CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

The Note

    I opened my locker, and a folded piece of paper fell out and landed on my shoe. I stared at it for a second before bending down. My first thought was that it was another one of those notes—the usual ones, the ones that told me to go home, that I didn't belong here, or that my wolf was a joke.

    I picked it up and unfolded it.

STOP HIDING. WE KNOW WHAT YOUR WOLF IS, ELARA.

     My hands went still. I looked around the hallway. Students walked past like nothing was wrong, and lockers slammed. Someone laughed too loudly near the end of the row. No one was watching me—at least, no one I could see.

     I almost crushed the paper in my fist; it had to be a prank. My sister's friends did this kind of thing all the time. They left notes, they whispered, and they made sure I knew I was only here because the Alpha of my pack had adopted me and ordered me to watch over his real daughter.

But the handwriting stopped me.

     It wasn't the big, messy lettering they usually used. This was neat, sharp, and controlled—every letter looked like it had been written slowly on purpose.

Someone had been watching me.

     I shoved the note into my bag and shut the locker harder than I needed to. My wolf stirred under my skin, restless already. I pushed her down the way I always did—hard and fast, until she went quiet again.

     I couldn't afford for her to wake up, not here.

My first class was History of Pack Law. I sat in the back like always. My sister, Elena, sat near the front with her friends. She didn't look at me when I walked in; she never did unless she wanted something.

       I tried to focus on the lesson. The instructor spoke about old bloodlines and ranking systems, but my mind kept going back to the note. The words sat in my head like they were burned there.

We know what your wolf is.

How?

      I'd been careful. For months, I'd kept her locked down. No full shifts unless I was completely alone, no showing strength in training, and no letting anyone see that she'd been getting stronger since my eighteenth birthday—stronger than she should have been, and stronger than a nobody like me was allowed to be.

      Someone must have seen something—a slip, a moment when I thought no one was looking.

Halfway through class, I felt it: that low, crawling feeling at the back of my neck, like eyes were on me. I turned my head just enough to check the room. No one was staring. The instructor kept talking, and students were still taking notes.

When class ended, I packed my things fast. Elena walked past my desk without a word. One of her friends, a girl named Tessa, bumped my shoulder hard on purpose.

“Watch it, Elara,” she said, smiling mockingly.

I didn't answer. I never did; answering only made it worse.

       In the hallway, the feeling came back stronger. I walked with the crowd but kept checking over my shoulder. Once, I thought I saw someone stop when I stopped, but when I looked again, they were gone.

      My wolf pushed against my control. She didn't like this; she wanted out, wanting to turn around and find whoever was following us.

I clenched my jaw and forced her down again.

      Combat training was next. We lined up on the outdoor grounds. The air smelled like cut grass and sweat. I stayed near the edge of the group, hoping to be ignored.

It didn't work for long.

       The instructor paired people off. I ended up with a boy from a high-ranking pack who looked annoyed the second he saw me.

     “Try not to embarrass yourself,” he muttered.

      We started the drills: basic blocks with basic strikes. I held back the way I always did, making my movements look average, a little slow, and weak. It was safer that way.

      Halfway through, I felt the eyes again.     

“Pay attention.”

      I nodded and reset my stance. My wolf snarled inside me. She hated pretending and the way I let people push me around.

I shut her up and finished the session without another mistake.

      After training, I went to the bathroom to splash water on my face. The mirror showed the same girl as always: dark hair pulled back with tired eyes, nothing special. Nothing that should make someone leave a note like that.

      I pulled the paper out of my bag again and read it one more time.

STOP HIDING. WE KNOW WHAT YOUR WOLF IS.

I folded it smaller and shoved it deep into a side pocket.

      Lunch was the same as every other day. I sat alone and deserted at the end of a table. Elena and her group sat in the center of the hall, loud and bright. I ate quickly, as the feeling of being watched never fully left.

      Once, I looked up and caught an instructor staring at me from across the room. The moment our eyes met, he looked away and pretended to check something on his tablet.

That was new.

      Instructors didn't pay attention to me. I was the adopted girl, the one who cleaned up after Elena and carried her things when she ordered it. I wasn't worth their time.

Something had changed.

       My wolf paced under my skin all through lunch; she was getting harder to hold. Every loud noise made her tense, and every person who walked too close made her push forward.

I left early and headed for the library. It was quieter there with fewer people. I found a table in the back and tried to do the reading for the next class, but the words blurred. I kept glancing at the door, the windows, and the shelves behind me.

       There was a faint sound between the stacks, like a footstep that stopped too fast.

I stood up.

No one was there.

I sat back down, my heart beating harder than it should have.

       The rest of the afternoon dragged. In Theory of Shifting, I felt it again, stronger this time—like someone was standing right behind me even though the seat was empty. My wolf rose so hard that my fingers twitched on the desk; for a second, I thought claws might break through.

I dug my nails into my palms until the urge passed.

       When the final bell rang, I almost ran out of the building.

The path back to the dorms cut through a stretch of trees. Most students took the main walkway, and I usually did too. Tonight, I wanted the quieter route with fewer people and less chance of Elena or her friends deciding they weren’t done with me for the day.

       The sun was already low, and long shadows stretched across the ground. The air smelled like pine and damp earth.

I walked fast.

      Halfway down the path, the feeling changed.

It wasn’t just watching anymore; it was closer and heavier.

I stopped.

Nothing moved in the trees—no voices, no footsteps.

My wolf went completely still. That was worse than the pacing; she only did that when something was wrong.

I took another step.

 Then they came out of the trees.

       Three of them—students I recognized from the higher ranks. Not Elena’s usual group, but close enough. One of them I had seen talking to Tessa before. They spread out across the path, blocking the way forward.

      “Well, look who took the long way home,” the one in front said. He was tall, with a mean smirk on his mouth. “We’ve been wanting a private talk.”

I didn’t answer. My eyes moved between them, measuring distance. Three against one. In the open. No instructors nearby.

“You’ve been acting weird today,” the second one said. “Looking over your shoulder. Jumping at nothing. Guilty conscience?”

The third one laughed. “Maybe she finally realized she doesn’t belong here.”

I took a step back.

The first one moved forward. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Leave me alone,” I said. My voice came out steady even though my heart was slamming against my ribs.

“Or what?” He tilted his head. “You’ll cry to your sister? She doesn’t care about you. Nobody does.”

They closed in.

I turned to run.

      A hand grabbed my arm and yanked me back hard. I hit the ground. Dirt and small rocks dug into my palms. Before I could get up, a boot connected with my side. Pain exploded through my ribs. Another kick landed near my shoulder.

I curled in on myself, trying to protect my head.

“Stay down,” someone said. “This is a long time coming.”

Another blow, and my wolf exploded against my control. She didn’t ask this time; she tore upward with everything she had.

I tried to hold her.

I failed.

       Power ripped out of me in a violent surge. It wasn’t a normal shift; it wasn’t claws and fur. It was something raw and blinding that burst from my skin like a shockwave. The air cracked, and the three of them flew backward like they’d been hit by a truck. One slammed into a tree hard enough that the trunk split. Another rolled across the ground and didn’t get up right away. The third landed on his back, gasping.

      I pushed myself up on my hands and knees. My arms shook. Gold light still flickered under my skin, fading slowly. My wolf stood fully present inside me for the first time in months—massive, furious, and strong in a way that scared me.

I stared at my hands.

What the hell was that?