Applied Pack Dynamics

Dahlia's POV

After what Kyren did to me the night before, my whole view of him changed. How could anyone be so cold and heartless? I'd needed help; he'd seen me clearly, and he'd chosen to ignore me. I could have died out there if Robby hadn't pulled me through.

Had he been planning to watch me die? I should have expected it from him, considering everything he'd witnessed at the Trial by Howl, but I hadn't expected someone who could have helped at the moment I was nearly killed to hold back because of a black howl.

Soraya shifted on her bed; her sleepy eyes landed on me. “Where were you last night, Lia?” she asked, half asleep. “I looked everywhere for you in the middle of the night; you were nowhere, and then you just showed up this morning.”

I stared at my hands, picking at invisible dirt. “I went to the kitchen to get some food, but I came back not long after. I didn't want to wake you,” I lied. There was no way Raya would have believed me if I'd said I was in the bathroom, because I knew she'd have checked there.

“Oh, that's why I didn't see you. I never looked in the kitchen,” Soraya said, already drifting off again, as though that answer was enough. I nodded, even though she'd stopped looking.

“We should start getting ready for class,” I told her calmly.

She turned to face the wall, muttering something I didn't catch, and within seconds her breathing had evened out. I stayed where I was on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing. My body ached in several places from the training and the run for my life. My arms felt heavy, and my legs were burning, and Kyren's face, half hidden in shadow, refused to leave my head.

I stood up quietly, freshened up, and got dressed, and Raya did the same. We walked to class in silence, unusual for her, but I was grateful. “Lia, try to ignore the stares and whispers today, okay? You'll be fine,” she said, patting my shoulder.

I'd almost forgotten that we were supposed to check the notice board every day to see what activity was scheduled. I only remembered when I saw students pushing and straining to read it. I didn't have to fight for a spot, because the moment I stepped onto the pavement, the crowd parted. That was one advantage of howling black.

*Applied Pack Dynamics: Mandatory.*

*All year levels.*

*Training Grounds B.*

My stomach tightened. We had Applied Pack Dynamics today, and nobody had mentioned it? Maybe they had, but since no one told me, I wouldn't have known. I wanted to turn back, but Raya wouldn't let me.

I barely recognized Training Ground B when we got there, because it was already full of students. The first-years clustered nervously on one side of the field while the seniors leaned against trees and stone pillars, treating the day like a break from their routine. They weren't new to this. My eyes swept the crowd, and I saw him.

Kyren stood with his entourage, calm as if nothing had happened, looking exactly as he had the night before, as though he hadn't watched me run for my life and done nothing about it.

I looked away quickly.

“Quiet!” a sharp voice snapped.

Everyone went still.

Instructor Ragnor climbed the small podium in the middle of the field and clasped his hands behind his back. He was one of the older teachers, with grey-streaked hair, a scar along his jaw, and eyes that missed nothing. Rumor had it he taught Applied Pack Dynamics because he believed pain was the fastest teacher.

“Applied Pack Dynamics is not a comfort class,” he began, his deep voice carrying across the training ground. “It isn't about skill or rank either. Today you will learn how to function in a pack that doesn't care about your feelings.” He adjusted the collar of his shirt.

“You will be paired at random, and no hierarchy will be recognized. Seniors will be paired with juniors. If your partner fails, you fail. If your partner gets hurt because of your choices, you will answer for it.”

My fingers curled into fists.

“Your tasks are tracking, silent movement, and guarding,” he said. “You will complete all three together, or not at all.”

He raised a hand, and another instructor stepped up beside him, holding a small box.

“Come forward when your name is called.”

I watched with a sort of fascination as names were called, some students cheering because they liked their partners and others frowning.

“Dahlia.”

I flinched and hopped forward.

“And Kyren.”

The world tilted.

My chest tightened, and heat crawled up my neck. Murmurs rippled across the field, and Lunara's eyes nearly popped out of her head with rage.

I looked up and met Kyren's eyes. He stared straight at me, his expression impossible to read. “You two will work together,” the instructor repeated. Neither of us said a word.

“Good,” Ragnor said. “Now move.”

We were sent toward the edge of the woods with several other pairs, and the silence between us grew with every step. I kept my eyes ahead, my jaw tight, my hands clenched.

“Are you okay? You're limping,” Kyren said suddenly.

I stopped walking.

I turned to face him slowly, and a scornful laugh escaped me.

“Don't,” I said, in a low growl.

“Don't what?”

“Don't pretend you care,” I said. My voice was calm, though my mind was anything but. “You watched me almost die last night.”

His eyes darkened slightly. “I was making sure you survived,” he said.

I laughed. “That's funny, because it didn't feel like it.”

He didn't answer.

We reached the first marker, where another instructor was waiting. “Tracking,” he said. “One of you leads and the other guards.”

Kyren stepped back. “You lead.”

I hesitated, then nodded. Fine. If he wants to watch again, he's free to. I've got Robby.

I crouched and breathed in slowly, and the forest seemed to open to me without much effort. We moved forward carefully, in control. I could feel Kyren behind me, silent but alert. Halfway along the trail, I sensed movement to the left, and I stopped and raised a hand without thinking. We both froze and waited, but nothing happened, so we carried on.

We finished the first task, which earned us a raised eyebrow from Mr Ragnor. “Efficient,” he said. “Quiet.”

Next came silent movement. We had to cross ground littered with brittle branches without making a sound. Who designs a task like that?

[DING! TASK DETECTED: CROSS A BRITTLE FOREST PATCH WITHOUT MAKING A SOUND.]

INSTRUCTIONS TO PASS:

[MOVE SLOWLY AND WITH CONTROL.]

[SCAN THE GROUND BEFORE EVERY STEP.]

[TEST SURFACES WITH YOUR TOES FIRST.]

[SHIFT YOUR WEIGHT GRADUALLY.]

[KEEP YOUR KNEES BENT AND YOUR CENTER LOW.]

[STEP ON SOFT EARTH, ROOTS, OR MOSS.]

[AVOID DRY LEAVES AND BRITTLE GROUND.]

[CONTROL YOUR BREATH.]

[COMMUNICATE SILENTLY.]

[STAY AWARE OF YOUR PARTNER.]

[REMEMBER: CONTROL MATTERS MORE THAN SPEED. PANIC EQUALS FAILURE.]

[SYSTEM STATUS: ACTIVE. PROCEED, DAHLIA.]

I moved with everything Robby had just taught me. Kyren followed exactly where I stepped, his control flawless, which irritated me, but we made it across, and I was happy about it, mostly because I had passed, not because we had. The guarding task went smoothly too, and we finished it in no time. Our records were taken, and everyone was told to go back to their rooms.

“Dahlia,” someone called as I was about to leave. I turned, and it surprised me that it was Kyren.

“Next time,” he said calmly, “I won't just watch.”

There won't be a next time, you idiot, I screamed, though only in my head. I rolled my eyes and walked away. By the end of the day, I was more than happy, because we'd been given a few days' rest to prepare for exams.

I couldn't wait to talk to my parents, because they had a lot of questions to answer.