Luna avoided Ryder all morning.
She arrived at training late. Positioned herself on the opposite side of the grounds. Kept her eyes down when he looked her way.
"Luna." His voice cut across the field. "A word."
She pretended not to hear.
"Now, Luna."
Other students stopped to watch. Nova shot her a worried glance.
Luna had no choice. She crossed the field slowly. Every instinct screamed to run.
Ryder waited with arms crossed. His expression was unreadable.
"You're avoiding me."
"No, I'm not."
"Don't lie. You've been acting strange since last night. What happened?"
Luna's mark pulsed. She fought to keep her voice steady. "Nothing happened. I'm fine."
"You're a terrible liar." Ryder leaned closer. Lowered his voice. "If something's wrong, you need to tell me. I'm your mentor. I can help."
"Can you?"
The question hung between them. Sharp. Accusatory.
Ryder's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Forget it."
She turned to walk away. Ryder's hand caught her arm. Gentle but firm.
"Luna. Talk to me."
She pulled free. "I said forget it."
Professor Thorne's whistle cut through the tension. "All students to the center ring. Now."
Luna walked away without looking back. She felt Ryder's eyes following her but didn't turn around.
The class gathered in a tight circle. Thorne stood in the center with Headmaster Sterling beside him.
Sterling's expression was grim.
"Last night, a rogue creature escaped containment in the research facility. It's currently loose in the forest. First years, you're going to track it down and bring it back. Consider this your field test."
Murmurs rippled through the group. Nervous. Excited. Scared.
"What kind of creature?" someone asked.
"Wolf hybrid. Part shifter, part something else. It's dangerous but not lethal if handled correctly. You'll work in teams of three. Track it. Corner it. Subdue it. Do not kill it. We need it alive for study."
Sterling's eyes swept the crowd. "This is not optional. This is not practice. This is a real test of your abilities. Teams will be assigned by your mentors. You have one hour to prepare. Dismissed."
Students scattered. Luna found Nova immediately.
"This is insane," Nova whispered. "We've been here less than two weeks and they're sending us after a rogue creature?"
"It's Silverwood. Everything here is designed to push us past our limits."
"Or kill us."
"That too."
Ryder appeared at Luna's shoulder. She stiffened.
"Your team. You, Nova, and Marcus."
Luna blinked. "Who's Marcus?"
"Shy kid. Second year. He's over there."
Ryder pointed to a thin boy standing alone near the equipment shed. Dark hair. Nervous posture. He looked like he wanted to disappear.
"Why him?" Luna asked.
"Because he's good at tracking. Better than most upperclassmen. And you need someone with experience." Ryder's voice dropped. "Luna, whatever's going on between us, put it aside. This test is dangerous. You need to focus."
"I am focused."
"No. You're angry. Suspicious. I can see it. We'll talk later. After the test. But right now, you need to trust your training. Trust your instincts. And trust your team. Understood?"
Luna wanted to argue. To confront him about the meeting. About Darius. About everything.
But other students were watching. And the test was starting.
"Understood."
"Good. Marcus knows the forest. Follow his lead on tracking. Use your senses. And Luna?" Ryder's expression softened slightly. "Don't take unnecessary risks. Come back in one piece."
He walked away to brief other teams.
Luna collected Nova and they approached Marcus.
Up close, he looked even younger than Luna had thought. Maybe sixteen. Barely marked. His wolf paw print was small. Faded. Like his mark was weak.
"Hi," Luna said. "I'm Luna. This is Nova. Guess we're a team."
Marcus nodded. Didn't speak.
"You know the forest?" Nova asked.
Another nod.
"Can you actually talk?" Luna tried to keep her tone gentle. "Because we need communication out there."
"I can talk." His voice was quiet. Soft. "I just don't usually have anyone to talk to."
"Well now you do. So. You're good at tracking?"
"Better than good. I can track anything that leaves a scent. My senses are sharper than normal. It's an Omega thing. We compensate for lack of strength with enhanced perception."
"That's actually really useful," Nova said.
"Thanks. Most people don't think so."
Thorne's whistle blew again. "Teams, take your positions at the forest entrance. You'll be released in waves. First team leaves in five minutes."
Luna, Nova, and Marcus gathered their gear. Light packs. Water. Basic first aid. No weapons. Shifters didn't need weapons.
They moved to the forest entrance with other teams. Darius was there with his team. All fourth years. All Alphas.
He caught Luna's eye and smirked.
She looked away.
"First team, go."
Three students disappeared into the trees.
The wait felt endless. Team after team entered the forest. The sun climbed higher. Luna's nerves tightened.
