The Crescent Moon lodge was quieter than usual that night. Wolves came and went, their voices hushed, their steps quick. The air held a tension Adanna couldn't name, like the walls themselves were listening.
She kept her head low as she walked the hall, fingers trailing along the wooden beams. The scent of smoke clung to her clothes from the firepit outside, but underneath it lingered something else—Leander. She hated how she noticed it. Hated how her pulse leapt at the faintest memory of his eyes in the fog.
But someone else noticed too.
"Adanna."
She froze. The voice was soft, careful. When she turned, she found Selene leaning against the doorway to the kitchen.
Selene was older, though not by much, with dark hair braided back and eyes that seemed too sharp for her calm smile. Adanna had seen her around the lodge, usually quiet, usually blending into the background. But tonight her presence felt… deliberate.
"You're up late," Selene said, stepping into the hall.
Adanna tried for casual. "Couldn't sleep."
"Mm." Selene's gaze flicked toward the door Adanna had just passed through. "Strange. Neither could I."
The words didn't sound like a confession. They sounded like a test.
Adanna shifted, suddenly aware of how tightly she clutched her shawl. "Is there a problem?"
Selene tilted her head, studying her. "That depends. You've only been here a short time, and yet… you seem to find yourself in places you shouldn't."
Adanna's breath caught. "I don't know what you mean."
A small smile curved Selene's lips, but her eyes didn't soften. "Don't you?"
For a moment, the silence between them stretched. Then Selene glanced down the hall, as if making sure no one else lingered, and lowered her voice.
"You were near the borders tonight."
The words weren't a question.
Adanna's chest tightened. "I—I was walking. I got lost."
Selene let out a soft hum, like she didn't believe a word. "Funny thing. Rogues breached the borders tonight. Nasty business. And yet, when I walked past, I smelled something… different."
Adanna's pulse hammered. "Different how?"
Selene's smile deepened just enough to feel dangerous. "Like someone who didn't belong there. Someone who wasn't supposed to be in the woods at all."
Adanna's throat went dry. "Are you accusing me of something?"
Selene leaned in, her whisper brushing Adanna's ear. "I'm saying people here don't ask questions until they have to. But I do. And I see more than you think."
The words left Adanna rooted to the floor. By the time she blinked, Selene had already stepped back, her face once again calm, polite.
"Well," she said, louder now, as though nothing had passed between them. "Try to get some rest. Tomorrow will be busier than you think."
Then she walked away, leaving Adanna standing in the quiet hall, her stomach churning.
---
Morning came too fast. The lodge bustled with life again, wolves gathering at the long tables for breakfast. The smell of bread and meat filled the air, laughter and chatter rising around her.
Adanna sat at the far end, picking at her food. She tried to look normal, tried to keep her eyes from darting toward every doorway. But she could feel it—the weight of Selene's gaze.
From across the room, Selene spoke with another woman, her voice low, her expression unreadable. But every so often, her eyes flicked to Adanna. Watching. Measuring.
Adanna's stomach turned with unease. She wanted to run, to vanish into the trees and never look back, but something rooted her here.
And when Leander entered, she knew what.
The room shifted the moment he stepped inside. Conversations faltered, eyes followed him. Not with admiration, but with unease. The air grew heavier, like people were holding their breath.
Leander ignored them all. He walked straight to the far end of the table, where Adanna sat alone, and without asking, dropped into the seat across from her.
Selene's gaze sharpened instantly.
Adanna felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She kept her voice low. "What are you doing?"
"Eating," Leander said simply, tearing into a piece of bread.
"You're drawing attention."
He glanced up, his storm-grey eyes meeting hers. "Let them look."
Adanna's fingers tightened around her spoon. "Selene is watching."
"Good," Leander said, his tone unreadable. "Maybe she'll learn something."
Adanna's chest ached. "You don't care, do you? About what they think?"
Leander's jaw worked. "They already decided what to think. I stopped caring a long time ago."
The raw honesty in his tone caught her off guard. She stared at him, trying to read the shadows in his eyes, but before she could say more, Selene's voice carried across the hall.
"Funny sight," Selene said lightly, though her words rang too clear. "The exile sharing bread with the newcomer."
The room quieted. Conversations dimmed as ears turned their way.
Leander stilled, his eyes lifting slowly toward Selene. "Careful," he said.
Selene's smile didn't falter. "Just an observation." She leaned back in her chair, but her gaze never left them.
Adanna's pulse raced. The air in the lodge felt like a taut wire, ready to snap. She shoved her food away, suddenly sick.
Leander leaned closer, his voice meant only for her. "Ignore her."
Adanna whispered back, "She knows. She knows we were out there."
Leander's eyes narrowed, but his expression stayed calm. "Then she knows more than she should."
Adanna's breath caught at the dark edge in his voice.
