Page 60 of The Cursed Wolf King

I tried to keep my expression neutral, but my insides churned. Was this pack always this open with their thoughts during their greetings, or was this something new?

Something to do with me?

“You okay?” Logan’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.

I forced another smile. “Fine.”

His eyes stayed on mine for a beat too long, as if he didn’t believe me. Then he nodded. “Stay close.”

The pack greetings continued, more faces and names blending together. I caught glimpses of their thoughts like whispers through the pack bond. I tried to focus on the good, the glimmers of kindness that shone through the cracks of my own self-doubt.

This pack was different. They laughed together, teasedone another, looked out for each other in a way I’d never seen before.

I caught myself wondering what it would be like to be one of them.

Logan stepped forward, the firelight casting his broad shoulders in sharp relief. He raised a hand and the noise of the gathering quieted immediately.

“Orion,” he said, taking on the role of commanding alpha. “Tonight, we welcome someone unique to our lands. You’ve heard the whispers. You’ve seen her.” He turned his head toward me, and the weight of expectation settled over me like a blanket. “Eve comes from the Heraclid pack, but her being here isn’t about our past grievances. It’s about our future.”

His words echoed. No one dared to speak, not even a whisper. Ever so slowly, I felt something that didn’t belong to me moving through my consciousness, a vibration threading through my very being. It wasn’t audible, but it was real.

The pack bond.

I heard him through it, his communication with them suddenly including me too. Thoughts and emotions swirled faintly at the edges of my awareness, and I couldn’t tune it out.

Trust me. Let her prove herself.

The pack bond whispered his thoughts, causing ripples among the wolves around me. Some were hesitant, their wariness tangible. Others radiated a cautious acceptance, their trust in Logan outweighing their doubts about me.

His voice broke through the bond, clear and resolute, but this time it wasn’t directed at his pack.

They need to hear from her.

The thought hit like a thunderclap in my mind. The words were reverberating as if they’d been spoken aloud. How could I hear him so clearly?

Logan’s focus didn’t waver. He was reading his pack, sensing their unease, their uncertainty, and the threads of curiosity tangled between. He sifted through it, like a leader sorting through the pieces of a puzzle, finding ways to knit them back together.

She’s an outsider, but she’s here for a reason. They need to believe it.Sheneeds to believe it.

My stomach clenched at the weight of his thoughts.

He turned his head. “Eve, will you address Orion?”

Please speak well. Please let them see what I think I see.His thoughts weren’t intended for me, and yet there we were. I was tapped into him. And he needed this from me.

It was a small price to pay for all he’d done so far.

But what was I supposed to say? There was no vision, no prophecy. I wasn’t delivering a message from some distant force—I was delivering myself.

I cleared my throat and stepped forward while a voice in my head screamed at me to run instead. I gripped the edge of my tunic as I forced myself to speak.

“I have only just arrived,” I began. “Already, what I’ve seen has opened my eyes in ways I couldn’t have imagined.”

The words sounded hollow even to my own ears. I swallowed hard, trying to gather my thoughts as the heat from the fire pressed closer.

“I’ve never felt anything like this. The natural way you connect to each other.”

Some of the wolves tilted their heads, their expressions softening slightly. Encouraged, I pressed on.

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