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I nodded. “Night told me while we were catching up that Troy went off the deep end while I was gone.” He had killed so many of his own people just to assert his power, and he’d damaged the community that had once existed between the Kings people. I continued, “I’m sure just about every person here hates Troy to his guts, but that doesn’t mean they’ll blindly trust me just because I defeated him.”
“That’s a pretty nuanced view of all this. I think if I were you, I’d just be angry.”
I glanced at him. His expression was still friendly, but I noticed something behind his eyes, a kind of sadness that spoke to my own.
“I am angry,” I replied gently. “But I don’t know how much I can blame them for what happened to me. If I were with the Wargs, I know I would have been accepted. Gregor and Troy were the reason everyone treated me so badly.”
“That doesn’t make what you had to deal with any less awful. I’m sorry I couldn’t have helped you.”
“Considering your position, I think it would have been a bad move.” I tried to smile, but it was hard to mean it. Having a friend back then would have made a huge difference for me as a child. But I wouldn’t tell him that. That was all in the past now. “What was it like?” I asked. “Being in your position, I mean.”
He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. “It was really tough, honestly. I missed my friends back home. I didn’t hear from them as often as I would’ve liked.”
“You were just a teenager, weren’t you?”
He nodded. “The Wargs were the only family I had, but I had connections here. It wasn’t so bad.”
“I guess that’s something.” I smiled. “Well, thank you for what you’ve done and what you’ve sacrificed. I’m sure you know this, but it means a lot to both packs.”
He smiled. “I hope so. And thank you for keeping our Alpha in line. I’ve never seen him more open or more happy than when he’s with you.”
“It’s very sweet of you to say that.” We were nearing the dining hall, and I pointed to it. “I’m headed in there.”
“Ah, then I’ll leave you. I’m sure there’s someone who needs me elsewhere.”
Evan and I said our goodbyes and I headed to the dining hall. I knew the people inside would have questions about how a weak human had become a powerful wolf shifter. There would be skepticism and doubt.
I went into the dining room and almost bumped into a few pups as they ran by. I’d watched most of these kids at some point while their parents were busy, so I knew many of them by name. I bent to talk to them, but over their heads, I spotted three mothers coming closer. Two of them had their lips quirked in disgust while the third lagged behind uncertainly.
I straightened to meet them, and the chatter in the dining hall fell to a hush. I felt the eyes of every wolf in the building on me, and I knew that what happened next would set the tone for every future interaction I had with the pack.
“Claire, Val, Inez,” I said, addressing them by their first names. “How have you three been?”
Whatever Val and Inez had been expecting from me, those words weren’t it. Surprise replaced the disgust on their lips, but they didn’t speak to me. Instead, they snatched up the hands of their pups like I was something dangerous and hurried away from me.
I refused to take their reactions personally. Honestly, that had gone much better than I’d expected. Silence was always better than hurling insults my way.
I turned to Claire, who watched me with curiosity in her gaze. She held her pup’s hand, but she wasn’t turning her son away from me like I was a leper. Instead, she tried to smile.
“I’ve got to say, Bryn, I’m surprised as hell that you turned out to be a shifter.”
I laughed, not because what she said was particularly funny but because I needed to release some tension. “I doubt you were as surprised as me,” I said. “I thought my whole life up to the moment I shifted had been a mistake.”
Her smile became more genuine. “I bet.”
I took a seat at one of the dining tables, and Claire sat across from me. “Henry’s gotten so big since I last saw him,” I said.
“I know.” She rubbed his back. “He really hit a growth spurt, but he still clings to me like he did when he was a toddler.”
I giggled. “How are your other children?”
She and I fell into the rhythm of our gentle chat. Around us, conversation resumed, but I knew that everyone was scrutinizing every move we made.
“So, what was it like to discover that you were a wolf?” she asked.
“It was like magic,” I said. “Every fairy tale I’ve ever read suddenly made sense.” I beamed at her. “It was a miracle.”
Afterward, I got up to leave. I wasn’t really hungry, and I had plenty of food in the fridge if I changed my mind later on. For now, I was just happy with that interaction. As I headed toward the door, I noticed that there weren’t as many people glaring at me with disdain. Actually—and I hoped this wasn’t just my wishful thinking talking—their gazes seemed more curious and accepting.
