Chapter 168

Aisha POV The air shifted the moment we crossed the pack house threshold. It wasn’t just the weight of stone walls or the stares of guards, it was the rippling unease that spread through the hallways like wildfire. Whispers trailed behind us, suspicion bleeding into every voice. They didn’t understand why I had returned with Renik at my side and the tall, solemn figure of the tribe’s representative walking a step behind me. Eyes followed us. Some filled with caution, others with open disapproval. The pack had grown used to me as Simon’s Luna, but the scars of my past still clung to me in their memory. To them, this figure I brought was a reminder of that past, a risk, a stranger, a disruption. The murmur rose high enough that the young guard stationed by the corridor stiffened, panic flashing across his face. He darted past us before I could say a word, feet pounding against the stone floors as he raced toward Simon. Renik leaned toward me, voice a quiet growl. “This is exactly what I