The corridor Carina led me into felt… different. I noticed it immediately.
The air was colder here and sharper. The torches burned lower, casting long shadows across the stone floor.
"This way" Carina said softly, glancing over her shoulder.
I hesitated at the entrance. I didn't want to get into trouble and so I had to ask.
"Are we allowed here?" She gave a small, uncertain smile.
"Not exactly"
"Then why are we here?"
"I just want you to know every nook and cranny in the pack house"
That didn't help my fear but I stepped forward anyway.
The moment I crossed into the corridor, a strange chill ran down my spine. It wasn't just the temperature, it was something deeper.
"This part of the fortress connects to the inner training halls and the council wing" Carina explained quietly. "Most omegas and servants aren't allowed through here" I frowned slightly.
"Then why are you bringing me?" She hesitated
"Because you're not a servant"
The words landed softly but it didn't settle. I wasn't certain what my position was in this place.
I was not a servant or a wolf.
Or Luna.
Just something in between.
We walked slowly, our footsteps echoed faintly against the stone. At first, the corridor was empty. Then, I heard footsteps approaching from the opposite direction. They were heavy.
Warriors.
I stiffened slightly and so did Carina who was walking closely beside me.
"Just keep walking" she murmured. I nodded.
Three wolves rounded the corner ahead. They were dressed in dark training leathers, their bodies marked with scars that spoke of years of battle. Their conversation cut off the moment they saw us.
They stopped. I felt it immediately. Their attention locked onto me like a physical force. One of them tilted his head slightly.
"That's her" he muttered.
"The human?"
"Yeah" I swallowed.
My fingers curled slightly at my sides.
' Don't shrink or look away' a dark voice in my head said.
Don't…
I forced myself to meet their gaze only for a second.
But it was enough to know what to know what it is they were thinking. They looked at me with interest and that made me uncomfortable.
They stepped aside slowly, giving us space to pass but their eyes never left me. Not until I was behind them. I exhaled quietly.
"That wasn't so bad" Carina whispered.
I didn't answer because it was. It wasn't the hostility that unsettled me. It was the curiosity.
We continued walking deeper and further into the restricted halls and the farther we went, the more wolves we encountered. Some ignored us completely while others stared openly. A few didn't bother hiding their disdain.
I could feel it pressing down on my chest again. That same suffocating weight.
"You'll get used to it" Carina said gently. I shook my head.
"I don't think I will"
"You will"
"How?" Carina paused.
"You'll stop caring what they think" I almost laughed.
"That sounds impossible"
"It's not" her voice was soft but certain. Like she had experienced it too.
"It just takes time"
Time.
My chest tightened. That was the one thing I might not have. We turned another corner and walked straight into a group of female warriors.
There were five of them. Their bodies moved with the kind of effortless power I could only watch from a distance. They were laughing about something until they saw me. The laughter stopped.
The silence that followed was sharp. One of them crossed her arms.
"Well" she said slowly. "Look what wandered in" Another smirked.
"The Alpha's little pet"
Heat rushed to my face. Carina stepped slightly in front of me, like she was trying to protect me.
"We're just passing through"
"Through where?" one of them asked, raising a brow. "This isn't your part of the fortress" my stomach tightened.
"We weren't aware there were… boundaries" Carina said carefully. A few of them laughed.
"Oh, there are boundaries. And you should be aware" another said.
"You're standing in one"
Their gazes moved over to me. Their looks unkind and judging. It made me wish I didn't agree to this.
"She doesn't even look like she could fight. She's too thin" one muttered.
"She wouldn't last a minute"
"A minute is generous"
More laughter.
That dark voice that always spoke to me told me not to shrink but I already felt myself shrinking under it. My shoulders curled inward despite my effort to hold them back.
Why did I ever think I was more. I was just a weak and unworthy person. Tears pooled in my eyes.
"And you're supposed to be our Luna?" one scoffed.
"That's embarrassing to all of us"
My throat tightened painfully. My vision blurred.
No.
Not here. Not now.
I forced myself to breathe.
In.
Out.
I would not cry. I would not give them that. Carina's hand brushed against mine. A quiet anchor.
"We're leaving" she said firmly.
But one of the warriors stepped forward blocking our path.
"Wait"
Her gaze was fixed on me.
"Tell me something" she said. I didn't respond. The woman smiled slightly.
"What exactly makes you worthy of being in this pack? Or him?"
The question hit hard because I didn't have an answer to that. I didn't even know why I was here in the first place.
"I—"
The word caught in my throat. The silence stretched and warriors watched, waiting for me to speak. I swallowed.
"Nothing" I said quietly.
My honesty startled them. For a second, no one spoke. Then, one of them scoffed.
"At least she knows"
"Doesn't make it less pathetic"
The woman stepped aside finally.
"Go on, then"
Carina didn't wait. She grabbed my hand and pulled me forward, past them, down the corridor, away from the laughter that followed. Only when we turned to the corner did my composure crack. My breath hitched and my chest tightened painfully.
"I hate this" I whispered. Carina squeezed my hand.
"I know"
"They are right"
"No, they're not"
"I don't belong here"
Carina stopped walking and turned to face me.
"You belong where you wanf. No one has to tell you where to belong" Carina said gently. I blinked.
"Clearly, in this pack, everyone can tell me if I belong here or not"
The words settled differently. Carina was being honest. I exhaled slowly, trying to steady herself.
"Come on" Carina said softly.
"I'll show you the Alpha's wing"