Something Beneath the Surface

The second day of training hurt more than the first.

Not because of Lyra.

Not even because of the bruises that still lingered along Carolina’s ribs.

It was the way everyone watched her now.

Not with amusement.

Not entirely with doubt.

With expectation.

Carolina stood at the edge of the training field again, arms crossed tightly as she rolled her shoulders, trying to ignore the stiffness in her body.

Yesterday had changed something.

She could feel it.

Not just in the pack—

But in herself.

“You’re early.”

Carolina didn’t turn.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Footsteps crunched softly behind her.

“You’re going to burn yourself out if you keep pushing like this.”

That voice.

Xander.

Carolina exhaled slowly. “You’re one to talk.”

He stepped beside her, close enough that she could feel the heat of him without touching.

“I don’t get the luxury of stopping,” he said.

“Neither do I.”

A beat of silence passed between them.

Then—

“Yesterday…” he started.

Carolina tensed.

“Don’t,” she said quickly.

His brow furrowed. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t make it a thing.”

His gaze lingered on her. “It is a thing.”

Her heart betrayed her with a quick, sharp beat.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “It was a mistake that almost happened.”

Xander stepped closer.

“That’s not how it felt.”

Carolina forced herself to look at him.

“That’s exactly the problem.”

The bond stirred again—restless, aware.

Before either of them could say anything else—

A sharp whistle cut across the field.

“Positions!”

Training had started.

And just like that—

The moment was gone.

—

Today wasn’t sparring.

Not exactly.

Marcus stood at the center of the field again, his presence commanding immediate silence.

“Combat is not only strength,” he said. “It is instinct. Awareness. Control.”

His gaze swept over the group—

Then landed on Carolina.

“Some of you lack all three.”

A ripple of tension followed.

Carolina didn’t react.

Didn’t rise to it.

Good.

“Today,” Marcus continued, “we test your connection to your wolf.”

That got her attention.

“Shifting isn’t just physical,” he said. “Your wolf is not separate from you. It is you.”

Carolina’s chest tightened slightly.

She had felt it yesterday.

That shift.

That moment where everything slowed and sharpened.

But she didn’t understand it.

“Pair off,” Marcus ordered. “But this time—you won’t fight.”

Confused murmurs spread through the group.

“You’ll listen,” he clarified. “To your instincts. To your surroundings.”

Carolina frowned slightly.

“That’s it?” someone asked.

Marcus’s expression didn’t change.

“Those who underestimate this will fail.”

Silence.

Carolina stepped forward slowly, unsure what exactly she was supposed to be doing.

“Close your eyes,” Marcus said.

She hesitated.

Then obeyed.

Darkness settled.

At first—

Nothing.

Just the sound of wind brushing through trees.

Feet shifting on dirt.

Distant breathing.

Normal.

But then—

Something changed.

It was subtle.

A pull.

Carolina’s brow furrowed as her breathing slowed.

The sounds sharpened.

Separated.

She could hear individual heartbeats now.

Feel movement around her without seeing it.

Her pulse quickened.

What is this…?

“Don’t think,” Marcus’s voice cut in, distant but clear. “Feel.”

Carolina swallowed.

Feel.

She let go.

Just a little.

And suddenly—

It hit her.

A rush of sensation.

The ground beneath her feet felt alive.

Every shift in the air brushed against her skin like a whisper.

And beneath it all—

There it was.

Her wolf.

Not fully present.

Not shifting.

But there.

Aware.

Watching.

Waiting.

Carolina’s breath hitched.

“I feel it…” she whispered.

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

“Good,” Marcus said.

But his tone had changed.

Sharpened.

“Now hold onto it.”

That’s when it became harder.

The connection flickered.

Slipping.

Like trying to hold onto something just out of reach.

Carolina’s chest tightened.

“No—wait—”

It started to fade.

Panic flared.

And that’s when—

Everything snapped.

A surge of energy rushed through her, sudden and powerful.

Her eyes flew open.

The world looked different.

Brighter.

Sharper.

Alive.

Carolina gasped, staggering slightly as the sensation overwhelmed her.

“What—what was that?”

No one answered.

Because everyone was staring at her.

Marcus most of all.

Not with dismissal.

Not even with skepticism.

With something far more dangerous.

Interest.

“What did you do?” he asked.

Carolina shook her head, still trying to steady herself.

“I—I don’t know—”

But she did know.

It hadn’t been forced.

It hadn’t been controlled.

It had been instinct.

Raw.

Real.

“You pushed too far,” someone muttered.

Carolina ignored them.

Because her attention snapped to something else.

A feeling.

Familiar.

Strong.

Pulling.

Her head turned instinctively—

Straight to Xander.

He was already looking at her.

Like he’d felt it too.

The bond surged—stronger than it ever had before.

“What was that?” he asked quietly.

Carolina’s voice dropped.

“I think… my wolf is trying to come through.”

His expression darkened slightly.

“That wasn’t normal.”

“No,” Marcus said sharply, stepping forward.

All attention shifted to him again.

He studied Carolina for a long moment.

Too long.

Then—

“Again.”

Carolina blinked. “What?”

“Do it again.”

Her stomach twisted.

“I don’t know how—”

“Then figure it out.”

The pressure hit instantly.

This wasn’t training anymore.

This was something else.

Something bigger.

Carolina hesitated—

Then closed her eyes again.

This time—

She didn’t search for it.

She reached for it.

For that feeling.

That pull.

That presence beneath the surface.

For her wolf.

And slowly—

It answered.

A low, steady warmth spread through her chest.

Stronger this time.

More controlled.

Her breathing evened.

Her senses sharpened again—

But this time, she wasn’t overwhelmed.

She was steady.

Grounded.

In control.

Carolina opened her eyes.

And the field fell silent.

Because this time—

Everyone could feel it.

The shift in her presence.

Not fully Alpha.

Not dominance.

But something close.

Something… rare.

Marcus’s gaze hardened.

“Interesting,” he said.

But there was no approval in it.

Only calculation.

Carolina swallowed.

Because she understood now—

This didn’t make things easier.

It made them worse.

Much worse.

Because now—

She wasn’t just the weak outsider.

She was something else entirely.

Something the pack didn’t understand.

Something Marcus definitely didn’t trust.

And as her gaze flicked to Xander—

She saw it in his eyes too.

Not fear.

But awareness.

Everything had just changed.

Again.