A heavy silence follows Rehan's words, thick with tension and unspoken doubt.
Kieran feels it like a blade at his back_ his pack wavers, shifting uneasily, their loyalty shaken.
Rehan sees it too.
He smirks, taking another deliberate step forward, his golden eyes gleaming with quiet triumph. "Face it, Kieran," he says smoothly. "Your people are questioning you. And who can blame them? You led them into war for a lie. You paraded a fraud as your mate. You rejected the bond given by the Moon Goddess herself. Tell me, why should they still trust you?"
A few wolves murmur among themselves. The doubt is creeping in, infecting them.
Kieran grits his teeth.
He cannot let this stand.
He straightens, his voice calm but laced with steel. "You talk like an outsider looking in, Rehan, but we both know you've been waiting for a moment like this. Hoping for it. I see what you're doing_ manipulating a situation you had no part in creating just to turn it in your favor."
