Chapter 89

IRENE'S POV It started slowly, at first. A few whispers here, a few sideways glances there. I’d walk through the pack house and feel eyes on me, watching and judging. But it wasn’t until the murmurs turned into full-blown avoidance that I realized how bad it had gotten. Thea had spread her poison. And it was working. I’d walk into a room, and conversations would stop. People would quickly find an excuse to leave or pretend they hadn’t seen me. Some of them didn’t even bother hiding it—the distrust was written all over their faces. It hurt more than I’d care to admit. I had never expected things to be easy. I knew the pack might take time to adjust after the rogue incident, after everything that happened. But this was something else. They weren’t just cautious around me; they were afraid. It was as though they truly believed I might snap at any moment, like the blood running through my veins was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. And then, there was the rogue. The one I’d killed. Th