Chapter 66 Rage Behind Victory
Calix Pov
The wolf sprint event was first thing in the morning. I stood at the starting line with five other competitors. Three from Keane. Two from Silverthorn. All of us ready to shift and run the fastest two hundred meters of our lives.
The crowd was already screaming. Students from both schools packed the stands. The energy was insane. Electric. This was what sports week was all about. Pure competition. Pure instinct. Pure wolf.
I took a deep breath and let my wolf come to the surface. My bones shifted. My body changed. Black fur covered my skin. Within seconds I was standing on four legs instead of two. My wolf form felt powerful. Ready. Hungry for the win.
The other competitors shifted too. A mix of brown and gray and one red wolf from Silverthorn. We all lined up at the starting position. Muscles tensed. Eyes focused forward. Every wolf ready to explode into motion.
The starter raised the flag. The crowd went silent. Then the flag dropped.
I launched forward with everything I had. My legs pumped. My paws hit the ground in a perfect rhythm. Wind rushed past my ears. The world blurred around me.
I could sense the other wolves beside me. Could feel them pushing hard. But I was faster. I pulled ahead. One length. Two lengths. Three lengths.
The finish line appeared ahead. I crossed it well before anyone else. The crowd erupted in cheers. Keane students screamed my name. I had won. Easily.
I shifted back to human form and stood there panting. My whole body was hot from the exertion. Sweat dripped down my face. But I felt good. Strong. Alive in a way I hadn't felt in weeks.
My teammates rushed onto the field to congratulate me. They slapped my back and shouted about how amazing that was. Coach nodded at me with approval from the sideline.
I should have felt proud. I should have been celebrating. But something felt off. Wrong. Like there was a threat nearby that I couldn't see.
I looked up at the stands scanning the crowd. My wolf was still on edge. Still alert. Still sensing danger even though the race was over.
Then I saw him. A guy in Silverthorn colors standing near the edge of the field. He wasn't watching me. He was watching someone else. His eyes were locked on a spot high in the stands with an intensity that made my wolf growl.
I followed his gaze to see who he was staring at. My heart stopped when I saw her. Maddie. She was sitting near the top of the stands trying to be invisible. But this guy had found her. This guy was staring at her with hungry eyes that made rage surge hot in my chest.
Who was he? Why was he looking at Maddie like that? Why did my wolf want to rip his throat out?
The guy smiled slowly like he knew exactly what effect he was having. Then he turned and walked away from the field. Casual. Unconcerned. Like he hadn't just been staring at my mate with predatory interest.
My vision tunneled. Everything went red around the edges. My wolf surged forward demanding I chase him. Demanding I make him stop looking at Maddie. Demanding I tear him apart for even thinking about her.
"Hawthorne," Coach's voice cut through my rage. "You okay? You look like you're about to shift again."
I forced myself to take a breath. To calm down. To push my wolf back. "I'm fine Coach. Just adrenaline from the race."
"Go cool down," Coach said. He was watching me carefully. "Walk it off before the next event."
I nodded and walked off the field before I did something stupid. Before I shifted and went after that guy. Before I exposed exactly how much I cared about Maddie in front of thousands of people.
My hands were shaking with suppressed violence. My wolf was howling in my head demanding action. Demanding protection. Demanding I go to our mate right now and make sure she was safe.
"Who is he?" my wolf snarled. "Who is that male looking at our mate?"
"I don't know," I said quietly. "But I'm going to find out."
I pulled out my phone and texted someone I trusted. Marcus from the wrestling team. He knew people. He heard gossip. He could get information.
"Need info on a Silverthorn guy. Dark hair. Tall. Was staring at someone during the wolf sprint. Find out who he is."
Marcus texted back within minutes. "That's Jace Ryder. Their team captain. Why?"
Jace Ryder. The name meant nothing to me. But the way he looked at Maddie meant everything. That wasn't casual interest. That wasn't friendly curiosity. That was something darker. Something possessive. Something dangerous.
I texted Marcus again. "Find out everything you can about him. Everything."
"You got it," Marcus replied. "Give me an hour."
I put my phone away and tried to focus. I had another event this afternoon. I needed to stay calm. Needed to stay focused. Needed to not think about Jace Ryder and why he was looking at Maddie like she belonged to him.
But my wolf wouldn't settle. He paced restlessly in my head. He wanted to go back to the stands. He wanted to find Maddie. He wanted to make sure that guy wasn't near her.
"We need to protect her," my wolf insisted. "That male is a threat. We need to eliminate the threat."
"We can't," I said. "We're supposed to be staying away from her remember? We're supposed to be pushing her away for her own safety."
"Her safety is threatened right now," my wolf argued. "By him. Not by us. We need to act."
He had a point. I could push Maddie away all I wanted but that didn't protect her from other threats. From people like Jace Ryder who looked at her with hungry possessive eyes.
I walked to the edge of the field and looked up at the stands again. Maddie was still sitting there. Still trying to be invisible. But I could see the tension in her shoulders. The way she kept looking around nervously. The way she pulled her hood up like she was trying to hide.
She was scared. My mate was scared and I wasn't there to protect her.