By midday, the lodge had thinned out, most wolves scattered between training drills and border runs. Adanna found herself in the kitchen, washing out the same clay bowl over and over just to keep her hands busy.
She kept replaying the morning in her mind—Selene's words, the way the entire hall went quiet, the look in Leander's eyes when he told her to ignore it.
How could she?
The bowl slipped, clattering against the sink. She flinched at the sound, and when she turned, Selene was in the doorway again.
"Careful," Selene said smoothly. "Wouldn't want to draw attention."
Adanna's stomach twisted. "What do you want from me?"
Selene didn't answer right away. She crossed the room and picked up a cloth, drying her hands on it though she hadn't touched the dishes. "I just want to understand you. You came here out of nowhere. No pack ties, no family, no one vouching for you. And yet… Leander seems drawn to you."
Adanna froze. "That's not—"
"Not what?" Selene cut in, tilting her head. "Not true? Or not something you want others to notice?"
Adanna clenched the bowl tighter. "He only talks to me because no one else will."
Selene's lips curved. "Mm. Maybe. Or maybe you like the attention. Maybe you were in those woods with him last night."
Adanna's breath hitched. "I wasn't."
Selene leaned closer, voice low. "Say that again, but look me in the eye."
Heat rose in Adanna's chest—shame, anger, fear all tangled together. She forced herself to meet Selene's gaze. "I wasn't."
Selene studied her a long moment, then smiled faintly. "Interesting."
Before Adanna could say more, footsteps sounded in the hall. Another wolf entered—Cora, one of the younger healers. She carried a basket of herbs, her sleeves rolled up and her face flushed from the heat of the drying room.
"Selene," Cora said, pausing when she saw them together. "What are you doing in here?"
Selene's smile widened. "Just checking on our guest."
Cora frowned, glancing between them. "Guest?"
"That's what she is, isn't she?" Selene said lightly, but her eyes gleamed. "Passing through. No ties, no roots."
Adanna's throat closed.
Cora hesitated, then shrugged. "She helps where she can. That's more than I can say for most outsiders."
Selene gave a little laugh, soft and knowing. "Helps where she can, hm? I suppose we'll see how helpful she is when things get… complicated."
Cora frowned deeper. "You always talk in riddles, Selene."
"Do I?" Selene asked, her tone airy. She patted Cora's arm as she swept past her toward the door. "Keep your eyes open. You'll see what I mean."
And then she was gone, leaving Cora looking puzzled and Adanna sick with dread.
---
Later that evening, Adanna overheard voices in the lodge yard. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop—she'd only stepped outside for air—but the words froze her in place.
"…doesn't smell right," a man was saying. "Not like the rest of us. Don't you notice it?"
Another voice answered, softer, uncertain. "I thought it was just me. But if Selene says so…"
Adanna's blood turned to ice. She pressed herself against the wooden beam, heart hammering, as Selene's smooth voice drifted into the air.
"All I'm saying is we need to be careful. Strangers showing up just as rogues breach our borders? That's no coincidence. Don't you think?"
A murmur of agreement followed.
Adanna's lungs squeezed tight. She stepped back, her foot crunching a twig, and she froze.
The voices stopped.
"Who's there?" the man called.
Adanna bolted before they could round the corner, slipping back into the lodge as quickly as her legs carried her.
She didn't stop until she reached the narrow hallway by her room, slamming the door behind her and sinking onto the bed.
Her hands trembled in her lap. They were talking about her. Selene wasn't just suspicious—she was turning others against her.
The worst part was, Adanna couldn't even blame her. Selene was right. She had been in the woods. She had been with Leander. If the pack found out, what would happen to her?
A knock sounded at her door, sharp and sudden.
Adanna jumped. "Who is it?"
"It's me." Leander's voice.
She scrambled to her feet and opened the door just enough to see him. His expression was tight, his jaw clenched.
"Selene's talking," he said flatly. "Whispers are spreading."
Adanna's stomach dropped. "I know. I heard."
Leander stepped inside without waiting for permission. "You need to keep your head down. Don't give her anything else to use against you."
Adanna swallowed hard. "She already suspects everything."
"Suspicions aren't proof," he said. "But if she keeps pushing, she'll find someone willing to believe her."
Adanna stared at him, panic rising. "What do we do?"
Leander's eyes softened, just a little. "We wait. Let her talk. The more she stirs, the more desperate she'll look. But you—" He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "—you have to stay calm."
Adanna wanted to. She wanted to believe him. But she could still feel Selene's eyes on her, sharp and cutting, and the whispers in the yard wouldn't leave her ears.
"What if she's right?" Adanna whispered. "What if they already believe her?"
Leander's jaw tightened. He reached out, brushing his fingers lightly against her arm. "Then they'll have to go through me first."
The words sent a shiver through her, equal parts comfort and fear.
Because standing against Selene meant standing against the pack.
And that was a fight they couldn't win.