MAEVE'S POV
There was a high chance that someone could walk by at any moment.
Already, most members of Ash Creek hated me. Their stares followed me down every corridor, whispers curling in the air like smoke. The last thing I needed was for the pack to accuse me of yet another "crime." One more slip, and they'd have a brand-new story to use against me.
It was a relief, at least, that the recent rumors about me and Asha had finally died down. The memory of those whispers still burned, but for now, the noise had quieted.
And though it killed me to admit it, I knew who to thank for that.
Ivan.
How was it possible for him to defend me so publicly when he was still so angry with me in private? The last time we'd spoken, he had barely looked at me. And when he did, there had been nothing but ice in his eyes—cold, unyielding, a reminder of just how wide the gulf between us had grown.
