Watching Me

Chapter Five : Watching Me The pack started watching me, and I noticed it first in the way conversations abruptly stopped whenever I passed. Wolves who had once barely acknowledged my presence now nodded their heads slightly, caught between a gesture of respect and one of fear. It was deeply unsettling for someone who had spent years being invisible; becoming noticeable overnight felt wrong, like wearing a crown that didn’t belong to me. Beneath my skin, my wolf moved uneasily, whispering that they felt what I was becoming even if they couldn’t yet name it. I pulled my cloak tighter as I crossed the inner pack house, the pale morning sun offering little warmth even as my senses grew sharper than ever. Every sound was cut clean and every scent layered itself in my mind, but threaded through it all was the Alpha. Even when he wasn’t near, the bond hummed like a second heartbeat—steady, watchful, and possessive—and I hated how much comfort I found in it. My husband was recovering well, with the healer assuring me his wounds were merely the result of exhaustion. Over breakfast, he joked and smiled as if death hadn't brushed against him so recently, and I played my part perfectly—laughing and listening like a relieved, dutiful wife. However, guilt trapped me when he suddenly noted that I seemed different, stronger, and more present. I forced a smile and suggested I had simply missed him, but the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes made me look away first. The reprieve was short-lived, as an elder summoned me to the council chamber before noon. Walking through the ancient stone corridors, my stomach dropped with dread until the doors opened to reveal the Alpha already waiting inside. The moment our eyes met, the bond flared so violently I almost stumbled, feeling his attention lock onto me like a physical weight. Inside the chamber, the elders probed into my late shift and demanded a description of my wolf. I answered carefully, claiming she was strong but confused, which caused a ripple of murmurs to fill the room. The Alpha eventually intervened, silencing the council by stating that I was newly awakened and that pushing me would be reckless. Though the elders obeyed, one noted pointedly that power like mine does not stay hidden forever. Once we were alone, I told him he shouldn't have intervened, but his jaw tightened as he insisted they were circling me. He warned that I was being watched by everyone—the pack, the elders, and even his brother. When I whispered that I didn't want to hurt his brother, his voice grew strained, reminding me that my feelings didn't change what I was or what I meant to the pack. The tension between us only grew when he announced I would be moved to the inner wing for protection. I panicked, realizing how much people would talk if I were moved so close to him, but he remained cold and honest, stating that this was how he would control the narrative. That night, sleep betrayed me with dreams of heat, shadows, and glowing gold eyes. I woke up gasping for air as the bond intensified, sensing his presence even before the knock at my door. When the Alpha entered, looking as though he had fought himself the entire way, we both acknowledged that the bond was strengthening and that we were sharing the same dreams. He confessed that he was losing control, and that if he lost it publicly, the truth would be exposed. Fear and longing twisted inside me as I asked what we should do, but for the first time, he had no immediate answer, leaving the question hanging dangerously between us.