Chapter 50

The moonlight spilled into Althea’s room through the large window, casting soft silver streaks across the bed. She sat on the edge of her mattress, a blanket draped around her shoulders. Her fingers traced absent patterns on the fabric as her mind wandered. The pack’s gathering earlier had gone well: better than she’d expected. For the first time, she’d stood her ground and faced Bianca without shrinking away, and the murmurs of approval from the crowd had filled her with something she was still learning to recognize: pride. But even as she replayed the moment in her head, a part of her remained unsettled. Bianca’s venomous words echoed faintly in the back of her mind, not because they were true, but because they reminded Althea of how many people still doubted her. And then there was Kaden: his quiet confidence in her had been both grounding and frustrating. She still couldn’t figure him out entirely, but the way he’d looked at her tonight, his smirk tinged with pride, had been imposs