Petal's POV

The den had gone so quiet in a way that was more dangerous than noise.

Silence here was never still. It buzzed, sharp as broken glass, weighted by eyes I couldn’t see but always felt. Every corridor I walked through, every corner I passed, whispers trailed me like shadows.

“She cursed them.”

“She poisoned our pack.”

“She doesn’t belong.”

I kept my head down, but their words clung to me like smoke, filling my lungs until I couldn’t breathe. My arms still ...