Chapter 124: ¹²⁴: Strange powers.

Even though I didn’t have my wolf right now, my hearing was still more sensitive than that of any normal wolf. Even if those people thought I couldn’t hear them, I clearly could.

"Isn’t she the same girl Damian had brought from outside the pack that day?" one of the girls asked, keeping her voice hushed.

"Yes, it is her." Her friend replied, her voice filled with disgust as she continued, "That day she was in such a bad state. Everyone who saw her had thought she couldn’t be saved, but she was. Goddess knows from which cursed place she is and what she had done for her to be in such a state."

I felt something strange as I heard their words. They were saying the truth, after all. Even though the place I came from wasn’t cursed, I truly was.

Ever since I had arrived here, I had brought one problem after another with me. Damian had gotten involved because of me, Mother Elena had been forced to treat wounds that should never have been brought to their doorstep, and now even Luna Selene was acting strangely because of my identity.

Maybe they weren’t completely wrong to think that I was trouble.

"True," the first girl said. "She is clearly someone meant to bring trouble. Didn’t you hear that Damian had been missing for the past two days? He had been with her. She had taken him with her out of the pack."

"What? Damian had gone out with her?"

"Yes. And when she came back this time, she was in a terrible state again. Someone had seen Damian carrying her back into the pack while patrolling near the borders. Goddess knows what disgusting things she is involved in."

My fingers slowly curled against my lap. I stared straight ahead, pretending I hadn’t heard a single word. But every sentence had already settled heavily inside me.

I knew they didn’t understand what had actually happened. They didn’t know why Damian had gone with me or what I had been trying to accomplish by returning to my pack.

They only saw what was in front of them. And perhaps that was enough for them to judge me.

"Maybe she is seducing Damian for some ulterior motive." The second girl continued, lowering her voice even further. "I mean, look at her. She looks like a temptress at first glance." ℴℴ𝘮

My body stiffened. For a brief moment, I felt heat rise to my face, not from embarrassment alone, but from the sheer absurdity of what I had just heard.

Seduce Damian? I almost wanted to turn around and ask them if they had lost their minds. But I stopped myself. There was no point.

They didn’t know me, and I didn’t owe them an explanation.

"True. Damian even dropped her here today. I can’t understand how some people could be so disgusting!"

I pressed my lips together, forcing myself to remain still. I didn’t want Mother Elena to know that their words had affected me. I didn’t want to create another problem.

"What are you two doing here?" Mother Elena’s voice suddenly sounded from behind me.

I turned around. She was standing a few steps away, her eyes fixed sharply on the two girls. The gentle expression she usually wore around me was completely gone, replaced by an unmistakably angry look.

The two girls immediately fell silent. Their faces changed the moment they realised they had been caught.

"Instead of talking nonsense here, get back to your work. Both of you!" Mother Elena said, her voice firm enough that neither dared to argue.

The girls quickly nodded. "Yes, ma’am." and hurried away, their heads lowered.

I watched them disappear down the hallway before quickly turning my attention back to Mother Elena.

I forced a slight smile onto my face. "Good morning, Mother Elena."

"Oh, good morning, Athena!" She greeted me warmly, as though she hadn’t just caught those girls talking about me. She reached out and took my hand into hers.

Her palm was warm against mine. "Let’s go. We shouldn’t waste any more time, lest your pain starts flaring again."

She gently pulled me alongside her. I followed without saying anything.

But even as we walked toward the treatment room, the words I had heard continued echoing inside my mind.

Someone meant to bring trouble, seduce Damian, temptress. I lowered my eyes. Maybe I should have been angry but instead, all I could feel was tired. Tired of explaining - tired of being misunderstood.

And most of all, tired of everything in my life becoming another reason for someone else to worry.

"Hello." I greeted the staff as Mother Elena pulled me inside a room where I guessed she was going to treat me.

The staff greeted me back politely before returning to their work.

Mother Elena held my hand and guided me towards one of the beds. "Your treatment will be the same as it was the last time." She said while helping me onto the bed. "Only this time, the dosage will be a little higher, and I will have to run some tests to confirm a suspicion I have."

"Suspicion?" I looked at her, confused. I could understand why she needed to increase the dosage this time. After all, I had pushed myself far beyond what she had warned me against and had probably ruined most of the progress she had made.

But what suspicion could she possibly have? "Is there something wrong, Mother Elena?"

She immediately shook her head, a reassuring smile appearing on her face.

"It is just something I suspect given the position of your wounds, Athena. Nothing is confirmed yet." She said, her voice deliberately calm. "We will take the tests today, and the results will take a few days. So don’t burden yourself with unnecessary worries until then."

I wasn’t completely convinced by her explanation. If there was truly nothing to worry about, why had she suddenly decided to run tests?

And what exactly had the position of my wounds made her suspect? What if the results actually confirmed whatever she was thinking? A small knot formed in my stomach. But I forced myself to push the thoughts aside.

Mother Elena had specifically told me not to worry, and worrying wasn’t going to change whatever the results were going to say.

"Okay." I nodded, finally laying back onto the bed.

Mother Elena began preparing the things she needed for my treatment.

As she carefully applied something to my wounds, I felt the familiar soothing sensation spread through my abdomen. The difference was almost immediate. The constant ache that had been bothering me slowly began to fade beneath the cool sensation.

I let out a quiet breath of relief. "Mother Elena, how did you learn all these incredible things that you do?" I asked, watching her curiously.

She continued working without looking up.

"I mean, you can create those amazing illusions, you know about all these incredible herbs, and even more amazing is that just your presence alone makes me feel like there is some soothing power around me."

I smiled slightly as I spoke, genuinely fascinated by her. There was something almost mysterious about Mother Elena.

She finally pulled her hand away from my wound gently. A soothing cold sensation remained against my abdomen, easing the pain even further.

"It is all thanks to Damian’s father, my mate." She replied, a small, almost nostalgic smile forming on her face. "He was even more incredible than me. Everything I know, I learned from his books and teachings."

I noticed the subtle change in her expression as she spoke about him. There was warmth in her eyes. The kind of warmth that came from remembering someone who had once been an important part of your life.

"So these things came from Damian’s dad?" I asked, fairly shocked by the revelation. "Is that why Damian is already so good with illusions?"

Mother Elena nodded. "Well, yes. He will definitely inherit his father’s powers. Unlike me, who only learned the superficial aspects of them..."

She suddenly stopped. Her hand froze in midair. The gentle expression on her face disappeared almost instantly. "Wait."

I blinked.

Mother Elena slowly lifted her eyes toward me, her face turning serious. "Where did you see Damian use those powers?!"

The sudden intensity in her voice caught me completely off guard. I stared at her, confused by the question. Why did she suddenly look so alarmed?

I hadn’t even realised there was anything strange about mentioning Damian’s abilities.