CHAPTER TWENTY TWO: READING BETWEEN THE LINES

After discovering my strange ability to sense emotions during combat training, I spent the rest of the day trying to understand what was happening to me.

Every person I passed, I could feel their feelings like they were my own.

Emma's contentment while she cooked.

Sophie's excitement about a letter from her cousin.

Tom's frustration with a broken garden tool.

It was overwhelming and fascinating at the same time.

The next morning at breakfast, I decided to test my new ability more carefully.

I sat at my usual table with Sophie and Marcus, but instead of joining their conversation, I focused on listening to their emotions.

"The weather is supposed to be nice today," Sophie said cheerfully.

But while her words were happy, I could feel something else underneath - sadness and worry.

She was thinking about something that made her feel anxious.

"That's great," Marcus replied.

"Maybe we can do more outdoor training with Laila."

His words seemed normal, but I sensed he was hiding something too.

There was a layer of concern in his emotions that didn't match his casual tone.

"Sophie," I said carefully, "is everything okay? You seem upset about something."

Sophie's fork paused halfway to her mouth.

"I'm fine," she said quickly.

"Why would you think I'm upset?"

But I could feel the lie in her words.

It felt different from truth - like a cold shadow passing over warm sunlight.

"Because you're worried about something," I said gently.

"Something about your cousin's letter?"

Sophie's eyes widened in shock.

"How could you possibly know that? I didn't say anything about being worried."

"I can just... sense it," I said, not sure how else to explain.

Marcus leaned forward, looking interested.

"What else can you sense?"I focused on him carefully.

"You're concerned about something too. Something you don't want to tell me."

Marcus shifted uncomfortably. "Laila, that's... that's really unsettling."

"I'm sorry," I said quickly.

"I don't mean to invade your privacy. I just started being able to feel what other people are feeling and I can tell when someone isn't telling the truth."

"You can tell when people are lying?"

Sophie asked, looking nervous.

"Not exactly lying," I said, trying to find the right words.

"More like... when their words don't match their feelings. When they're hiding something or not saying the whole truth."

Sophie and Marcus exchanged a worried glance and I felt a spike of anxiety from both of them.

"What?" I asked.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Marcus said, but I could feel the deception in his words.

"Marcus, please don't lie to me," I said.

"I can feel that you're not telling me the truth."

Marcus sighed heavily.

"This is going to make things complicated."

"What's going to make things complicated?"

"Your new ability," Sophie said quietly.

"Laila, if you can sense when people are lying or hiding things..."

"Then I'm going to discover that almost everyone around me is keeping secrets,"

I finished, a cold realization washing over me.

Marcus nodded reluctantly.

"Most people have things they don't talk about. Private thoughts, personal concerns, things they don't want to burden others with."

"Or bigger secrets," Sophie added, then immediately looked like she wished she hadn't spoken.

"What kind of bigger secrets?" I asked, feeling alarmed.

"Sophie," Marcus warned.

"She's going to figure it out anyway now that she can sense lies," Sophie said defensively.

"Isn't it better if we're honest with her?"

I looked between them, feeling their conflict and worry.

"Please," I said. "Just tell me what's going on."

Marcus was quiet for a long moment, then sighed again.

"There are things about this pack, about Kieran, about why you're really here that... aren't quite what they seem."

My heart started beating faster.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that when you ask Kieran why he brought you here, and he says it was to protect you..."

Marcus hesitated.

"That's not the whole truth," I finished, feeling sick to my stomach.

"It's not a lie," Marcus said quickly.

"He does want to protect you. But it's not the complete truth either."

I felt betrayed all over again, but this time it was worse because now I could sense that even Marcus felt guilty about keeping things from me.

"What is the complete truth?" I asked.

"That's not my story to tell," Marcus said.

"You'll have to ask Kieran."

"But he won't tell me," I said.

"He'll give me another half-truth, and now I'll be able to feel that he's hiding something."

"Maybe that's what needs to happen," Sophie said gently.

"Maybe knowing when people aren't being completely honest will help you get the real answers you deserve."

After breakfast, I decided to test my ability on other pack members.

I walked around the territory, having casual conversations and paying attention to the emotions behind people's words.

The results were disturbing.

Mrs. Patterson, who had always been polite to my face, felt a deep dislike for me that she hid behind false smiles.

Tom, who seemed supportive, was actually worried that my presence would cause problems for the pack.

Even Emma, who had always been kind to me, was hiding anxiety about something related to my being there.

By lunch time, I felt sick from all the deception I was sensing.

It seemed like everyone was lying to me about something.

"You look terrible," Elena said, sitting down across from me in the dining room.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically.

"I'm serious," Elena said.

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

I studied Elena's face and emotions carefully.

Unlike everyone else I had encountered today, Elena's feelings matched her words perfectly.

She was genuinely concerned about how I looked, and she wasn't hiding any deception.

"Elena," I said carefully, "are you keeping any secrets from me?"

Elena raised an eyebrow.

"That's a strange question."

"But are you?"

"No," Elena said bluntly.

"I've always been completely honest with you about how I feel. Sometimes brutally honest."

I felt the truth in her words like a warm wave of relief.

Finally, someone who wasn't hiding anything.

"Why is everyone else lying to me?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?"I explained about my new ability to sense emotions and detect when people weren't being truthful.

Elena listened with growing amazement.

"That's... that's a very powerful ability," she said when I finished.

"And probably a very uncomfortable one."

"It is," I said.

"Elena, do you know what secrets people are keeping from me?"

Elena was quiet for a moment and I could feel her internal struggle.

Finally, she spoke."I know some things," she said honestly.

"But Laila, are you sure you want to know? Sometimes ignorance really is bliss."

"I'm tired of being kept in the dark," I said firmly.

"Everyone treats me like I'm too fragile to handle the truth, but I'm stronger than they think."

"You are stronger than they think," Elena agreed.

"Okay, here's one truth: Kieran didn't just randomly decide to help you out of kindness."

My heart sank, even though I had already suspected this.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he had specific reasons for bringing you here that had nothing to do with charity," Elena said.

"And those reasons involve your ex-mate Damien."

"What about Damien?"

"That's where my knowledge ends," Elena said.

"But Laila, if you want the whole truth, you're going to have to confront Kieran directly and now that you can sense when he's lying, he won't be able to give you half-truths anymore."

That afternoon, I made a decision. I was tired of being treated like a child who couldn't handle reality.

I was tired of people making decisions for me based on what they thought I could or couldn't handle.

I was going to find Kieran and demand the complete truth about why he brought me here.

And thanks to my new ability, I would know if he tried to lie to me.

As I walked toward Kieran's office, I felt nervous but determined.

Whatever the truth was, it had to be better than constantly wondering what everyone was hiding from me.

It was time to stop being the naive girl who believed everything she was told.

It was time to start demanding answers.