Chapter 034

The next morning, the air around the camp felt heavier charged, like something was brewing beneath the surface.

Usually breakfast would be ready but today everywhere looked deserted of females.

Maris had gone out early to help with the morning drills, leaving me half-awake and sore beneath the thin sheets. My bruises still pulsed faintly, though the ointment Darius had applied had helped more than I’d expected.

I slipped out of bed and washed up quietly. The hallway was strangely quiet for a summit morning , no laughter, no clatter of breakfast dishes, only the low hum of male voices somewhere deeper inside the main lodge. Curiosity tugged at me before sense could stop it.

I followed the sound.

I moved quietly, my bare feet making no sound against the cold wooden floor. The closer I got, the clearer the voices became until I found myself near the grand hall the doors cracked open just enough for me to see a sliver of what was happening inside.

Inside, the grand meeting hall was crowded. Alphas, Betas, warriors, and omegas from all corners of the regions sat around the long blackwood table. At the head sat the three Lycan brothers — Draven, sharp and unreadable; Daemon, tense, his jaw set tight; and Darius, who leaned back with deceptive calm, though his eyes were cold steel.

“…and you’re saying she’s cursed?” Daemon’s voice was dark, his tone laced with restrained anger.

Across from him, an Alpha from the southern clans shifted nervously. “That’s what’s spreading through the ranks. Lena says she touched the girl and felt something… unnatural. A burn. And her wounds— she doesn’t heal like a normal wolf. You can’t deny something’s off about her.”

“She’s not one of us,” another chimed in. “No scent. No aura. No pack to speak of. And yet…” his eyes flicked between the brothers, “the three of you seem unusually… attached.”

The words were followed by a long, tense silence.

Draven’s gaze lifted slowly, locking on the speaker. “Choose your next words carefully.”

The Alpha swallowed hard, but pressed on. “Everyone sees it, my Lord. She walks into a room and the air shifts. Daemon can’t take his eyes off her even though he has his whore around his arm. Darius watches her like she’s a prey he had his eyes on when out on a hunt. And you—” he hesitated, lowering his voice “—you protect her as if she’s yours.”

A muscle in Draven’s jaw ticked. “Choose your next words carefully Viktor, you are after all in my territory.”

Daemon’s eyes darkened.

Darius’s expression didn’t move at all.

“She fought well yesterday,” Daemon said finally. “She didn’t shift, but she stood her ground. That’s not weakness.”

“It’s not strength either,” another Beta countered. “It’s unnatural. And it’s bringing attention to your House. Some are beginning to question whether you’ve brought a curse here.”

“Or is there something you are not telling us Alpha?” A dark haired angry looking man asked, looking straight into Draven’s face.

The sound of chairs scraping followed, and for a moment, I thought Draven might lose control. But he didn’t. His voice, when it came, was low and lethal.

“Rain is under my protection,” he said. “Anyone who dares to question that can face me directly.”

The room went still.

No one moved.

Even from the hall, I could feel the weight of his authority pressing through the air like a living force.

Then Darius spoke, his voice quieter but sharper. “The issue isn’t just talk. The summit draws attention from every region. If word spreads that a cursed female has caught the eye of the royal Lycans, it could turn into something worse than gossip.”

Daemon scoffed, leaning back in his chair. “Let them talk. They’ve never seen someone like her before. Doesn’t mean she’s dangerous.”

“Doesn’t mean she’s safe either,” Darius countered “they have a point.”

I bit down on my lip, heart pounding so hard it hurt.

Safe. Dangerous. Cursed.

Their words tangled in my head.

Then someone muttered near the end of the table, “Three brothers, protecting one girl. Maybe she isn’t the cursed one maybe she’s the bond the moon is using to test you.”

A murmur of agreement spread across the table.

Draven’s hand slammed against the wood, silencing them all. “Enough.”

For a moment, no one breathed.

Then he stood, his eyes colder than I’d ever seen. “Rain will not be spoken of again. Not here. Not anywhere.”

And just like that, the meeting ended.

I slipped back into the corridor, my breath shallow.

So that was what they thought.

Cursed. Strange. Dangerous.

And somehow at the center of three Lycans who couldn’t seem to stay away from me.

I pressed my back against the wall, closing my eyes.

If I’d felt like an outsider before… now I knew for certain I was something else entirely.

Each word stung in a different way, twisting in my chest until I could barely breathe.

I needed air.

I needed space that wasn’t filled with gossip or the scent of Lycans who made my pulse race for all the wrong reasons.

This minute I’m on high waters, the the next minute I feel like I’m drowning.

The sharp clang of metal and the sound of grunts echoed across the training ground as I approached. The air smelled faintly of dust and sweat — familiar, grounding.

Maris looked up from where she stood correcting one of the girls’ stances. “Rain!” she called, waving me over. Her keen eyes swept across my face, pausing briefly on the fading bruises along my jaw. “You look better,” she said, studying me a bit longer, “but I still think you should see a healer.”

“I’ll manage,” I said with a faint smile, hoping it looked convincing. The truth was, I just needed something to occupy my thoughts, anything to stop them from circling back to what I’d overheard this morning.

Maris sighed. “Suit yourself.” She glanced over her shoulder toward the storage shed where a tall figure was arranging sparring weapons. “Colin’s sorting the training gear. If you’re not up for sparring yet, maybe give him a hand.”

“Sure,” I said quickly, grateful for the excuse.

The shed was cooler inside, the air thick with the scent of oil and leather. Colin stood with his back to me, shirt damp from training, muscles flexing as he lifted a stack of practice swords.

“Need help?” I asked, stepping closer.

He turned, a brief smile tugging at his lips. “You should be resting after……..yesterday.”

“Yeah after getting my ass kicked……..unfortunately I Can’t,” I said simply, moving beside him and picking up one of the lighter swords. “My head won’t stop spinning unless I’m doing something useful.”

He chuckled, low and easy. “You sound like Maris.”

“Maybe that’s why we get along,” I said, returning his smile before stacking the remaining swords neatly along the wall.

“Hi, I’m Rain.” I said selecting beside him.

“I don’t think you need that much introduction, everyone knows you here.” He chuckled, “I’m Colin, but I figured Maris most have told you that already.”

“Well Mr invisible meets Miss popular, maybe I can get you in the good graces of the popular boys here.” I rolled my eyes.

Colin laughed, a good deep laugh that had me genuinely smiling almost forgetting about about earlier.

For a while, we worked in comfortable silence, the clatter of weapons and the distant shouts of training wolves filling the air. Every now and then, Colin would glance at me, as if curious but polite enough not to ask the questions everyone else seemed to be whispering.

When we were done, I wiped my palms on my dress and turned toward the field again. The sun hung high, catching the faint shimmer of dust and sweat in the air.

Maris was laughing with the other girls that I’m just noticing, her joy effortless and bright. For a moment, I just stood there, watching them, a small ache forming in my chest.

She had is going easy for her.

A protective big brother, a very sweet welcoming personality, pretty face gorgeous body and most especially a wolf.

While I had none.

Just a weak, wolfless girl with a weirdly colored hair that always seems to draw attention to itself. Sighing I looked away and continued with the job in front of me.

I guess breakfast was a no no today and right now I am starving.