Chapter 19 The Whispers 2

Chapter 19: Chapter 19 The Whispers 2

Talia’s POV

The floor was cold under my bare feet, because I had not put on shoes before leaving the room.

I did not think about it, because I just wanted to move. Now I felt every stone against my skin, and it reminded me that I was real, I was here, and that I was not going anywhere.

The women turned, and their eyes landed on me.

For a moment, no one spoke. The silence was heavier than any words.

Then the first woman smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.

"We were just leaving," she said.

She and the other women walked past me. They did not bow or nod, and they did not even look at me.

I watched them go. Their backs were straight, their heads were high, and they were not afraid of me. Why would they be anyway? I was nobody, a stranger, and an outsider.

But I would not be a nobody forever. I could not afford to be.

The door closed behind them.

I stood in the middle of the room, alone, with their words still ringing in my ears.

Ugly, weak, and unworthy.

Celeste should have been the one.

She will not pass the trials.

I pressed my hands flat against my thighs to stop them from shaking.

I had heard worse in Cresswood. Vivienne had called me worse, Celeste had called me worse, and the servants had whispered worse.

But this was different.

In Cresswood, I expected the hate. It was like rain, and it always came. But here, I had hoped for something else, like a small hope, even if it was a tiny one. And now that hope felt stupid.

I should have known better.

In Cresswood, I had no one. Here, I was supposed to be their Luna.

And they already hated me.

I walked to the window and looked out at the valley. The sun was still high, but the light felt colder now.

I touched my necklace.

’You have survived worse,’ I told myself. ’You will survive this too.’

But this time, the words felt hollow and lacked confidence.

I left the gathering hall and kept walking.

More wolves passed me and more whispers followed.

"That is her."

"She is not much to look at."

"The Alpha deserves better."

"Celeste would have been a better Luna."

I did not look at them, and I did not slow down. I just kept walking.

Left, then right, then up a flight of stairs, then right again.

I did not know where I was going. I just needed to get away.

I turned a corner and almost ran into someone.

I looked up.

It was the servant from before. The one with kind eyes.

"Are you alright, miss?" she asked.

I forced a smile. "I am fine. Thank you."

She studied my face for a moment. Then she said, "The stronghold can be cold to outsiders—some pack members and servants especially. But not everyone is cruel."

"I know," I answered.

"Some of us are glad you are here," she said.

I stared at her in surprise. "Why?"

She tilted her head. "Because you are the Alpha’s mate, and we trust the Alpha."

Then she walked away.

I watched her disappear around the corner. Her footsteps faded into the silence, and I was alone again. I did not even know her name.

I wanted to ask her, but she was already gone. I stood there, alone, with a question I could not answer. What was her name?

I would find out. It was important for me to, because she deserved to be remembered.

But she had been kinder to me in one sentence than most people in Cresswood had been in fifteen years.

I stood there for what felt like a long time after she left, trying to understand her words.

’Not everyone is cruel.’

’Some of us are glad you are here.’

I did not know if I believed her. But her words were warmer than anything I had heard since I arrived.

I touched my necklace.

Then I turned and walked back to my room.

The fire was still burning, and it looked like more wood had been added again. The room was warm.

I walked to the window and looked out at the valley.

The sun was beginning to set. The sky was turning orange and pink and purple.

I thought about the women in the gathering hall. Their words, their laughter, and the way they looked at me like I was nothing.

I thought about the nice servant that I did not even know her name. I thought about her kindness, and her words.

’Some of us are glad you are here.’

I did not know what tomorrow would bring. I did not know if I would pass the Luna Trials, or if this pack would ever accept me.

But I had survived fifteen years in Cresswood.

I just had to take it one day at a time, one trial at a time, and one whisper at a time.

Maybe, eventually, they would see me. Not the glamour face and not the rumors being carried around. Just me.

So I must survive this too.

I pressed my hand against the glass. The sun was almost gone now, and soon, the stars would come out. I wondered if Piper was looking at the same sky, and I wondered if she knew I was thinking of her. I hoped she did, and I hoped she was okay. That was all I wanted right now.

Just to know that she was okay.