Chapter 45: RUMORS IM MOTION
By morning, the whispers had grown legs.
Ciara did not need to step outside to know it. She felt it in the air the moment she opened her eyes — a restless hum that did not belong to birds or wind. It belonged to people.
To wolves.
To a pack trying to understand something it had never seen before.
She dressed quietly and stepped into the corridor. Two maids standing near the archway froze when they saw her. Not in fear. Not in disrespect.
In uncertainty.
They bowed their heads too quickly.
Ciara paused.
That had never happened before.
She continued walking.
Every turn of the hallway brought the same reaction. Wolves stepping aside without being asked. Conversations cutting short. Eyes following her not with mockery, but with careful attention.
She did not know how to feel about it.
This wasn’t respect.
It was awareness.
As if something about her presence demanded space.
When she stepped into the courtyard, she saw why the air felt so tight.
A group of warriors stood near the well, speaking in low voices. Zayn was among them. The moment he noticed her, the conversation stopped.
He walked toward her immediately.
“You’re up early.”
“I couldn’t sleep,” she replied.
Zayn nodded. “That makes two of us.”
She tilted her head slightly. “It’s spreading, isn’t it?”
Zayn didn’t pretend not to understand. “Faster than we expected.”
“Expected?”
He exhaled. “Patrols from the outer borders reported visitors before dawn.”
Ciara’s steps slowed. “Visitors?”
“Messengers. From two neighboring packs.”
Her brows drew together. “Why?”
Zayn held her gaze. “They felt it too.”
A strange sensation moved through her chest.
Not pride.
Not fear.
Something heavier.
Responsibility.
“They’re asking questions,” Zayn continued. “Questions we don’t have answers for yet.”
Ciara looked toward the gates in the distance. “Where are they now?”
“In the outer hall. Levion is speaking with them.”
She nodded once. “I want to be there.”
Zayn didn’t argue.
They walked together toward the main hall, and Ciara noticed something else.
The pack was quieter.
Not tense.
Listening.
As though everyone was waiting for something they couldn’t name.
When they entered the outer hall, Levion was already seated at the long table. Two unfamiliar men stood before him. Both carried the scent of other territories. Both looked uneasy.
Levion’s eyes lifted the moment Ciara stepped in.
He didn’t call her forward.
He didn’t need to.
Both messengers turned immediately.
And when they saw her, something shifted in their expressions.
Recognition.
Not of her face.
Of the feeling.
One of them spoke without thinking. “It’s her.”
The other nodded slowly. “That’s what we felt.”
Ciara stopped beside Levion.
The room was silent.
Levion’s voice was calm. “Speak.”
The first messenger swallowed. “Our pack’s wolves refused to enter the eastern woods last night. They whined, paced, wouldn’t cross the tree line.”
The second added, “Ours howled. For hours. No threat. No scent. Just… reacting.”
Levion’s gaze did not leave Ciara. “And you believe this is connected to her.”
They both nodded.
Ciara felt their eyes on her again.
She stepped forward slightly. “What did it feel like?”
The first man hesitated. “Like… being watched by something older than us.”
A chill passed through her.
Levion leaned back slightly in his chair. “You came for answers. We don’t have them yet.”
The second messenger shook his head. “We didn’t come for answers.”
Levion’s brow lifted slightly. “Then why are you here?”
The man looked at Ciara.
“To see her.”
The words hung in the air.
Ciara didn’t know what to say.
Levion did.
“You’ve seen her,” he said calmly. “You can return to your alphas and tell them what you felt is real.”
The men bowed slightly and were escorted out.
Silence remained behind.
Ciara turned to Levion. “This is happening too fast.”
“Yes,” he agreed.
She searched his face. “Are you worried?”
Levion was quiet for a moment.
“Not worried,” he said finally. “Alert.”
She understood the difference.
Before she could speak again, hurried footsteps echoed into the hall.
A guard rushed in, breathing hard.
“My Alpha… the Lady Sofia requests an audience. Immediately.”
Levion’s expression did not change.
But Ciara felt the shift beside her.
“She heard,” Ciara said quietly.
Levion nodded once. “Of course she did.”
Zayn stepped closer. “Do you want her brought here?”
Levion shook his head. “No. I’ll go to her.”
Ciara’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Alone?”
He looked at her.
A long look.
Then, “No.”
That surprised her.
Levion rose from his chair. “Come with me.”
Ciara didn’t hesitate.
As they walked toward Sofia’s wing, the air changed again.
Tighter.
Sharper.
Sofia’s door was already open when they arrived.
She stood inside, perfectly composed, perfectly dressed, perfectly calm.
But her eyes betrayed her.
They were cold.
Assessing.
She looked at Ciara first.
Not Levion.
“So,” Sofia said smoothly. “The rumors are true.”
Ciara held her gaze. “Which ones?”
Sofia smiled faintly. “That the forest bends for you.”
Levion’s voice cut in, quiet but firm. “What do you want, Sofia?”
Her eyes shifted to him. “To understand why messengers from other packs are arriving because of her.”
Levion didn’t answer.
Sofia looked back at Ciara. “You’ve caused quite a disturbance.”
Ciara stepped forward slightly. “I didn’t ask for it.”
Sofia’s smile thinned. “No. But you seem to enjoy it.”
Ciara didn’t react.
That seemed to irritate Sofia more than any insult would have.
She took a step closer. “Do you even understand what you’re doing to this pack?”
Ciara met her eyes steadily. “Yes.”
Sofia’s expression flickered.
Ciara continued.
“I’m waking it up.”