The shadow wolf lunged again, mist curling off its hide like smoke. My body should've frozen—but it didn't. The world slowed, sharp edges cutting into focus. Every sound hit crisp—the snap of a branch, Ivy's harsh breathing, Tessa's heart hammering beside me.
I moved. Faster than I ever had.
The wolf's jaws missed my leg by inches as I twisted aside, hand shooting for a rock. My fingers closed around it, and before fear could catch up, I slammed it into the creature's muzzle.
It yelped, staggering back into the mist.
Tessa gasped. "Aria—you moved like—"
"Don't say it," I hissed, chest heaving.
Ivy stared, disbelief flickering before she masked it with venom. "Cheap trick. You're still nothing."
But her voice shook.
Another wolf circled, eyes glowing through the fog. My pulse raced, but something deeper steadied me. A rhythm beneath the fear. My senses flared wider, sharper.
Good, the voice purred in my head. Use me.
I staggered, gripping my temple. No. Not now.
---
On the ridge, the alphas stood tense.
Kael whistled low. "Look at that. Wolfless isn't so wolfless."
Rylan's scowl deepened. "Instinct. Nothing more. She won't last."
Darius's gaze narrowed. "No panic. No surrender. That's not instinct—it's training. Or blood."
Kael shot him a grin. "Which do you prefer, Darius? If she's trained, someone hid her. If it's blood, someone lied."
Lucian finally spoke, voice calm but firm. "Either way, she doesn't belong in the wolfless bracket. The forest isn't fighting her—it's feeding her."
Kael arched a brow. "You sound impressed."
Lucian's golden eyes didn't leave me. "I'm interested. That's different."
---
The shadow wolf sprang again. I ducked low, legs burning, vision blazing brighter. My arm shot up on instinct, shoving its head aside. It hit the ground hard, snarling.
Tessa dragged me back. "That's not normal, Aria. You—"
"I know," I snapped, breath ragged.
Ivy's smirk cracked at the edges. "So you've got reflexes. Doesn't make you one of us. You'll burn out. Just like your mother."
Her words sliced deeper than claws. Heat surged through my veins, raw and dangerous.
The wolf lunged once more. My foot lashed out before thought, connecting with its chest. It crashed into a tree, whimpering before slinking back into the mist.
Silence.
Even Ivy's lackeys gaped.
Tessa whispered, "You… you fought it off."
Ivy's lip curled, fury replacing shock. "Fluke." She spun, shoving past her group. "This isn't over."
Her voice trailed into the fog.
---
Up above, Kael chuckled. "Oh, I like her. Fire under pressure. Makes things fun."
Rylan shot him a glare. "Fun gets people killed."
"People die anyway," Kael drawled. "Might as well enjoy the sparks first."
Darius's voice cut in, cold as steel. "She shouldn't have survived that lunge. Yet she did."
Lucian's reply was quiet, certain. "Because her wolf isn't dead. It's waiting."
Kael smirked. "Waiting for what?"
Lucian finally turned, golden eyes burning. "The Blood Moon."
---
My knees buckled. The ground tilted under me, vision swimming.
"Aria!" Tessa caught my arm.
The voice in my head whispered again, low and hungry. Almost.
My chest heaved. I clutched my temples, gasping. "No… not now…"
Darkness surged in.
The last thing I saw before the world swallowed me was the glow of golden eyes from the ridge above.
Watching. Waiting.
---