrow.

Cael let out a slow, mockingugh. “Sure. We’ve got one.”

Mi brightened.

“But here in Blood Moon Pack,” he added with a cold smile, “we only use helicopters for carrying bodies.”

Her face drained of color. Cael didn’t blink. “You want a seat with the dead, Miss Mi?”

Mi stepped back, shaking her head quickly. “N–no, thank you…”

“Enough.” Thorne’s voice was sMi than it had been all day. “I’ll take you back.”

He rolled his shoulders, his expression hardening. Then, in one swift motion, he shifted.

A massive ck wolf stood in his ce–sleek, powerful, with a dominant energy that silenced even the wind. Everyone stepped back instinctively. Even

Cael narrowed his eyes.

Mi, however, was delighted.

Without hesitation, she climbed onto his back and draped herself over him like a queen on a throne. She nuzzled into his fur with a dreFenna sigh.

“I knew you still cared, Alpha,” she whispered like it meant something.

The wolf didn’t respond. It bolted forward, disappearing into the forest with Mi clinging on like a prize.

I watched them vanish through the trees, something hollow pressing into my chest.

Once, I asked Thorne if I could ride on his back–just once.

He said it was beneath an Alpha to carry someone like that.

But not anymore.

Apparently, it wasn’t a rule. It was just me.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and forced a smile. Turning to the others, I straightened my shoulders and asked, “Well? Anyone up for

another dive?”

We didn’t get back to the hotel until sunset.

After Mi left, the mood lightened fast. We dove until we were breathless. ric and Cael fished and built a fire by theke. We grilled what we caught,ughing like we weren’t all warriors tasked with holding the world together.

I hadn’tughed that freely in a long time.

The next morning, I snapped right back into Gamma mode.

There were just seven days until we traveled to Direstone Keep Pack for joint training, and I had soldiers to finalizei, /iroutes ito /in, and logistics to confirm. Vessa would be joining me. Cael too–he’d handle political nning with the other Alphas, then return after a few days.

I was so consumed by the preparations that I almost didn’t notice something… off.

Mi had gonepletely silent.

No tantrums. No shows. No dramatics. Not even a whisper.

She never left her suite. Not even to throw a pity party in the lobby. It was suspicious–but part of me didn’t care enough to dig. Maybe she’d finally run out of schemes.

But that illusion broke the night of the farewell party.

Cael hosted it in the hotel’s banquet hall. It was the final evening before packs returned home or followed through with train. was dressed sharp–formality stitched into every cor.

I arrived just before eight, stepping into the room with Vessa at my side.

And instantly, I felt it.

The eyes. The whispers.

“She’s the one?”

“That’s Gamma ra.”

“Can you believe they’re sending soldiers to train under her?”

“She threw someone off a cliff, for Goddess‘ sake…”

I didn’t need super–hearing to know what they were saying.

+ kept walking.

ents. Everyone

People parted just enough to let me through, but their gazes clung to me like thorns. Some looked scandalized. Others were simply curious. Most judged

me with that self–righteous, passive–aggressive sneer that said they’d never understand what real pain or betrayal looked like.

Vessa hissed beside me, “Keep walking. Don’t stop. They don’t get to see you flinch.”

“I’m not flinching,” I replied quietly, though my stomach churned.

In the far corner of the hall, I spotted Cael arguing with someone–his jaw tense, his arms iling with agitation.

Vessa tugged my arm. “Finally! ra, you’re here! You need to hear this–right now.”

“What happened?”

BUY

MON, 28

“Someone’s spreading rumors,” she muttered, dragging me through the crowd. “They’re saying you’re unfit to lead soldiers. That you’re unstable. That you… that you threw Mi off the cliff out of jealousy.”

I stopped in my tracks.

My fingers curled into fists, nails digging into my palms.

Of course.

So Mi wasn’t done.

“She nted this, didn’t she?”

Cael turned as we approached, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “ra, I swear, I’ll rip that girl’s vocal cords out myself if she says one more word.”

“She already said plenty,” Vessa growled. “And apparently a few Alphas are now doubting whether ra should lead any warrior at all.”

I stared at them both, heat prickling behind my eyes–not tears, just rage.

“I let her walk away,” I said softly. “I let her humiliate me at the waterfall, and I still let her leave untouched. And this… this is what she does with it.”

Cael folded his arms, his voice low and grim. “You want me to make a statement tonight? Publicly shut it down?”

“No,” I replied without hesitation. “I’ll shut it down myself.”

I turned toward the stage at the center of the room. The music was fading. Eyes were on me again.

Good.

Let them watch.

Let them hear me now.