The sharp smell of herbs hit first. My eyes fluttered open to whitewashed ceilings and rows of cots. The infirmary. My limbs felt like stone, heavy and drained.
"Aria!"
Tessa leaned over me, relief spilling from her face. She gripped my hand like she thought I'd vanish if she let go.
"You've been out for hours," she whispered. "I thought—"
"I'm alive," I rasped, my throat raw. "Barely."
Before she could answer, the door creaked open. Ivy's heels clicked across the tile, her entourage behind her.
"Well," Ivy purred, arms folded, "look who survived." Her smile was sharp as glass. "Guess the wolves decided not to chew you up. Pity. Would've saved everyone time."
Tessa bristled. "She fought them off! You didn't see—"
"I saw enough," Ivy cut in. "She stumbled, flailed, then blacked out. Hardly impressive." She leaned closer, her perfume cloying. "You don't belong here, Blackwell. Some of us actually earned our place."
Heat crawled up my neck, but my voice stayed steady. "If I didn't belong, I'd be dead. But I'm not."
The door slammed open again. Instructor Gray stalked in, his scarred face as unreadable as ever. His gaze cut across the room, pinning us all.
"Silence." His voice was iron. He looked at me. "Blackwell. You lasted longer than most wolfless recruits. You passed the forest trial."
Ivy's head snapped around. "Passed? She collapsed!"
Gray's eyes narrowed. "Survival is the only measure. She lived. That's more than some of your classmates can say."
The words landed like a stone in my chest. Students had… died? My stomach turned.
Gray turned on his heel. "You'll be assigned your dorm tomorrow morning. Rest."
He left as abruptly as he'd entered.
Ivy lingered, eyes burning holes through me. "Don't think this makes you special." Her voice dropped to a hiss. "Everyone breaks eventually. You'll be no different."
She spun out with her followers, leaving silence behind.
Tessa slumped onto the stool beside me. "Don't listen to her. You were incredible. I've never seen anyone move like that."
I swallowed hard. My hands trembled, and I clenched them under the blanket. "Neither have I."
That voice still echoed in my head. Almost.
The thought chilled me.
Tessa tried to distract me, babbling about dorms and breakfast, about how we'd finally get real food instead of rations. I nodded, pretending to listen, but my mind spun.
Something was wrong with me. Something bigger than Ivy's taunts or Gray's approval.
When Tessa finally left to fetch water, I sat up slowly, the room tilting. My blanket shifted—and a folded piece of paper slid onto my lap.
My breath caught. I looked around. No one.
Hands shaking, I opened it. The handwriting was jagged, rushed.
Shift soon, or die before midterms.
The note slipped from my fingers.
A chill wrapped around me, tighter than any blanket.
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