Isla’s POV
The storm did not begin with thunder. It began with a headline. A sentence made of nine words printed in bold letters across the brightest gossip page on the island and then across a thousand screens around the world. The Alpha Bride Shows Signs of Pregnancy Already. No question mark. No uncertainty. Only a statement that carried the weight of truth simply because someone was reckless enough to write it. The article was built from nothing. A photograph of my hand resting on my own stomach during the festival dance, taken from an angle that suggested softness where there was only fabric. A slow blink captured on camera that they twisted into exhaustion. They added invented sources. Whispered claims. Fake commentary from invisible insiders. Every rumor grew like teeth tearing int
