Chapter 45

Chapter 45
Elara’s POV

By the next morning the whole pack knew. I could feel it in the way their stares followed me down the hall, in the way their whispers cut off when I passed. Word traveled fast here. Too fast.

I kept my head up as I walked, but inside my chest everything felt tight and twisted. I wanted to ask Damian to call it off, to shield me from the trial Thomas had set, but I knew he wouldn’t. And deep down, I knew I didn’t want him to. This was the only way forward.

At breakfast the dining hall was louder than usual. Wolves filled every table, voices buzzing like bees. Some laughed nervously, others kept their eyes low, but I felt all of them pressing in.

Jason, the boy I had helped shift, waved at me from across the room. For a moment I thought about going to him, sitting where it might feel safe, but I stopped myself. If I hid behind the only wolf who believed in me, I would look weaker than I already did.

Instead I took a seat at the far table where Marcus and two warriors were already eating. The second I sat down, the talking at nearby tables dropped. Marcus didn’t look at me right away. He stabbed at his food, jaw tight.

Finally, he said, “You really agreed to this?”

“Yes,” I answered, even though my hands shook around the cup of water I held.

His eyes lifted, sharp and full of something I couldn’t read. “You understand what happens if you fail?”

“I don’t plan to fail.”

He studied me for a long second, then shook his head. “Planning won’t matter when a wolf loses control. They don’t think. They don’t hold back. You’ll be standing in front of teeth and claws with nothing to defend you but… whatever it is you do.”

The words should have scared me, but I felt something stir instead—anger. “So what, Marcus? You think I should back down? Hide? Let everyone believe I’m a threat because it’s easier than proving I’m not?”

For once he looked startled. Then his mouth twitched, not quite a smile. “You sound like him.”

I blinked. “Like Damian?”

Marcus didn’t answer, but the look in his eyes was enough.

The rest of the day crawled. Every step through the halls felt heavier, every glance sharper. Even Sarah, who had always been calm and patient with me, seemed restless. She caught my arm once and whispered, “Breathe steady. Don’t let their fear drown you.”

I tried. I really did. But as the sun dropped, dread crept deeper into my bones.

By evening the pack gathered on the training grounds. Torches lit the wide circle where I was expected to stand. I kept close to Damian as we walked into the crowd. His hand brushed mine once, quick and quiet, but it was enough to steady me.

Wolves pressed close, murmurs echoing through the night air. I caught fragments. “She’ll fail.” “What if she turns on us?” “The Alpha’s blinded by her.” Every word cut, but I forced myself not to react.

Elder Thomas stood at the far side of the circle. His face was grim, unreadable. Beside him, a young warrior trembled, sweat running down his temple. His chest heaved like he was holding something back. My stomach twisted. He was the one they’d chosen.

Damian’s low growl rumbled next to me. “He’s barely stable.”

“That’s the point,” Thomas said loudly, not bothering to hide the edge in his tone. “If she can manage this, she can manage anything.”

Damian stepped forward, rage flashing in his eyes, but I grabbed his wrist. “Let me,” I whispered. My voice shook but my grip didn’t loosen.

He looked at me, searching my face, then gave a sharp nod.

I walked into the circle alone. The dirt crunched under my boots. My heart beat so hard I thought everyone could hear it.

The warrior’s breathing grew harsher, his eyes flickering gold as his wolf pushed forward. His hands clawed at his own arms, teeth gritting. The crowd hushed.

I stopped in front of him. My hands trembled as I reached out, but I forced them steady. The memory of Jason came back—his fear, his pain, the way our energies connected when I touched him. I prayed it would happen again.

“I’m here,” I whispered, my palms brushing the warrior’s arms. “Breathe with me.”

For a second nothing happened. His body shook harder, his eyes blazing. Then, like a thread catching, I felt it—the surge, the strange pulse of his wolf meeting my energy. It jolted through me, raw and wild.

The warrior let out a guttural cry, his body snapping forward into the shift. Bones cracked, fur tore through skin, the sound brutal and loud. Gasps filled the crowd.

I held on. My pulse screamed, my body trembling with the strain, but I refused to let go. I pushed calm into him, or maybe he pulled it from me—I couldn’t tell.

The shift smoothed, the jerks fading into fluid motion. When the wolf stood before me, golden-eyed and panting, the circle erupted in shocked cries.

The wolf didn’t lunge. He didn’t lose himself. He sat.

I let out a shaky breath, knees almost buckling. My palms stung where I had pressed them against him, but I forced myself to stay upright.

Behind me, Damian’s voice carried, sharp and proud. “You wanted proof. You just saw it.”

The murmurs rose louder, some astonished, some doubtful, but no one could deny what they’d witnessed.

I met Thomas’s eyes across the circle. His expression was tight, his jaw clenched, but there was something else there too. Doubt.

Maybe for the first time, I had given him a reason to question his fear.

But I also knew this wasn’t the end. This was just the beginning.