Athena’s POV
I hadn’t seen Emily since our argument in the garden two days ago, but her threat still clung to me like a shadow— Leave now, or you won’t like what happens next.
And the strange thing was… I believed her.
Something had shifted.
The servants avoided my eyes now. The guards didn’t nod when I passed. Even the courtiers whispered behind their hands with looks that lingered too long. I wasn’t imagining it. There was tension in the air—tight, electric, wrong.
And Varianth wasn’t here. He had left for a diplomatic visit to a neighboring pack three days ago. He was supposed to return tonight.
I had told myself I would wait. That I’d finally tell him the truth when he returned. About the baby. About that night. But now I wasn’t sure I’d make it that far.
Whispers floated through the palace halls like smoke.
“ She’s not one of us.”
“Brought shame to her pack.”
“Should’ve been thrown out months ago.”
“She’s carrying a rogue’s child, I heard.”
I pretended not to hear. But each word was another cut. Still, I lifted my chin. Because the truth was bigger than their lies.
Varianth deserved to know the child growing inside me was his.
That afternoon, I wandered to the east wing. I needed air. Space. Something to quiet the unease twisting in my gut.
I didn’t expect to run into her.
Elder Myra.
The oldest, wisest seer of the palace. She moved like mist, always seeming to be where no one expected her.
She stood in the sunlit corridor, eyes closed, hands resting gently on her staff.
When she opened them, they landed on me like a strike of lightning.
“You should not be alone, child.”
I blinked, startled. “I—I was just taking a walk.”
She stepped closer. “There is danger in these walls. A plot forming in the dark. Someone wants to see you fall.”
My blood turned to ice. “Who?” I whispered.
She didn’t answer. Just touched my arm and whispered, “Be careful. Trust your instincts. And tell him the truth—before they silence you.”
I stepped back, heart pounding. “How do you know—”
But she had already turned away, disappearing down the corridor like a ghost. I rushed back toward the main staircase, Myra’s warning screaming in my head. I needed to go back to Emma. I needed to stay somewhere safe. Just for a few hours—until Varianth returned.
I placed a hand on the railing to steady myself. My legs were shaking.
I took one step down. Then another. And then—
Suddenly, I felt a hand press firmly against my back—a hard, deliberate shove. I gasped in shock as my foot missed the next step, slipping out from under me. The world tilted, the marble staircase spinning in my vision. And then I was falling—fast, hard—toward the cold stone below. Panic surged through me, but not for myself. The last thought in my mind wasn’t about the pain I was about to feel… it was about my baby.