Kella
I shouldn't have left the room.
Kael had said stay here, and for once, I actually tried. I paced his bedroom like a caged thing, every nerve buzzing, skin too tight for my body. Whatever had settled inside me last night was no longer quiet.
It was alert.
Waiting.
The pack house felt different today. I could feel it even through the walls—movement below, voices overlapping, footsteps heavy with purpose. Something was happening.
And I was tired of being the only one in the dark.
I slipped out.
The corridor was long and carved with ancient symbols I hadn't noticed before. As I walked past them, a strange sensation brushed my skin—recognition. My fingers twitched, itching to trace the markings.
You know this, a voice whispered inside me.
I ignored it and continued down the stairs.
The main hall was full.
Wolves—no, people—stood in clusters, their conversations hushed but intense. Every single one of them went silent the moment I stepped into the room.
Dozens of eyes turned toward me.
My stomach dropped.
They weren't hostile.
They were… stunned.
I shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware of how exposed I felt. "Um—sorry," I muttered. "I was just looking for—"
Kael.
He stood at the front of the hall with the council—older wolves, powerful ones. The moment his gaze found me, his expression hardened.
Kella, no.
I felt it—not spoken aloud, but pushed through the bond I didn't know existed.
My breath hitched.
The wolves around me reacted instantly.
Some lowered their heads.
Others stiffened, eyes widening.
A low murmur rippled through the room.
"She feels wrong," someone whispered.
"No," another voice countered. "She feels… familiar."
Kael was moving before I realized it—crossing the hall in long strides, dominance rolling off him like a storm.
"What are you doing here?" he asked quietly, stopping in front of me.
"I could ask you the same thing," I snapped, nerves fraying. "You said nothing was wrong. Clearly, you lied."
"I said stay in my room."
"And I said I'm not a prisoner."
The tension snapped.
A wave of energy surged through me—hot, wild, uncontrolled. My heart slammed against my ribs, and suddenly every sound sharpened, every scent exploded.
Fear.
Curiosity.
Respect.
Submission.
I could feel them.
The pack.
Kael's eyes darkened. "Control yourself."
"I don't know how!" I cried.
A sharp gasp echoed from the crowd.
One of the council members stepped forward—an older woman with silver hair and piercing eyes. "Alpha," she said slowly, "she's projecting."
Silence fell.
Projecting?
Kael swore under his breath. He grabbed my wrist, pulling me closer. "Breathe," he commanded. "Focus on me."
I tried.
I really did.
But something inside me surged at his nearness, reacting violently to his authority. My pulse spiked, and before I could stop myself, a sound tore from my throat.
A growl.
Low.
Unmistakable.
The room erupted.
Several wolves dropped to one knee instinctively.
Others stared at me in open shock.
Kael froze.
The council woman's eyes widened. "Impossible…"
"What?" I whispered, panic flooding me. "What did I just do?"
Kael's grip tightened, not in anger—but in restraint. "You challenged the room," he said hoarsely.
"I didn't mean to!"
"That doesn't matter."
The council murmured urgently now.
"She hasn't shifted."
"No markings."
"But the dominance—"
"She's untrained."
"She's dangerous."
The word cut deep.
Kael turned sharply, a snarl ripping from his chest. "Enough."
The room fell instantly silent.
"She is under my protection," he declared. "Any harm that comes to her comes through me."
My chest tightened at his words.
The council woman studied me closely. "Does she know?"
Kael didn't answer.
I looked between them, heart pounding. "Know what?"
No one spoke.
The silence was worse than any answer.
Finally, Kael met my gaze.
Not as Alpha.
But as something else.
Something conflicted.
Something afraid.
"You shouldn't have awakened yet," he said softly. "Your wolf is too close to the surface."
My breath caught.
"My… wolf?"
The room seemed to tilt.
"That's not possible," I whispered. "I'm human."
Kael didn't correct me.
That was answer enough.
A sharp laugh escaped me, brittle and broken. "You all think I'm a monster."
"No," Kael said immediately. "They think you're a threat."
"Isn't that worse?"
Before he could respond, a woman pushed through the crowd—tall, beautiful, eyes glowing with open hostility.
"Alpha," she said sharply. "You're endangering the pack."
Kael's jaw clenched. "Enough, Lyra."
Lyra.
She looked at me like she wanted to tear my throat out.
"She doesn't belong here," Lyra continued. "Whatever she is, she's unstable. Unclaimed. Untested."
Her gaze flicked pointedly between Kael and me.
"And she affects you."
That hit harder than anything else.
Kael's voice dropped to ice. "Leave. Now."
Lyra hesitated—then bowed stiffly and retreated, her glare promising this wasn't over.
Kael turned back to me, expression unreadable. "Come with me."
I didn't resist as he led me away, my legs weak, my mind spiraling.
"My wolf," I whispered once we were alone again. "You said my wolf."
He closed the door behind us, leaning his forehead briefly against the wood as if holding himself together.
"Yes," he admitted quietly.
The word shattered something inside me.
"You're not human, Kella," he continued. "You never were."
Tears filled my eyes. "Then what am I?"
He straightened, facing me fully.
"You're something this pack hasn't seen in generations," he said. "And when the truth comes out…"
His gaze darkened.
"It's going to change everything."