Chapter 57
Elara's POV
The words left my mouth before I could think them through.
"This is a drill. Isn't it, Coach?"
Dead silence.
Warren's face was unreadable in the firelight. The twenty wolves surrounding us didn't move. Didn't breathe.
I felt Adrian's eyes burning into the side of my head. The students behind me had gone completely still.
My heart was hammering so hard I thought everyone could hear it. But I kept my face blank. Calm.
I had to be right. I had to.
Warren stared at me for three full seconds.
Then he smiled.
And started clapping.
The sound echoed through the clearing. Slow. Deliberate.
"Excellent," he said. "Truly excellent."
Around us the wolves shifted back to human form. The tension bled out of their postures. Several of them were grinning.
What the hell.
"Stand down," Warren called out. His voice carried authority but no urgency now. "Exercise complete."
The students behind me erupted into confused muttering. I heard someone say "What?" and another voice crack on "Are you serious right now?"
I didn't move. Didn't relax.
Warren pulled a small notebook from his tactical vest. Flipped it open. His eyes scanned the page then lifted to mine.
"From the moment you hid your friend in the brush," he said, "to your tactical approach with Adrian. Your shot placement—every single shot avoided lethal zones. And finally, your deduction that this was a controlled scenario."
He closed the notebook with a snap.
"Textbook crisis response. Better than textbook, actually."
My throat felt tight. I forced myself to swallow.
"Anyone with basic observation skills could have figured it out," I said. My voice came out steady. Good.
Warren's smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Could they?" He tilted his head. "Tell me, Miss Grey. What else are you hiding?"
The question hit like a physical blow.
I met his gaze. Didn't flinch.
"I kept calm. I looked at the evidence. I made a logical conclusion." I paused. "That's all."
We stared at each other. The clearing had gone quiet again.
Then Warren nodded slowly.
"Hmm."
He turned away. Addressed the group at large.
"Bring out the supplies!"
---
Within minutes the clearing transformed.
Portable grills appeared. Coolers full of drinks. Bags of charcoal and lighter fluid. The wolves who'd been "attacking" us were now setting up a proper campsite.
I stood there watching. My brain still trying to catch up.
A drill. It was all a drill.
The adrenaline was draining out of my system now. Leaving me shaky. Exhausted.
"Holy shit," someone behind me breathed.
Warren raised his voice over the noise.
"This evaluation happens every year at St. George. We assess students with potential for advanced training." He gestured to the supplies being unpacked. "As compensation for tonight's stress, the school has provided dinner and refreshments."
He pulled out a stack of papers.
"You'll each receive individual assessments within one week. The results will be delivered privately." His expression hardened. "You will now sign non-disclosure agreements. What happened here tonight does not get discussed with anyone who wasn't present. Clear?"
Murmurs of agreement. Some students looked relieved. Others still seemed shell-shocked.
Warren started passing out the papers.
I took mine without reading it. My hands were trembling slightly.
Chloe.
I turned and ran back toward the brush where I'd hidden her.
She was still there. Still unconscious but breathing steadily.
The medical team Warren had called over was already checking her vitals. One of them looked up as I approached.
"She'll be fine. Mild concussion. We've stabilized her shoulder."
Relief hit me so hard I almost sat down right there in the dirt.
"When will she wake up?"
"Any minute now."
I knelt beside her. Pushed her hair back from her face. There was a bandage on her temple. Her shoulder was wrapped.
Sophia did this.
The thought sent a spike of cold rage through my chest.
This wasn't part of any drill. The water she'd given me. The cliff. Chloe getting hurt.
That was real.
I glanced around the clearing. Sophia was nowhere to be seen. Neither was the grey wolf that had attacked her.
But I'd noticed something during the chaos. The way Warren's team had moved. They'd separated Sophia from the group immediately. Dragged her off in a different direction than the other "captured" students.
Not part of the exercise. They knew.
Warren knew.
Chloe's eyes fluttered open.
"Elara?" Her voice was slurred. Confused.
"I'm here. You're okay."
"What... what happened?"
I glanced at the medic. He gave me a small nod.
"It was a training exercise," I said quietly. My jaw tightened. "Most of it, anyway."
Chloe blinked at me. Processing.
"Not... real?"
"Not real."
She closed her eyes again. Let out a shaky breath.
"I'm going to kill Warren," she muttered.
Despite everything, I almost smiled.
---
By the time we made it back to the main clearing, the atmosphere had completely shifted.
Students were gathered around the fires. Eating. Laughing nervously. The kind of manic energy that comes after surviving something terrifying—even if it turned out to be fake.
Someone handed me a plate of food. I took it automatically.
Chloe stuck close to my side. Still wobbly but insisting she was fine.
"This is insane," she whispered. "They seriously do this every year?"
"Apparently."
"And you figured it out. How?"
I shrugged. Kept my voice low.
"The wolves weren't killing anyone. Just capturing. It seemed too... organized."
Chloe shook her head. "You're terrifying sometimes. You know that?"
I didn't answer.
Across the fire, I caught Warren watching me. Writing something in that damn notebook.
I looked away.
---
Adrian found me twenty minutes later.
I was sitting on a log at the edge of the clearing. Away from the main group. Trying to process everything.
He sat down beside me without asking.
"Hey."
"Hey."
We sat in silence for a moment. The firelight flickered across his face.
"Your archery," he said finally. "Where did you learn to shoot like that?"
My stomach tightened.
"I practiced," I said. Same lie as before.
"Practiced." He didn't sound convinced. "Those were precision shots under extreme pressure. You didn't hesitate. Didn't miss."
I turned to look at him. His expression was curious. Not accusatory. But definitely suspicious.
"I'm a quick learner," I said.
"Right."
Another pause.
"Look," Adrian said. "I don't know what your deal is. And honestly? I don't care. You saved those students tonight. That's what matters."
He stood up. Brushed dirt off his pants.
"But if you ever want to tell me the truth..." He trailed off. Shrugged. "I'm a good listener."
He walked away before I could respond.
I sat there staring into the fire.
The truth.
What would I even say? That I was a twenty-year-old Alpha from the frozen north whose soul got shoved into a dying Omega's body? That I'd killed more people than I could count? That every instinct I had tonight came from a lifetime of violence?
Yeah. That would go over great.
I pulled my knees up to my chest. Wrapped my arms around them.
Just some talent, I'd told Adrian.
Just talent.
If only it were that simple.