Chapter 19. A Disgrace

Caliana’s POV

The way they looked at me sent a chill straight down my spine. There was no mistaking the malice in their eyes—no playful teasing, no idle cruelty meant only to sting. This was something darker, heavier. Something that wanted to hurt. I scanned the area quickly, my heart pounding as I searched for any sign of a patrol, any flicker of movement that meant help was close. There was nothing. Just the forest, silent and indifferent, the trees standing like witnesses that would not intervene.

I took a step back, then another, gauging the distance between us, measuring my options. I couldn’t take all of them at once, not in the state I was in. My body was already tense, my emotions raw, my wolf restless but restrained. Shifting wasn’t an option—not here, not now.

“Hello, Luna,” Candace greeted, her voice cold and almost ceremonious, as