Chapter 57 Chapter 57

Chapter 57 Chapter 57
Yulia

The moment Luci said that, the air shifted.

You could feel it.

It wasn’t just tension anymore. it was expectation. Like everyone was waiting for someone to take the first real step that would cause everything to fall apart.

No one spoke at first.

But the murmurs didn’t fully die either. They weren’t loud, but they were definitely there and they kept spreading. 

I could feel their eyes on me. Not all of the eyes were malicious, but a good number of them were.

Enough to make it clear that whatever happened next… mattered.

An elder stepped forward, his eyes moving between Luci and I before settling.

“This isn’t about making accusations lightly,” he said. “It’s about understanding what happened last night.”

I didn’t respond immediately.

I could hear the carefulness in his tone. The way he was choosing his words so it wouldn’t sound like he was blaming me directly.

But that didn’t change what this was.

“It’s about me,” I said.

My voice came out steady, much stronger than I felt.

A few heads turned slightly at that.

The elder didn’t deny it.

“Yes,” he said after a moment. “It is.”

Of course. I stepped forward slightly. Not enough to stand in front of Luci, but enough that I wasn’t hidden behind him either.

“I didn’t summon those creatures,” I said.

A ripple moved through the crowd. I didn’t rush my words.

“I didn’t even know what they were,” I added. “And I didn’t lose control of anything intentionally.”

“Then how do you explain it?”

The voice came from behind the elders. I didn’t need to look to know who it was.

Elisse’s father stepped forward slowly, his expression calm in a way that pissed me off every time I saw it. 

It wasn’t his natural expression, it looked calculated. Controlled.

Like he had been waiting for this moment.

“I don’t,” I said.

That made a few people shift since It wasn’t the answer they wanted.

“But I’m not going to lie just to make you comfortable either,” I continued.

His lips curved slightly.

“That’s convenient.”

Before I could respond, Luci’s presence beside me sharpened.

“Careful,” he said quietly.

It wasn’t loud.

But everyone heard it.

Elisse’s father didn’t back down.

“If she doesn’t have an explanation, then we have to consider the possibility that she’s a danger,” he said. “You saw what happened. The ritual didn’t just fail, it brought something into this pack that shouldn’t exist here.”

“That wasn’t her doing.”

Luci’s voice cut in immediately.

The man tilted his head slightly. “And you’re certain of that?”

“Yes.”

No hesitation. No doubt.

A few people in the crowd shifted at that. Some looked reassured.

Others… didn’t.

“Your certainty doesn’t change what we saw,” the man continued. “Creatures from another realm appearing the moment her blood touched the ritual—”

“My blood didn’t summon them.”

This time, I cut in. The words came out sharper than before. His eyes shifted back to me.

“Then what did?” he asked.

For a second, I didn’t answer. Because I didn’t know.

Not fully.

But—

“It reacted to something,” I said instead.

That got their attention.

“Those creatures didn’t come randomly,” I continued. “They were drawn to something.”

“And that something is you,” someone from the crowd said.

I didn’t deny it.

“That’s what it looks like,” I admitted.

That caused another ripple.

But I didn’t stop there.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m the problem.”

Elisse’s father let out a quiet breath, like he was disappointed.

“You see how that sounds?” he said. “You admit they were drawn to you, but you expect everyone to believe you’re not a threat?”

“I expect you to listen,” I said.

The words came out quieter.

But firmer. His expression didn’t change.

So I continued.

“My power was sealed.”

That did it. The entire crowd shifted.Even the elders.

“What?” one of them asked.

I didn’t look away.

“I didn’t know before now,” I said. “But something happened during the ritual. Something broke.”

My chest tightened slightly as I said it.

“I think… whatever was sealed inside me reacted to the ritual.”

Silence followed. Real silence this time. Not whispers. Not murmurs. Just stillness.

Because now, this wasn’t just about blame anymore.

It was about something bigger.

Luci didn’t speak.

But I could feel his attention on me.

Sharp.

Focused.

Elisse’s father, on the other hand, was watching me differently now.

More carefully.

“A sealed power?” one of the elders repeated.

“That’s what you’re claiming?”

“I’m not claiming anything,” I said. “I’m telling you what I was told.”

“By who?”

The question came immediately.

I hesitated.

Just for a second.

“A voice,” I said.

That broke the silence again.

This time, it wasn’t controlled.

People started talking over each other, the unease growing louder.

“A voice?”

“She heard something?”

“This isn’t normal—”

“Enough.”

Luci’s voice cut through everything.

Instantly.

The noise died down again.

His gaze swept over them, slow and deliberate.

“You wanted an explanation,” he said. “You got one.”

“That’s not an explanation,” Elisse’s father said.

“That’s all there is right now,” Luci replied.

The man studied him for a moment.

Then—

“Or she’s lying.”

The words landed like a spark.

Something in me snapped slightly at that.

But before I could respond—

“She’s not.”

Luci didn’t raise his voice.

He didn’t need to.

It carried anyway.

Clear and final.

The kind of certainty that didn’t leave room for argument.

For a moment, no one challenged it.

Then one of the elders spoke again.

“If what she’s saying is true…” he began slowly, “then this isn’t just about the ritual anymore.”

No one disagreed.

“It means there’s something inside her we don’t understand,” another added.

“And something we can’t control,” someone from the crowd said.

There it was.

Fear.

Out in the open now.

I felt it settle over the crowd again, heavier than before.

And I knew, this was the part that mattered.

If I let that fear grow, it wouldn’t stop.

So I stepped forward again.

Fully this time.

Past Luci.

I could feel his attention shift immediately, but he didn’t stop me.

“I’m not your enemy,” I said.

My voice didn’t shake.

Even though my chest still felt tight.

“I didn’t come here to bring harm to this pack.”

Some of them looked uncertain.

Others still didn’t believe me.

That was fine.

“I know you’re scared,” I continued. “I would be too.”

A few people stilled at that.

“But running from it or turning on me isn’t going to fix anything.”

I let my gaze move across them.

Meeting as many eyes as I could.

“If there’s something inside me,” I said, “then I’ll face it.”

The words settled into the space between us.

“And I’ll control it.”

That part—

I wasn’t entirely sure of. But I said it anyway. Because I had to.

Silence followed again.

But this time, it felt different. Not resolved. But shifting. And that was enough.

For now.

Because whether they believed me or not, this wasn’t ending here.

It was just starting.