Chapter 6 They Want Me Dead

Gina's POV

By sunrise, the entire pack already knew.

I could feel it before I even stepped outside.

The tension. The whispers. The fear crawling through the air like poison.

Elias's body had been discovered before dawn.

And somehow, the story had spread even faster than death itself.

The cursed girl was seen in the woods again. A creature appeared. Another man died near her.

I pulled my cloak tighter around my body as I walked through the narrow road leading toward the market. Usually, I avoided crowded places after incidents like this.

But I had no food left in the cabin.

And starving in isolation sounded less appealing than surviving people's stares for ten minutes.

Unfortunately, the moment I entered the village square, conversations stopped.

Every head turned toward me.

A child near the bakery immediately hid behind his mother.

An elderly man spat on the ground.

"Monster," someone muttered loudly enough for me to hear.

I kept walking.

Do not react. Do not look at them. Do not let them see it hurts.

The same rules I repeated every day.

But today felt different.

The hatred in their eyes was worse than usual.

Fear had become anger.

And angry people were dangerous.

"She brought demons into the woods."

"The Moon Goddess is punishing us because of her."

"I heard the Alpha touched her."

"That Nightfang Alpha is cursed now too."

My chest tightened painfully.

Gabriel.

Part of me expected him to regret everything by now.

Any sensible man would.

Yet I couldn't stop remembering the way he looked at me last night.

Like I was worth protecting.

The thought alone made my stomach twist strangely.

I quickly grabbed bread from a stall and placed coins onto the wooden counter.

The woman selling it hesitated before touching the money carefully, like the curse might spread through silver.

Humiliation burned inside me.

I reached for the bread

Then froze.

The whispers had started again.

Soft. Distant. Inside my head.

Wake up.

My breathing faltered.

Not now.

Please not here.

I gripped the edge of the stall tightly while pain pulsed through my skull.

"She belongs to the moon."

The same voice from the forest.

Cold sweat slid down my spine.

"Are you alright?"

The woman's nervous voice barely reached me.

The whispers grew louder.

Blood moon. Wake her. Wake

"Stop," I whispered under my breath.

A sudden crash exploded nearby.

Everyone screamed.

I snapped my head up sharply.

A cart near the center of the market had overturned violently by itself, fruits scattering everywhere while terrified villagers stumbled backward.

My heart dropped.

No.

No, no, no.

The whispers immediately stopped.

Silence followed.

Then every single person turned toward me.

Fear spread across their faces instantly.

"She did that."

"I saw her!"

"The curse is getting stronger!"

Panic erupted through the square.

I stepped backward quickly. "I didn't—"

"Liar!"

A man shoved through the crowd angrily.

I recognized him immediately.

Brennan.

Elias's older brother.

His eyes were bloodshot with grief and rage.

"My brother died because of you!"

The crowd immediately agreed.

"You should've been killed years ago." "She's bringing darkness to the pack." "She's cursed!"

I backed away again as people slowly surrounded me.

Fear tightened painfully in my chest.

This was bad.

Really bad.

Brennan pointed at me furiously.

"Every death leads back to her!"

"That's enough."

The deep familiar voice cut through the chaos instantly.

The crowd fell silent.

Relief hit me before I could stop it.

Gabriel.

He stepped through the villagers calmly, dressed entirely in black while several Nightfang warriors followed behind him.

Power radiated from him effortlessly.

Dangerous. Cold. Untouchable.

But the moment his eyes landed on me, something in his expression softened slightly.

The villagers noticed.

And judging by their horrified faces, that only made everything worse.

Brennan glared at Gabriel angrily.

"She killed my brother!"

Gabriel's voice remained calm.

"No. Something else did."

"You expect us to believe that?" Brennan snapped. "She was there!"

"So was I."

Silence.

The villagers exchanged nervous glances immediately.

Nobody wanted to directly challenge an Alpha.

Especially not Gabriel Knight.

But Brennan was grieving.

And grief made people reckless.

"She's cursed," he growled. "Everyone knows it."

Gabriel stepped closer slowly.

"And yet I touched her yesterday."

My pulse stumbled instantly.

The entire square became deadly quiet.

Gabriel's silver eyes swept across the crowd.

"Do I look dead to you?"

Nobody answered.

Fear shifted uneasily through the villagers now.

Not fear of me.

Fear of him.

Good.

Gabriel moved until he stood directly beside me.

Close enough for his arm to brush mine lightly.

Heat rushed through my chest immediately.

I hated how aware I was of him.

His scent. His warmth. The steady strength in his posture.

Protective.

The realization made my heartbeat uneven.

Brennan looked furious now.

"You're blinded by her!"

Gabriel's expression darkened dangerously.

"Careful."

The warning in his voice chilled the entire square.

Even Brennan stepped back slightly.

But before the situation could calm, another voice suddenly echoed across the market.

"She should be executed."

My stomach dropped instantly.

The crowd parted as Priestess Selene stepped forward in silver robes, moon symbols glowing faintly against her skin.

People immediately lowered their heads respectfully.

Selene's icy gaze landed directly on me.

No warmth. No pity.

Only suspicion.

"She attracts unnatural creatures," Selene continued coldly. "Darkness follows her everywhere."

Gabriel crossed his arms slowly.

"You sound very certain."

"I am."

The tension between them became sharp immediately.

Selene looked toward the villagers.

"The Moon Goddess warned us long ago about cursed bloodlines."

Bloodlines.

The word made my chest tighten.

"She is dangerous," Selene said firmly. "And now the curse spreads beyond her."

The villagers started murmuring fearfully again.

Gabriel's jaw hardened.

"There's no proof she caused Elias's death."

Selene finally looked at him fully.

"And there's no proof she didn't."

Silence followed.

Heavy. Uncomfortable.

Then Selene spoke the words that made cold fear settle deep in my stomach.

"The council has called for judgment tonight."

My breath caught sharply.

Judgment.

No.

Gabriel's expression darkened instantly.

"You're holding a trial?"

Selene didn't answer immediately.

That alone was answer enough.

Panic exploded inside my chest.

Pack trials were never fair for people like me.

Not when fear already decided the outcome.

Brennan's voice rose immediately.

"She needs to pay!"

Others joined quickly.

"She brought monsters here!" "She cursed the pack!" "She should die!"

The crowd's anger grew louder around me until it became overwhelming.

I couldn't breathe.

My wolf panicked beneath my skin.

Run.

For one terrifying second, I thought they might attack me right there.

Then suddenly

Gabriel grabbed my hand.

The world stopped.

Gasps echoed instantly through the market.

Because once again…

He touched me.

And lived.

His fingers tightened around mine firmly before he looked toward the crowd with terrifying calm.

"No one touches her."

The authority in his voice sent chills through everyone nearby.

Even Selene looked unsettled.

Gabriel slowly pulled me beside him protectively.

"She stays under my protection until tonight's judgment."

Shock rippled across the entire market.

An Alpha protecting the cursed girl publicly?

Impossible.

Dangerous.

Madness.

But the most terrifying part?

A small selfish piece of me felt safe standing beside him.

And I didn't know how to stop wanting that feeling.