Chapter 25

Petal's POV

The air in the den felt heavier the next morning thick with suspicion, like smoke that wouldn’t clear.

Every conversation stopped the second I walked past. Every glance lingered too long.

By now, I’d learned that silence could scream louder than words.

Whispers had spread faster than the sickness ever could. They said the Alpha’s curse had returned. They said I carried it with me, in my skin, in my blood.

The guards at the corridor door didn’t bother to hide ...