The shadows retreated. The air cleared. Faye's vision steadied.
Silence fell.
Solen stared at her with something like fear.
Darian stared with something she couldn't read.
Faye stepped back, shaken. "I didn't mean—"
"I know," Darian said.
Solen exhaled shakily. "Your wolf reacts differently. Faster. Stronger. Too strong."
Faye's stomach twisted. "So what do we do?"
Solen looked toward Darian. "We keep you two together. Train together. Watch for changes."
Faye immediately shook her head. "Absolutely not—"
"You don't have a choice," Solen said bluntly. "Your wolf could hurt someone."
The moment training ended, Faye escaped the field as fast as she could without actually running. She didn't want to see the fear in Solen's eyes again. She didn't want to hear the whispers already beginning behind her.
Faye reached the packhouse steps when a group of teens around her age fell silent, staring openly at her.
One whispered, not quietly enough, "Did you see what happened this morning? She almost—"
"Shh! She might hear—"
"She's dangerous. Late wolves aren't normal—"
But the whispers followed her like shadows all the way to her room.
She considered pretending she wasn't there, but the bond pulsed lightly, betraying her presence. She opened the door just enough to look at him.
Darian's expression wasn't angry or mocking.
It was something worse:
Concern.
"We need to talk," he said.
"No, we don't."
"Yes, we do." He stepped inside before she could stop him, closing the door quietly behind him.
Darian studied her for a moment. "Your wolf is reacting too strongly to mine. That wasn't normal today."
"Nothing about this is normal," she muttered.
"Faye." His voice lowered. "If your wolf reacts like that again, someone could get hurt. And the pack will blame you."
She knew that. She had always been the easiest person to blame.
Her hands tightened at her sides. "I didn't ask for any of this."
"I know."
He hesitated.
"And I'm not here to accuse you."
That surprised her enough to look up.
His silver eyes weren't cold today. They were… searching. Conflicted. Maybe even confused.
Darian took a slow breath. "Look… I've been thinking. Maybe this bond isn't a punishment."
Faye stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "What?"
"I didn't mean it like that," he said quickly. "I just meant… maybe this happened for a reason. Elder Mira said your wolf might be important. Or dangerous."
He paused.
"Either way, you're not dealing with it alone."
Faye blinked. "Why? Why would you help me?"
"Because I'm tied to you," he said quietly. "If something happens to you, it affects me too."
There it was. The practical reason. The logical one.
Faye didn't know if she was relieved or disappointed.
Her wolf huffed.
"We do not need him."
Before she could respond, a sharp, rapid knock sounded.
Darian opened the door this time—revealing Serene, her perfect hair slightly out of place, her face tight.
"There you are," Serene said sharply. "Darian, the Alpha wants you."
Her gaze slid to Faye, and irritation flickered in her eyes.
Darian glanced back at Faye. "We'll talk later."
"No, we won't," Faye muttered, but he was already gone.
Serene lingered in the doorway, her eyes cold.
"Be careful," Serene said softly. "People are talking. You're becoming a problem, Faye. And our pack doesn't tolerate problems."
Faye felt her wolf snarl, loud and hot in her chest.
But Serene smiled sweetly and walked away, her heels clicking against the wood floor.
The packhouse had always felt too big and too empty for Faye, but tonight it felt suffocating. Every creak, every shadow, every flicker of light left her wolf on edge.
She paced her room, unable to sit still.
Her wolf kept murmuring in her mind, sharp and alert.
"Something is wrong. Someone is near."
"Near?" Faye whispered. "As in inside the packhouse?"
"Not inside… yet."
A sound from the yard—faint, like leaves shifting—made both her and her wolf freeze. She stepped toward the window and peered through the glass.
Shapes moved at the tree line. Too fast to be human. Too quiet to be pack. Her vision sharpened instinctively as her wolf pushed forward, trying to see what lurked in the shadows.
But whatever it was… knew she was watching.
The shape slipped back into the forest.
Her wolf growled.
"It is observing. Studying you."
"Why me?" Faye whispered.
Her wolf didn't answer immediately. When it finally did, the voice was grim.
"Because we woke up late. And because we woke up powerful."
A sudden knock on her door made her jump.
When she opened it, Beta Rowan stood there, expression unusually serious.
"The Alpha wants you in the council room," he said.
Faye's pulse spiked. "Now? Why?"
"Something happened at the border," Rowan said. "You need to hear it."
Her wolf's ears perked.
"Danger."
Faye followed him through dim hallways until they reached the council room. Darian stood with the Alpha, Serene, Elder Mira, and several trackers.
They all turned when Faye entered.
Darian's eyes immediately scanned her face, as if checking for injuries. "Are you alright?"
She nodded. "What happened?"
The Alpha folded his arms. "Three border wolves were attacked tonight. They survived, but barely."
Faye stiffened.
"By what?"
"We don't know," a tracker said. "Whatever it was—it moved too fast to see clearly."
Faye's heart pounded.
That lined up too perfectly with what she saw.
Darian spoke again, voice tense. "The scent left behind wasn't pack. Or rogue. It was… wrong. Unnatural."
Elder Mira stepped forward, her old eyes fixed on Faye.
"Child," she whispered, "this started the day your wolf awakened."
Faye felt the room tilt slightly. "You're saying this is my fault?"
"No," Mira said firmly. "But your wolf's awakening has drawn something here. Something we have not felt in many generations."
The room fell into uneasy silence.
Serene folded her arms, voice coldly sweet. "So we're being hunted because of her?"
"That's enough," Darian snapped.
But Serene lifted her chin. "I'm only saying what everyone is thinking."
The Alpha didn't stop her.
Several council members exchanged uneasy glances.
"Do we know what it wants?" Faye asked quietly.
Elder Mira nodded slowly.
"It wants power," she said.
"Specifically—the power of an unbound, newly awakened wolf."
Faye froze.
The Alpha spoke again, voice heavy. "Until we know more, Faye, you are not to leave the packhouse alone. And you will have an escort at all times."
Faye's eyes widened. "What?"
"This is not up for debate," he said. "Something is hunting you."
Faye barely managed to sleep. Every time her eyes closed, she saw the shape at the tree line.