Chapter 25 Whispers and Rumors
The next morning, everything changed.
Amanda felt it the moment she entered the dining hall for breakfast. The air shifted. Conversations stopped mid-sentence. Eyes tracked her movement across the room.
Not with curiosity. With suspicion.
She forced herself to keep walking. To act like nothing was wrong. But her heart hammered against her ribs.
Riley sat at one of the far tables. When Amanda caught her eye, the girl looked away quickly. Too quickly.
Amanda's stomach dropped.
She filled a plate she had no appetite for and found an empty table near the window. The whispers started before she even sat down.
"Dark magic."
"Controlling him."
"Dangerous."
The words were soft. Barely audible. But Amanda heard every one.
Her hands tightened around her fork. She forced herself to take a bite. To chew. To swallow. Even though the food tasted like ash.
After two months of slowly building trust within the pack, of healing warriors and studying the curse, everything seemed to be crumbling around her.
A shadow fell across her table.
Amanda looked up, expecting confrontation. But Riley stood there, looking terrified and determined at once.
"Luna, can we talk? Privately?"
Amanda nodded and stood, leaving her untouched plate behind. The whispers followed them out.
Riley led her to an empty corridor. She checked to make sure no one was listening. Then turned to Amanda with wide eyes.
"Someone's spreading rumors about you. Saying you're using forbidden magic on Derek. That you're controlling him."
Amanda's chest tightened. "Who?"
"I don't know. But it started yesterday. After..." Riley hesitated. "After Silas came back from checking on you and Derek."
The pieces clicked into place.
Silas. Of course.
"What exactly is he saying?"
"That Derek's behavior has changed. That he's pushing away his closest friends. That you're isolating him. Making him dependent on you." Riley's voice dropped. "Some are saying you're trying to bind him to you. That the partial shift was dark magic, not healing."
"That's insane."
"I know. But people are scared. Derek's been cursed for three years. Now suddenly his wife shows up and claims she can fix everything? Some think it's too convenient." Riley paused. "Even after two months of watching you work, of seeing you help people... one whisper from someone they trust, and they forget everything."
Amanda pressed her fingers to her temples. "I need to talk to Derek."
"He's in the training yard. But Amanda..." Riley touched her arm. "Be careful. Silas has been Derek's friend for years. If you accuse him without proof..."
"I know."
But she had to try.
The training yard was busy. Warriors sparred in pairs. Grunts and the clash of wood on wood filled the air.
Derek stood in the center. Shirtless and sweating. Moving through forms with brutal precision.
Amanda's breath caught. Even cursed, even broken, he was magnificent.
Silas stood at the edge watching. His expression was calm. Supportive.
The perfect mask.
Derek saw her and stopped mid-strike. "Amanda?"
She moved toward him. Aware of all the eyes tracking her. "Can we talk? Alone?"
His brow furrowed. "Is everything alright?"
"Not here."
Derek nodded. He grabbed a towel and followed her away from the training yard. They walked in silence until they reached the gardens. Private. Quiet.
"What's wrong?"
Amanda took a breath. "Someone's spreading rumors about me. About us. Saying I'm using dark magic on you."
Derek's expression hardened. "Who?"
"I think it's Silas."
The words hung between them.
Derek went very still. "What?"
"The rumors started right after he found us together last night. Riley said he came back from checking on us and suddenly everyone's whispering about dark magic and control."
"That doesn't mean Silas started them."
"Derek, think about it. Who else benefits from the pack not trusting me? Who else would want to stop me from breaking your curse?"
"Silas wouldn't do that."
"Why not?" Amanda stepped closer. "What if he's the one who cursed you in the first place?"
Derek's eyes flashed. "Stop."
"We found the warning in your mother's journal. The betrayer who wears the face of loyalty. Who else fits?"
"Half the pack was at my ritual hunt. It could be anyone."
"But Silas was closest to you. He had the best access. The most trust." Amanda's voice grew urgent. "And now that I'm making progress, he's trying to turn everyone against me."