Finally, "Team seven. Luna Eclipse, Nova Branch, Marcus Stone. Go."
They stepped between the trees.
The forest swallowed them immediately. Sound changed. Light dimmed. The world narrowed to branches and shadow.
Marcus moved ahead. He crouched low, examining the ground.
"What are you looking for?" Luna asked.
"Tracks. Scent markers. Signs of passage." He stood and sniffed the air. "This way. The creature went north. Maybe thirty minutes ago."
They followed him deeper into the forest. Luna's senses sharpened automatically. She could hear everything. Birds. Insects. Small animals fleeing their approach.
And something else.
Something bigger. Moving through underbrush ahead.
"I hear it," Luna whispered.
Marcus nodded. "Me too. It's circling. Staying just out of sight. Testing us."
"That's smart for a rogue creature," Nova said.
"Too smart. Rogue creatures are supposed to be mindless. Driven by instinct. This one's thinking. Planning."
They tracked it for another twenty minutes. The creature stayed ahead. Always moving. Never letting them get close.
Luna's frustration grew. "We're not going to catch it like this. It's too fast."
"Then we need to corner it," Marcus said. "Force it into a dead end."
"How?"
"There's a ravine about half a mile north. Steep walls. Only one way out. If we can drive it there, we can trap it."
"And if it doesn't go where we want?"
"Then we improvise."
They changed tactics. Luna and Nova circled wide. Marcus stayed center. They drove the creature north. Herding it like prey.
Luna's wolf rose beneath her skin. Eager. Ready.
She let it surface. Just slightly. Claws extended. Senses sharpened further. Speed increased.
She was partially shifted. Running through the forest like she'd been born to it.
The creature appeared ahead. Black fur. Red eyes. Same as the shadow wolf from before.
But smaller. Younger.
It snarled when it saw them.
"There's the ravine," Marcus called. "Push it left."
They coordinated without words. Moving as a unit. The creature ran. They chased.
It reached the ravine and stopped. Trapped. Walls too steep to climb. Only one exit and they blocked it.
The creature turned. Cornered. Desperate.
Luna's wolf wanted to attack. To fight. But they needed it alive.
"Easy," she said. Voice rough. Not quite human. "We're not going to hurt you. We just need to bring you back."
The creature crouched. Ready to spring.
"Luna, watch out," Nova shouted.
The creature lunged.
Luna shifted further. More wolf than human now. She met the creature mid-air. They crashed together in a tangle of claws and teeth.
The creature was strong. Fast. But Luna was stronger.
Her training with Ryder kicked in. Block. Dodge. Counter. She pinned the creature against the ravine wall. Her claws at its throat.
"Submit," she growled.
The creature's red eyes locked on hers. Intelligence flickered there. Recognition.
Then it went limp. Submitted.
Luna held it for another moment. Making sure it wasn't faking. Then she released it and shifted back to human.
Marcus and Nova stared at her.
"That was incredible," Nova breathed.
"You fully controlled a partial shift in combat," Marcus added. "First years can't usually do that."
Luna looked at her hands. Still slightly clawed. Her mark glowed silver.
"I don't know how I did it. It just happened."
"Whatever. It worked. Let's get this thing back to campus."
They secured the creature with rope from Marcus's pack. It didn't resist. Just watched Luna with those too-intelligent eyes.
The walk back was tense. Other teams had failed. They passed groups still searching. Some had given up entirely.
But Luna's team had succeeded.
They emerged from the forest with the creature in tow. Faculty waited at the entrance.
Thorne's eyebrows rose. "Impressive. First team to succeed."
Headmaster Sterling approached. He examined the creature carefully. "Well done. All three of you. Luna, that was exceptional control for a first year."
"Thank you, sir."
Handlers took the creature away. It went without fighting. Still watching Luna over its shoulder.
"Dismissed," Sterling said. "Rest. You've earned it."
The team dispersed. But Luna stayed at the forest edge. Watching where they'd taken the creature.
Something felt wrong.
The creature's behavior. The way it had tested them. Circled. Let itself be herded.
Like it wanted to be caught.
Like someone had trained it to lead students to that ravine.
Luna's mark pulsed. Warning.
She looked around. Faculty had gone. Students were heading to dorms. Only a few stragglers remained.
And one figure standing in the shadow of the main building.
Watching her.
Ryder.
No. Not Ryder.
Luna squinted. The figure was wrong. Taller. Different posture.
It stepped further into shadow and disappeared.
Luna's blood went cold.
The rogue creature hadn't escaped.
It had been released.
Someone wanted students in that forest. Wanted them tested. Pushed to their limits.
But why?
And more importantly, who?