The woman's voice still echoed in my head.
Power like yours doesn't stay hidden forever, child. Be careful who drinks from your shadow.
No one else had heard her. No one else felt that quiet brush of her mind on mine. My skin still prickled like the words were carved there.
Lucas walked ahead, stiff shoulders, steps sharp. I kept up beside him, face calm even though my thoughts were a mess. I wasn't sure if he saw the cloaked woman or just decided to ignore it. With him, you could never tell.
We stepped into the cool night air. The moon was low over Atlas. Wolves stood in small groups, voices low. They bowed as Lucas passed, but their eyes… they all cut to me, curious, judging.
Lucas glanced back once. Don't let them see fear.
I raised my chin a little. My heart didn't listen though it was still racing.
Then someone broke from the crowd. Dark hair, green eyes that softened when they landed on me. She bowed to Lucas before looking at me.
Ella, right?
I blinked. People here didn't usually speak to me unless it was to throw shade. Yeah, I said quietly.
She smiled, easy and real. I'm Lyra. Beta Wood's daughter.
Something about her voice made me relax. Not fake. Not forced. Just… real.
Before I could even reply, Lucas's voice cut in. Lyra, it's late.
She nodded quickly, then leaned in close enough for only me to hear. Don't listen to their whispers. Half of them don't even know why they hate. They just follow the loudest one.
Her words hit something deep. I gave a small smile. Thanks."
She smiled back, quick and kind, before walking off.
Lucas said nothing. But I caught the quick flick of his eyes toward Lyra before he turned away.
The next morning, drums echoed through the courtyard. I sat up fast. Pack gathering. My stomach dropped.
Storm's voice brushed my mind. Something's coming.
I got dressed quickly, the same plain dress laid on the chair. When I stepped out, the courtyard was already full. Warriors lined up, mothers pulled kids close, elders in their usual circle. Lucas was there already, arms crossed, eyes cold.
Elder Moses stood tall at the center, his daughter Naomi right beside him, chin raised high but her face tight.
This gathering, Moses started, is not for celebration. It is for truth. His gaze slid to me before sweeping across the crowd. A stranger sits in Luna's chair. Some cheer, some doubt. But Atlas cannot live in doubt."
Beta Wood tried to speak, probably to calm things, but Lucas gave him a look that said let it happen.
Whispers started moving like waves. I could feel every one crawl up my skin.
Naomi stepped forward, her voice sharp. We must know what she hides. Her kind never comes without secrets.
Lucas spoke before I could. His tone was even but cut deep. She is Luna because I named her so. That's enough.
The silence that followed told me it wasn't enough for them.
Lyra appeared from somewhere in the crowd and came to stand beside me. Her fingers brushed mine. Hold steady, she whispered.
Inside, I sighed. So this is the talk they've been dying to have. I almost wanted to tell them everything, just to stop Lucas from constantly defending me. But I stayed quiet.
Then a warrior stepped forward, holding something wrapped in cloth. He dropped it before the elders. The cloth unraveled a glass vial, faintly glowing, carved with strange markings.
Gasps all around.
Elder Moses frowned. Where did you find this?
In the quarters of the warrior slain at the border, the man said. Hidden, but not well enough.
Before he could explain further, Elder Luke cut in, "That's suspicious, but not my burden.
More whispers, more tension.
Then Lyra's voice rose over the noise. She's not a rogue. She's not a witch. She's one of us.
The entire courtyard stood still.
I was with her yesterday, Lyra continued, steady. She spoke with no malice, no lies. You judge her because you fear her. But fear never made Atlas stronger.
The air shifted. Even the elders looked thrown off.
I whispered, Thank you, not sure she heard.
Moses turned to Lucas, eyes blazing. You knew.
Lucas tilted his head slightly. Knew what?
That she was here before you announced her, Moses said. You let me think it was nothing.
Lucas's tone didn't change. Everyone knew she was here. You just didn't ask.
Naomi's face cracked. You watched and said nothing? she hissed at her father.
For once, Moses had no answer.
At the edge of the crowd, movement caught my eye. The cloaked woman again. Standing still, eyes locked on me.
Her voice brushed my head like a whisper through smoke. Your stay in Atlas is not by coincidence. Soon, you'll understand the ways of fate.
My pulse jumped. Not again. Why did she always talk like that appearing, vanishing, no warning?
Before I could even blink, she was gone.
Lucas raised his hand. The noise stopped instantly. His eyes flashed silver. Atlas does not tear itself apart. If anyone has a claim against Ella, speak now. If not, she stands.
Then his tone dropped lower, sharper. For years, you all wanted me to take Luna. Now that I have, you question her. What else do you want?
Honestly, I didn't expect him to defend me like that.
The courtyard fell dead quiet.
Then a voice soft but strong came from the back. An older woman stepped forward. Her hair was streaked white, her eyes dark and calm. She looked at me, not Lucas.
Child, she said, wolves who hunt their own are never at peace. Be careful. Even the crown can turn on its bearer.
The crowd shifted, uneasy. No one replied.
Storm's voice slid through my head again. She's not what she seems.
She was right. The air around her hummed differently like the cloaked woman's. She wasn't just an ordinary wolf.
No one dared speak after her. Not even Lucas. The silence that followed her warning was heavy, almost alive.
And I knew right then the real fight wasn't with the pack. It was with whatever was waiting underneath it all.