Chapter 134
Elara's POV
The wolf stood there. Ten meters away. Blocking our path back to base.
Tawny fur. Yellow eyes that tracked each of us like we were prey.
My hand moved to the small of my back. Fingers brushed the handle of the folding knife hidden under my jacket.
"Cole?" Kress's voice was careful. Too careful. "Is that you?"
I went still.
Kress knew Cole was a shifter.
Of course he did. They were friends. But hearing him say it out loud in front of everyone made my pulse spike.
The wolf didn't respond. Just watched us with those unblinking yellow eyes.
"Cole, if that's you, shift back. You're scaring people."
Nothing.
I studied the wolf. Wrong coloring. Cole's wolf form was black. I'd seen it that night when we went to the refugee camp.
This wolf was tawny. Smaller than Cole too. And the eyes were wrong.
Cole's eyes were dark amber. Almost brown.
These eyes were bright yellow. Cold.
Behind me, Sass whispered to Zack. "Dude, did Kress lose it? He's talking to a wolf."
Tina's grip on Linda's arm looked painful. "Is he... is he trying to communicate with it?"
Greg pushed his glasses up. "Maybe it's some kind of animal behavior technique? Like how you're supposed to talk calmly to aggressive dogs?"
Luke was the only one who seemed to get it. "Everyone stay quiet. That thing's eyes... something's wrong."
The wolf took a step forward.
Kress raised both hands slowly. "Easy. We're just passing through. No trouble."
"That's not Cole," I said quietly.
Kress didn't take his eyes off the wolf. "How do you know?"
"Wrong color. Wrong size. Wrong eyes."
"Shit." His hand dropped to the gun at his belt. "Everyone stay calm. Back up slowly."
"Back up?" Sass's voice cracked. "There's a giant wolf right there!"
"I can see that." Kress's voice had gone very quiet. Very focused. "Which is why you're going to do exactly what I say."
The wolf's lips pulled back. Showed teeth.
Not a snarl yet. A warning.
I measured the distance. Calculated angles. If it charged, I could probably get my knife out in time. Probably.
But then what? I'd fought shifters before. In my old body. With my old strength.
This body was trained. Capable. Helena's ritual had given me enhanced healing and stamina. The Council training had sharpened my reflexes and combat skills.
But I was still human-strength against a fully shifted werewolf.
I'd need to be smart. Fast. Precise.
And I'd need to make sure no one else got hurt.
The wolf's gaze swept across the group. Lingered on each person for a second.
When those yellow eyes reached me, they stopped.
The wolf's head tilted slightly.
I stared back. Didn't blink. Didn't look away.
Something passed between us. Recognition? Curiosity?
The wolf took another step forward.
Kress's hand tightened on his gun. "Nobody move."
My fingers closed around the knife handle.
Then everything happened at once.
The wolf lunged.
Not at me. At Kress.
It moved so fast the students didn't even have time to scream. Just stood there frozen as the tawny blur shot toward our instructor.
Kress went for his gun. His hand was halfway to the holster when the wolf's paw struck his wrist with surgical precision.
The gun went flying. Landed somewhere in the underbrush.
Kress hit the ground hard. The wolf was on top of him. Fangs inches from his throat.
Kress threw an elbow at the wolf's ribs. Connected. The wolf snarled but didn't let go.
I was already moving.
The knife snapped open in my hand as I closed the distance. Three steps. Four.
The wolf's back was to me. Its attention completely on Kress.
I aimed for the back leg joint. The weak point in wolf form.
My blade flashed out.
The wolf sensed it at the last second. Twisted away from Kress. My knife caught its shoulder instead of the leg.
Blood bloomed across tawny fur.
The wolf's yellow eyes locked on me. Surprise flickered in them.
A human. With a blade. Actually drawing blood.
It clearly hadn't expected that.
Kress scrambled backward. Found his footing. "Elara, get back!"
I ignored him. Kept my eyes on the wolf.
It circled me slowly. Testing. Trying to figure out what I was.
I moved with it. Kept the knife between us. Let my training take over.
The Council instructors had drilled me on fighting shifted werewolves. How to read their body language. Where to strike. How to use speed and precision to compensate for lack of raw power.
The wolf feinted left. I didn't fall for it.
It tried again. Right this time. I shifted my weight but held my ground.
Behind me, I heard Kress moving through the brush. Looking for his gun.
The wolf heard it too. Its ears swiveled.
That's when it made its move.
It came in low and fast. Going for my legs.
I'd seen this attack pattern in training. Watched the instructors demonstrate it a dozen times.
I jumped. Not high. Just enough to clear the wolf's rush.
Landed in a crouch. Blade already moving toward its exposed flank.
Drew another line of blood across its ribs.
The wolf yelped. Spun to face me.
"Found it!" Kress's voice.
The wolf's attention split. Me. Kress with the gun.
It made a choice.
Charged at Kress again.
"Now!" I shouted.
Kress fired.
The shot went high. Clipped the wolf's back leg.
Not a killing shot. But enough to throw off its balance.
The wolf stumbled. Tried to correct.
I was already there.
Drove my knife into its shoulder. Deep. Felt the blade scrape bone.
The wolf howled. Twisted away. My knife came free in a spray of blood.
It hit the ground hard. Scrambled up. Three legs now instead of four.
Yellow eyes found mine again.
This time there was no curiosity. Just pain and rage.
And something else. Calculation.
It was weighing its options. Fight or flight.
I raised my knife. Let it see the blood on the blade.
The wolf made its decision.
Turned and ran.
Even injured, it was fast. Faster than any human could follow.
I took two steps after it. Knew it was pointless.
"Let it go," Kress said behind me. "You can't catch it on foot."
He was right. I stopped. Watched the tawny shape disappear into the trees.
My hand moved to the radio clipped to my belt. Pressed the button.
"Cole. Heading towards your sector. Injured tawny wolf. Intercept."
Static. Then Cole's voice. "On it."
I released the button. Turned back to the group.
Six students stood frozen. Staring at me like they'd never seen me before.
Kress was on his feet. Gun in hand. Blood on his jacket from where the wolf had pinned him.
"Everyone okay?" His voice was steady. Professional.
Nods. Shaky ones.
"Good. We're moving. Now. Stay close."
Nobody argued.
We started walking. Fast. Kress led. I took the rear. Kept watching the trees.
After five minutes, the radio crackled.
"Got him." Cole's voice. "Pinned. What do you want me to do?"
"Hold position," I said quietly. "We're coming to you."
Kress glanced back at me. Raised an eyebrow.
I just kept walking.
Three minutes later, we heard it. Snarling. The sound of bodies hitting the ground.
We came around a bend and there they were.
Two wolves. Black and tawny. Cole had the stranger pinned. His teeth locked around the back of its neck.
The tawny wolf had stopped struggling. Just lay there. Whimpering.
The students stopped dead.
"Holy shit," Sass breathed.
"There's two of them," Tina whispered.
Kress moved forward slowly. Hand on his gun but not raising it.
I walked past him. Straight toward the wolves.
Cole's dark amber eyes tracked me. Waiting for orders.
The tawny wolf saw me coming. Tried to struggle. Cole's grip tightened. The struggling stopped.
I crouched down. Looked into those yellow eyes.
Up close, I could see the intelligence there. The awareness.
This wasn't just a wolf. This was a person.
"This forest's wolf pack," I said quietly. "Are they Wild Hunt?"
The wolf's eyes widened. Just a fraction.
Behind me, Kress made a sound. "Elara, how do you know that name?"
I didn't answer. Kept my eyes on the wolf.
"Are they?" I asked again.