It hadn’t been half an hour after the spectacle Reana had made of Beta Ryan when the gossip began to churn out whispers and speculation. The atmosphere in the pack was electric with tension, and it seed that everyone had an opinion on what had really happened. But the pack’s PhD gossip mongers hadn’t given their cent yet. Rather, they stuck together, analyzing and compiling their rumor that would undoubtedly be thrown in the air before tomorrow.
"What are you asking for? I’m just a servant like you. No, a dog under Beta Ryan’s foot like he said we were." Mirian said, her voice laced with bitterness.
The girl had her own problems to deal with, but an opportunity to hint at her suspicion - her plan to open the Luna’s eyes to Beta Ryan’s deceit had presented itself and she couldn’t resist taking advantage of this ss the Luna had created.
"Co on, Mirian, you’re the closest to the Luna. Tell us what you know." One of the girls leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper, as the others nodded in encouragent.
But Mirian scoffed, unwilling to comnt on the Luna and Ryder’s relationship.
"Blair, forget about that for now. I’m so furious right now." Another girl fud, "The nerve for the beta to call us dogs just because we’re ogas. We didn’t choose to be born ogas." Her voice trembled, and for a mont, it seed like she was on the verge of tears.
"What’s wrong with being an oga?" Blair asked, her voice thick with indignation. "We wash their clothes, cook their food, dress their bed, warm their beds, and do everything for them. If not because of us, the pack won’t be in order."
She wasn’t done. "They protect the pack from enemies and we make sure the pack runs smoothly. We’re the backbone of this pack, yet, the beta had the audacity to call us dogs?"
"I know right? Even Luna Reana wouldn’t call us dogs. The forr Alphas didn’t treat us like this. They valued our contributions to the pack. But Beta Ryan, who hasn’t even beco the Alpha yet, thinks we don’t deserve to exist."
"Did you see how he killed that guard?" Another voice dropped to a whisper, her eyes darting around cautiously. "Perhaps, the Luna already sees him for who he is, reason she has been biding her ti."
The other girls gasped as they ca together, their faces reflecting a mix of shock and alarm at her bold words. They glanced around nervously, as if fearful of being overheard, before forming a tight circle around the girl, their voices barely above a whisper.
"Shh, Jessica, be careful what you say," Mirian cautioned, her eyes wide with worry. "If Beta Ryan finds out, he’ll... he’ll punish us for sure."
"Don’t act like you don’t think the sa, Mirian. We all know why Luna Reana has not chosen him. She’s even more willing to be with a servant than the beta. That says a lot about that man. Hmph."
Mirian cleared her throat, a deliberate pause before she dropped her bombshell. "Well, I actually think Beta Ryan is a good choice..." She raised a hand, stopping the protests of her gossip pals before they could begin. "Hear out. He may have misspoken because he was going through a tough ti. Three days in the dungeon can’t have been easy for him. He was probably stressed, humiliated..." Her voice trailed off, inviting her friends to consider her words.
Mirian continued, her tone asured. "I don’t bla the Luna for her choices. She doesn’t seem to like him, despite his qualifications. And I think there’s more to it. Sothing’s off. Why would a smart and reasonable she-wolf like the Luna behave this way? One possibility is that he’s cheating. Two, he’s hiding sothing. Or three..." Mirian’s eyes locked onto her friends, her gaze piercing as she let the implication hang in the air.
"Paah!" Jessica exclaid, her hands eting in a sharp clap of excitent. "I knew it!" Her voice dropped to a whisper, her eyes sparkling with intrigue as she leaned in closer to the group. "The way Vivian and Beta Ryan looked at each other was strange. Even Lillian seed to still be interested in him, even though she was ruthlessly rejected three years ago."
"What are you talking about?" Mirian inquired, pretending not to know. Her interest piqued and so did others.
Jessica paused, then made a hand gesture, calling them to bring their heads forward. The group leaned in, their faces inches apart, their eyes locked onto Jessica’s. She began, her voice barely above a whisper, "You all know Vivian was punished by the Luna recently, but here’s the thing: Vivian didn’t lift a finger to do her work. I and a few others were forced to cover for her, and she never left the dungeon either."
The group’s eyes widened, their faces a picture of shock and intrigue. Jessica’s words hung in the air, heavy with implication. What had really been going on in that dungeon?
"What was she doing in the dungeon? Who wants to stay in the dungeon?" Mirian pressed.
Jessica shook her head, "I was also curious so I volunteered to clean the dungeon, hoping to uncover what she was really doing in there, but Lilian swooped in all of a sudden, and took the job instead."
"Could sothing be fishy between them? Like, is Lilian covering up their tracks?" Mirian suggested, her voice laced with suspicion.
The group was lost in thought, everyone putting one and two together. The hint was all they needed as the gossip mongers cooked up different stories in less than five minutes.
"Now I see why he didn’t go to war. He was inside the dungeon with Vivian, cheating on the Luna!" One of them sharply concluded.
"Then, he swiftly killed that guard to hide his secret! Arh!" she gasped, and so did others.
And just like that, a rumor was born, spreading like wildfire through the pack, fueled by speculation, intrigue, and a dash of malice.
Perhaps, if Beta Ryan hadn’t already created a dent on his own image earlier on - calling ogas dogs beneath his feet, unwilling to work with the Luna to fortify their territories, and killing that guard in a heartbeat, the rumor might not have gained such traction. But with his reputation already dangling on a thread, the pack was prid to believe the worst about him.
The seeds of distrust had been sown, and now they were sprouting into a full-blown scandal.
But that wasn’t all, because those guards who had their na cards taken away by Reana, blad the beta...
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