Tension hummed through the air.
Ever since our arrival, Silver Ridge had been walking on eggshells. Their warriors avoided direct eye contact with mine, their conversations grew quieter when we passed.
They knew.
They didn't know everythingânot yetâbut they knew enough to be afraid.
Good.
Damon, on the other hand, was doing his best to pretend nothing had changed. After I'd humiliated him in the sparring ring, he'd doubled down, throwing himself into training, patrols, anything to distract himself.
But I could feel it.
The way his wolf lingered whenever I was near. The way his gaze snapped to me in crowded rooms, like some part of him couldn't help it.
Rejection or not, the bond wasn't gone.
And that pissed him off.
I sat at the long dining table that night, my plate untouched as the rest of the pack ate around me. Kian and Nova sat beside me, carrying on an easy conversation as if nothing was wrong.
Damon sat across the table, his gaze flickering toward me every so often.
Then his brows furrowed.
"You're not eating."
A few of the nearby warriors paused their conversations, glancing between us.
I met his eyes, unwavering. "Not hungry."
His frown deepened. "You haven't eaten since you got here."
I could feel the weight of the stares now. The quiet curiosity.
Nova didn't even flinch, picking at her food. "She's fine."
Kian rolled her eyes. "Stop acting like she's starving to death. She eats when she needs to."
The conversation moved on.
No big deal.
But I caught the way Damon kept looking at me, as if he was trying to figure me out.
I smirked, sipping my drink.
Let him wonder.
He had bigger things to worry about.
Like the fact that my pack wasn't here just to help.
We were here to change everything.
And whether he liked it or not, he was going to find out soon enough.