"You're seeing what you want to see." Derek's voice was cold. Hard. "You want a villain and you're picking the easiest target."
"I'm not seeing what I want to see. I'm seeing what's right in front of us."
"Silas is my best friend. He's stood by me when everyone else abandoned me."
"What if he's the reason they abandoned you?" The words burst out before Amanda could stop them. "What if he's been subtly poisoning them against you for three years? Keeping you isolated? Keeping you broken?"
Derek's hands clenched into fists. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Then explain it to me. Explain why the moment we make real progress, suddenly the whole pack thinks I'm evil. Explain why Silas just happens to be there every time something goes wrong."
"Because he's my friend! Because he cares about me!"
"Or because he's been controlling you this whole time and I'm ruining his plans!"
The silence that followed was deafening.
Derek stared at her. His expression was shuttered. Closed off. "I can't believe you're saying this."
"Derek..."
"Silas has been there for me through everything. Through the curse. Through the shame. Through three years of hell." His voice was tight. "And you've been here for two months. Two months, Amanda. You've helped me more than anyone, I'll grant you that. But you think that means you know better than me who I can trust?"
The words stung. Amanda felt tears prick her eyes but refused to let them fall. "I'm trying to protect you."
"I don't need protection from my best friend."
"But what if you do?"
Derek turned away. His shoulders were rigid. "This conversation is over."
"Derek, please. Just listen..."
"No." He looked back at her. His eyes were hard. "You want me to suspect everyone. To trust no one. But I won't do that. I won't let paranoia destroy the few relationships I have left."
"This isn't paranoia. It's the only way to stay safe."
"It's you seeing threats where there are none." He stepped closer. His voice dropped. "I know you want to help. But you're making this worse. The pack already doesn't trust you. Accusing Silas will only make things harder."
"So I'm supposed to just let him sabotage us?"
"He's not sabotaging anything." Derek's jaw clenched. "But you might be."
The words hit like a punch to the gut.
Amanda stepped back. "What does that mean?"
"It means maybe you're so focused on finding a villain that you're creating problems that don't exist. Maybe the pack is suspicious because your methods are dangerous. Because partial shifts can kill. Because you're using magic none of us understand."
"I thought you trusted me."
"I do. But I also trust Silas. And I won't choose between you based on theories and suspicions."
Amanda's throat tightened. "So what now?"
"Now you focus on breaking the curse. And you stop trying to turn me against my closest friend."
He walked away.
Amanda stood alone in the garden. Her chest ached. Her hands trembled.
Their first real fight. And she'd lost.
That night, Amanda couldn't sleep.
She lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Derek's words played on repeat in her mind.
Maybe you're creating problems that don't exist.
But she knew she wasn't. Her gift hummed with warning whenever Silas was near. Her birthmark pulsed with unease.
Something was wrong. She knew it in her bones.
And if Derek wouldn't believe her, she'd have to prove it.
Amanda sat up. Made a decision.
She would watch Silas. Follow him. Find evidence.
Not suspicions. Not theories. Proof.
She dressed quickly in dark clothes. Pulled her hair back. Moved silently through the corridors.
The estate was quiet. Most of the pack asleep.
Amanda made her way to the east wing. Where Silas's chambers were located.
She found a shadowed alcove with a view of his door. Settled in to wait.
Hours passed. Her legs cramped. Her eyes burned.
Then, near midnight, Silas's door opened.
He emerged dressed in dark clothes. Moving with purpose.
Amanda's pulse quickened. She waited until he was down the corridor. Then followed.
Silas moved through the estate like he knew exactly where he was going. Down servants' passages. Through storage rooms. Deeper into sections Amanda had never explored.
Finally, he stopped before a heavy wooden door. Sealed with chains and marked with warning symbols.
The forbidden wing.
The section that had been closed off since Derek's curse. Too volatile. Too dangerous.
Or so everyone said.
Silas pulled out a key. Unlocked the chains. The door swung open with a creak that made Amanda's heart leap.
He slipped inside. The door closed behind him.