IVAN'S POV
The next few days were bearable only because they had to be.
I forced myself back into the rhythm of council meetings, paperwork, endless reports—anything that gave the illusion of control.
The council hearing had permanently left a bad aftertaste in my mouth. Though the days dulled the memory of its finer details, it wasn't so easy to erase the grueling weight of the council's collective eyes on me.
They watched me like I was a ticking timebomb, and with every bloody second, I played the part of the soft-smiling, decent Alpha—sweet to his mother, a gentleman to his supposed Luna, and painfully sober.
It seemed my active presence was enough to quiet the rumors for now. No one dared mention the Rabid Wolf to my face, though I could still feel the whispers floating behind closed doors whenever I passed.
The maids still scattered when they saw me coming. The guards stiffened so hard they forgot how to breathe. Just what exactly had Nina told them?
