Chapter 56 Chapter 56

Chapter 56 Chapter 56

Luci

The moment she said it…that it was me something inside me went still.

Not because I was confused. Because I understood what she meant.

I didn’t react right away. I just watched her, taking in every detail. The way she was still breathing a little too hard, the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers were curled like she was holding onto something that wasn’t there.

Whatever had happened to her… it wasn’t a dream.

I knew that much. “You were gone for less than a minute,” I said finally.

Her brows pulled together slightly. “It didn’t feel like a minute.” “It wouldn’t,” I replied.

Her eyes searched mine, like she was trying to find something there.

“For you, it might’ve been longer,” I added. “Whatever that was… it took you somewhere else.”

She went quiet after that.

I could practically see the thoughts running through her head, trying to make sense of something that clearly didn’t follow any normal logic.

“It said my power was sealed,” she said after a moment.

I didn’t respond immediately. Not because I hadn’t heard her but because I had.

And I didn’t like what that meant.

“Not taken,” she added quietly. “Sealed.”

My jaw tightened slightly. That wasn’t a small difference. Taken meant it was gone.

Sealed meant it was still there… just locked away. Waiting. “Then someone did it,” I said.

Her eyes narrowed a little. “That’s what I said.” “No,” I corrected. “You asked who did it.”

A brief pause followed. “I’m telling you it wasn’t an accident.” Something shifted in her expression.

“You think someone deliberately sealed my power?” she asked. “I know they did,” I said.

There was no doubt in my voice, and there couldn’t be.

Power like that, whatever it was, doesn’t just disappear on its own. It gets contained. Hidden. Locked away.

And now—

it was starting to break through. A knock came at the door. Sharp.

Rhys didn’t wait to be let in. He stepped inside immediately, his eyes going straight to Yulia.

“You’re awake again,” he said “Clearly,” I replied before she could.

He ignored me.

His attention stayed on her for a moment, like he was checking something, then he exhaled.

“We don’t have time to ease into this. My gaze sharpened. “What happened?”

“The elders want to see her.” Of course they did.

“No,” I said immediately. Rhys didn’t look surprised.

“They’re already gathering,” he added. “And it’s not just them.”

Yulia’s attention snapped to him. “Who else?”

“The pack,” he said. “Or at least enough of them to make it a problem.”

I let out a slow breath. So it had already spread.

“They think she caused it,” Rhys continued. “The ritual. The creatures. Everything.” My expression hardened.

“And Elisse’s family?” I asked.

“They’re feeding it,” he said bluntly.

Of course they were.

Yulia shifted beside me, pushing herself up despite the strain it clearly put on her.

“They want to turn the pack against me,” she said.

“That’s already happening,” Rhys replied.

Silence followed. Not shocked. Not surprised. Just confirmation of what we already knew.

Yulia swung her legs over the side of the bed.

“You’re not going anywhere,” I said immediately.

She didn’t even look at me. “I don’t have a choice.”

“You do. You stay here.”

“And let them decide what I am without hearing from me?” she shot back, finally turning toward me.

Her eyes were steady. Too steady.

“That’s not happening.”

“They’re not worth—”

“They’re your pack.”

That stopped me.

Just for a second. Long enough. Her gaze didn’t waver.

“If they’re going to doubt me,” she continued, “then I’ll face them myself.”

Rhys let out a quiet breath. “She’s not wrong.”

I shot him a look. He raised a hand slightly. “I’m not saying I like it. I’m saying this is already beyond a private discussion.”

That much was true. This wasn’t something that could be contained anymore.

It was out. And once the pack started forming opinions… it would spread fast.

I looked back at Yulia.

“You can barely stand,” I said.

“I can stand.”

“You almost collapsed again ten minutes ago.”

“And I didn’t.”

My jaw tightened. Shes so stubborn.

She held my gaze without backing down.

“I’m not hiding,” she said quietly.

The words hit harder than they should have. Because I knew she meant them.

This wasn’t fear. This was a decision.

Rhys spoke again. “If she doesn’t show up, it’ll only make things worse.” I knew that too.

Didn’t mean I had to like it. A slow breath left me as I finally stepped back slightly.

“Fine.”

Yulia didn’t relax. Didn’t thank me. She just stood up fully.

There was a slight shift in her balance, barely noticeable, but I caught it. My hand moved instinctively, steadying her before she could say anything.

“I said I can stand,” she muttered.

“And I said nothing about you doing it alone.”

A brief pause followed. Then she let it go. We didn’t waste time after that.

The walk outside was quieter than it should’ve been. Too quiet.

By the time we reached the grounds, the tension was already visible.

They were waiting.

Not just the elders, dozens of pack members had gathered. Their voices were low, restless, the air thick with uncertainty.

Suspicion. Doubt. And something else.

Fear. It shifted the moment we stepped into view. Eyes turned.

Conversations died.

All attention locked onto one person.

Yulia.

I felt it immediately, the change in the air, the weight of their focus, the way some of them took a step back without even realizing it.

Not all of them. But enough. The elders stood at the front.

Elisse’s parents just behind them. Watching. Waiting. I stepped forward without thinking, placing myself slightly ahead of Yulia.

A clear line. A clear message. If they had something to say, they would say it through me.

One of the elders spoke first.

“Alpha Luci.”

I didn’t respond. My gaze stayed on them.

“You understand why we’ve gathered,” he continued.

“I understand that you’ve gathered my pack without my permission,” I said.

A flicker of tension moved through them.

“This concerns the safety of everyone,” another elder added.

“And you think she’s a threat.” It wasn’t a question.

Silence answered me. That was enough. I let out a slow breath, controlled.

“No one here will accuse her of anything,” I said, my voice carrying clearly across the space. “Not without proof.”

A murmur started in the crowd, but I didn’t let it build.

My gaze shifted, landing directly on Elisse’s father.

“If anyone wants to make claims,” I continued, “they’ll do it openly.”

The tension sharpened instantly. Good. Let it. Because I was done letting this play out quietly.

If they wanted to turn this into something then we’d settle it here.

And I wasn’t letting her stand in it alone.