Chapter 63 

Autumn’s POV

Tension permeated the air, a physical cold that crept into my bones. Originally a cozy refuge, the packhouse felt foreign and chilly. Usually the happy conversation filling the hallways had been replaced with quiet murmurs and cautious looks. Their criticism felt as weighty as it was stifling me.

Cold glances and unpleasant comments greeted me as I moved through the packhouse. Some pack members even made disparaging comments about my parenting, their words like venomous daggers cutting my heart.

I tried to ignore them and concentrate on the current work, but their judgment was so weighty it was destroying. I hadn't felt so alienated or so alone. The outcast, the pariah, was the reason this pack might fall apart.

I caused two strong leaders, the Alpha and the Lycan King, conflict. Their once-unwavering friendship had fallen apart, replaced by a simmering resentment that might explode into overt warfare at any time.

From the inside out, the regret and shame tore at me like