Losing control

Chapter 10.

Camryn.

It has been three weeks since I arrived at Lupinemere Academy. My parents had sent me here to make sense of what I had become, but so far, it had been nothing but strange behaviors, cryptic warnings and unanswered questions.

The scar on my stomach still bothered me, I still don't know how it had gotten there. Could it have been that night? I didn't know for sure.

Kian’s odd glances and weird stares, full of meaning I couldn’t decipher,and Principal Parker’s weird questions that night, it all made my life feel like a puzzle I couldn’t solve.

I rolled out of bed that morning in a really bad mood. There was a restless energy inside me that refused to calm. My wolf stirred, quietly but insistently and it left me snappy, tense, and eager for some release. I needed a way to burn off the frustration building inside me before it overwhelmed me completely.

Lectures were the worst. I sat in yet another classroom, eyes half-closed, listening to some old aged man drone about things I didn’t care about. Every day felt the same.

The only class that had ever made sense to me was physical training, but even that had started to lose its thrill. Jax no longer sparred with me, barely spoke to me, and seemed to avoid my gaze entirely, I'm guessing it has something to do with Heather.

The absence of his attention left a hollow ache in me, one I couldn’t name. All I knew was that I needed to fight, to release something, anything.

By the time the training class started, I was really tense. Wolves were pairing off, forming groups, and I scanned the room for an opening. The only free group included Jax and a few other students. My stomach twisted as I approached, Jax didn’t even glance at me. I swallowed my frustration and joined the group, my hands trembling slightly, not entirely from nerves. Something inside me wanted to snap, to lash out.

The instructor blew the whistle, signaling the start of the session. At first, it was simple enough, testing strength and agility but I could feel myself simmering beneath the surface.

My senses were sharper than normal, I could hear the faintest whisper of fur shifting across the mats, smell the faint metallic tang of blood in the air, and even the subtle shifts in the other wolves’ emotions. The wolf instincts were surfacing, clawing their way to the forefront.

One of the students, a small wolf with an overconfident smirk, tried to provoke me. I ignored him at first, unwilling to lose control but as the fight progressed, his movements became deliberate, mocking, and reckless. Something inside me snapped.

Without meaning to, I lunged, and before anyone could stop me, I sent him flying across the training hall. The thud echoed against the walls, and silence fell. Every pair of eyes in the room turned toward me, wide with shock.

Jax rushed to my side, his expression a mix of concern and disbelief. “Camryn, why did you do that?” he asked, his voice low but tense.

“I didn’t,” I muttered, though everyone had seen exactly what had happened. My words sounded weak, even to me.

“I don't know what's up with you but you better get a hold of yourself.” Jax said firmly, stepping back.

His warning didn’t carry the usual authority, it carried a rare hint of worry. I rolled my eyes, though inside, panic bubbled.

As the session went on, more strange incidents occurred. Another student, a new wolf, kept edging closer, his movements calm but deliberate.

I could sense something off about him, he was trying to provoke me and it was working, the tension radiating from him made my fur stand on end. I clenched my fists, willing myself to stay calm because I didn’t want to lose control again.

Then, without warning, he shifted. The hall filled with the unmistakable sound of snapping bones, fur stretching and a guttural growl. His eyes glowed faintly and in an instant, he lunged at me.

My heart skipped a beat and for the first time, fear clenched at my chest. Before he could reach me, Jax sprang into action. His movements were a blur, faster than I thought possible and he knocked the wolf out cold before any harm could come to me.

Shaken and terrified, I stumbled back. Jax reached for me, helping me up, his hands lingering just a second too long. My heart raced, and I realized I was still trembling, not just from the fight but from something deeper, something primal stirring inside me.

“Camryn… your eyes,” Jax said suddenly, his voice tight.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“They’re glowing,” he said, scanning the room. The other wolves around us were frozen, their bodies tense, ready to strike or defend.

My pulse spiked. I hadn’t noticed. I didn’t feel any different, at least not consciously but the glow of my wolf eyes now reflected back at me from the other students and I felt a wave of panic rise.

"What's going on, they all look like they're about to attack me." I said as fear gripped me.

“Camryn, you should leave. Now,” Jax said, his tone firm, carrying the weight of his usual authority.

“Now?” I asked, hesitant to move.

“Yes. Now!” he yelled.

Fear laced with adrenaline pushed me forward, and I ran. I didn’t look back, though I could feel every gaze burning into me, every whisper of fur and muscle tense with awareness of the wolf inside me.

I finally stopped to catch my breath outside the training hall. My heart hammered in my chest. What had just happened? If I had stayed there any longer they were all going to attack me and that terrified me.

My wolf stirred inside, restless, I was losing control of my own body and now it was affecting people around me too.