Mist pressed heavy between the trees, muffling sound, swallowing light. Tessa and I kept close, breaths sharp in the cold air. Every snap of a twig jolted my pulse higher.
"We should keep left," she whispered. "Closer to the stream. Fewer wolves."
I nodded, but the unease in my gut said danger wasn't behind us—it was waiting ahead.
A shadow shifted. Then another. Figures slipped out from between the pines. Ivy and three of her sycophants fanned into a half-circle, cutting us off.
Tessa cursed under her breath. "Of course."
Ivy's smile gleamed like a blade. "Endurance trial, wolfless. Let's see if you endure humiliation."
"Move," I said flatly.
"Or what? You'll shove me again?" She laughed, tossing her hair. "You think Kael saved you yesterday because you matter? He doesn't protect strays. He toys with them. Breaks them when he's bored."
Her followers snickered. My jaw clenched.
"You don't know him," I said.
"Oh, I do." She stepped closer, voice low and smug. "Kael's pack has history with mine. He's always liked me. The little wink he gave you? A game. You're a pawn, Aria. And pawns are disposable."
Tessa shifted beside me, fists tight. "She's obsessed."
"Ignore her," I muttered.
But Ivy wasn't done. "When Kael's finished, he'll toss you aside. I'll be the one standing beside him, not some wolfless pretender."
The mist thickened, pressing close. My skin prickled. Something unseen stirred deeper in the woods.
---
Up on the ridge, four shadows watched from the cliff edge.
Kael's grin widened as Ivy's voice drifted up. "Obsessed, huh? I don't mind the attention."
Rylan's glare cut sideways. "You encourage her. Discipline slips when you let girls think you're accessible."
Kael chuckled. "Accessible? I wink once and suddenly she's planning our mating ceremony. That's not on me, brother."
Darius leaned forward, eyes fixed on me below. "Forget Ivy. Look at the Blackwell girl. She hasn't broken stride. No panic. No retreat."
Rylan's jaw tightened. "She's hiding fear. That isn't strength."
Lucian's golden gaze lingered on me. "Fear isn't hiding. The forest bends to her. Can't you feel it? She's resisting the haze."
Kael smirked. "So you admit she's interesting."
Lucian didn't answer. His stare never wavered.
---
Back in the trees, Ivy snapped her fingers. Her lackeys closed in. Tessa shifted, ready to fight, but I grabbed her wrist.
"They want us rattled," I whispered.
Ivy tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "What's wrong, Aria? No wolf to call on? No claws? You're pathetic."
The growl came from behind her. Low. Hungry.
One of her lackeys spun, paling. "Shadow wolves."
Panic flickered across Ivy's face, gone in an instant as she masked it with fury. "Hold formation!"
The mist quivered with movement. Glowing eyes blinked from the undergrowth. One… two… too many to count.
Tessa's grip tightened on my arm. "We need to move—now."
Ivy lunged, blocking my path. "Not until you learn your place."
Branches snapped. A wolf shape lunged from the mist, jaws open, fangs flashing.
Straight at me.
Ivy stepped back, letting it come.
---
On the ridge, Kael straightened. "She's cornered."
Rylan growled low. "If she can't survive this, she doesn't belong here."
Darius's eyes sharpened. "Watch. Something's about to happen."
Lucian's voice dropped, almost a whisper. "Yes. Her wolf is close."
---
The shadow wolf crashed into the clearing. My body moved before thought. Muscles burning, senses sharper than ever, I threw myself sideways. Its jaws snapped where my throat had been.
I hit the ground hard, breath ripped from my lungs. Ivy's laughter echoed, shrill, mocking.
"Run, wolfless!"
But I didn't run.
Something inside me surged. Not claws, not fur—raw instinct. My heart pounded like a drum, my blood roaring.
I rose, teeth clenched, vision blazing.
The wolf turned, growling.
And deep in my mind, a voice whispered.
Finally.
---