Chapter 135
Elara's POV
The wolf lay pinned beneath Cole's black form. Blood matted its tawny fur where my knife had cut deep. Its yellow eyes tracked me with an intelligence that made my skin prickle.
Behind me, the students stood frozen. I could hear Tina's ragged breathing. Sass muttering something under his breath. Greg's sharp intake of air.
Kress moved forward, his face grim but resigned.
"Elara." His voice was careful. Too careful. "How do you know that name?"
I didn't look at him. Kept my eyes on the wolf. "Does it matter?"
"That name isn't something you should be saying out loud.."
"Well, I do." I crouched down. The wolf's gaze locked on mine. "So either help me get answers, or stay out of my way."
Kress was quiet for a moment. Then he sighed. "I don't know much about Wild Hunt. Only rumors."
"What kind of rumors?"
"The Greyback family." He holstered his gun. "They run the biggest pack in this region. Every few months, they send people into the deep forest. Past where we're standing. Way past."
I glanced up. "Sending what?"
"Supplies. Food. Medicine. Sometimes weapons." Kress rubbed his face. "I've seen the convoys a few times. Never asked questions. That's how you stay alive around here."
My mind raced. Tribute payments. That's what he was describing. The Greybacks were paying someone in the forest. Someone powerful enough to demand regular shipments.
"You think Wild Hunt is in there?" I asked.
"I think something is in there. Something that keeps the outer forest clean." Kress looked around at the trees. "You noticed how few predators we've encountered? How quiet it's been?"
I had noticed. I'd assumed it was seasonal. But now...
"They're maintaining a hunting ground," I said quietly.
Kress nodded. "That's my guess. And this one—" He gestured to the pinned wolf. "—was probably on patrol. Making sure no one gets too close."
Behind us, Tina's voice cracked. "What... what is that thing?"
I turned. All six students were staring at the wolf. At Cole. Their faces had gone white.
"That's not a normal wolf," Sass whispered. "Its eyes... it's looking at us like..."
"Like it understands," Luke finished. His hands were shaking.
Greg pushed his glasses up. His usual calm was cracking. "The size is wrong. Wolves don't grow that large. The bone structure—"
"Greg." Linda grabbed his arm. "Stop analyzing and start running."
"Nobody's running," Kress said sharply. "Everyone stay calm."
But Tina was backing away. "Kress, you asked if it was Cole. You said his name. Like you thought—"
She stopped. Her eyes went huge.
"Oh my god. You thought the wolf was Cole."
The clearing went silent.
Then the wolf beneath Cole began to shake.
Not a pain tremor. Something else. Its body convulsed. The tawny fur started to recede. Bones cracked and reformed with wet, grinding sounds.
Tina screamed.
"Don't look away," I said sharply. "You need to see this."
The transformation took maybe thirty seconds. Felt like longer. The wolf's muzzle shortened. Its limbs extended. Claws became fingers.
When it was over, a young man lay on the ground. Mid-twenties. Short brown hair. Gasping. The wounds on his shoulder and leg still bleeding.
Cole shifted back to human form in seconds. Before the man could recover, Cole grabbed rope from his pack and yanked the man's arms behind his back. Twisted the rope tight around his wrists.
The man tried to struggle. Cole's knee pressed into his spine.
"Don't," Cole said quietly.
The students couldn't move. Couldn't speak.
Greg made a choking sound. Sass had gone gray. Linda was holding Tina, who'd stopped screaming and started shaking instead. Zack stood with his mouth open, for once without a joke to crack
Then Cole stepped back.
I felt rather than saw his shift. The black fur melting away. The massive frame compacting. In moments, Cole stood there in human form. He kept his eyes on the bound man.
"Oh my god," Linda breathed. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god—"
"Shut up," I said. Not loud. Not mean. Just flat.
She shut up.
I stood and faced them. Six terrified college students who'd just watched their understanding of reality shatter.
"Listen carefully," I said. "What you saw today doesn't leave this forest."
"But—" Greg started.
"No." I cut him off. "Werewolves are real. They live among humans. And they have rules. One of those rules is secrecy."
"Why are you telling us this?" Luke's voice was barely audible.
"Because you already know. And I'd rather you understand the stakes than panic and do something stupid."
I let that sink in. Then continued.
"If you talk about this—if you tell anyone what you saw—you won't just get in trouble. You'll disappear. There are people whose job it is to handle security breaches. Trust me when I say you don't want to meet them."
Sass found his voice. "You're threatening us?"
"I'm warning you. There's a difference."
Kress cleared his throat. "She's right. I've seen what happens to people who can't keep their mouths shut. It's not pretty."
That seemed to do it. The students huddled together. Nobody spoke.
I turned back to the bound man.
He was watching me now. Calculating. His eyes flicked to Cole, then back to me.
"You're not from around here," he said. His voice was rough. Accent I couldn't place. "Who are you?"
"I'm the one asking questions." I crouched down again. "Are you with Wild Hunt?"
His lips curved into a cold smile. "You know the name. That's interesting."
"Answer the question."
"Or what? You'll kill me?" He laughed. "Go ahead. Won't change anything."
Cole moved closer. His voice dropped to something dangerous. "I know a hundred ways to make you talk. Most of them aren't fatal. But all of them hurt."
The man's smile didn't waver. "Do your worst. I won't betray my pack."
"Your pack?" I studied his face. "So you are Wild Hunt."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
His eyes narrowed. Then he spat at my feet.
"Kill me," he said. "Because I'm not telling you anything. And even if you let me go, Wild Hunt will find you. They always do."