CHAPTER 3: THE FIRST AWAKENING
1072 Words
Glosh did not sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, heat rolled through her veins like fire searching for a way out. Her body felt wrong—too tight, too restless—as though her skin no longer fit what lived beneath it. She lay stiff on the narrow dorm bed, staring at the ceiling while shadows crept along the stone walls.
Her heart refused to slow.
The moment replayed endlessly in her mind—the silent alpha’s hand closing around hers, the violent rush of warmth, the way her breath had vanished as if something deep inside her had been shaken awake.
What are you?
The question haunted her.
She pressed her palm to her chest, fingers digging into the fabric of her shirt. For as long as she could remember, that space had been empty. Hollow. A reminder of everything she lacked.
Now it hummed.
Alive.
Before dawn, a scream tore through the academy.
Glosh shot upright, heart slamming painfully against her ribs. Doors flew open along the corridor as students spilled into the hall, voices raised in alarm. The air shifted sharply, carrying a scent that made her stomach churn.
Blood.
Fear.
Instinct dragged her to her feet. She followed the others outside, bare feet slapping against cold stone as they rushed toward the training grounds. Torches burned brightly, casting flickering light over chaos.
A student lay collapsed near the edge of the sparring ring, his body twisted unnaturally. Deep claw marks ripped across his chest and shoulder, dark blood soaking into the ground beneath him. He whimpered weakly as healers hovered over him, murmuring urgent spells.
“He shifted too fast,” someone whispered nearby. “The moon pushed him.” “He couldn’t control it…”
Glosh swallowed hard.
Her skin prickled violently. Every sound felt sharper—the crackle of torches, the rasp of breath, the pounding of frightened hearts. She could smell everything. Panic. Pain. Power.
Instructor Kaine stood at the center of it all, posture rigid, eyes cold.
“Enough,” she commanded. “Everyone back to your dorms. Training is suspended until further notice.”
Reluctantly, the crowd began to disperse.
Glosh remained frozen, her gaze locked on the blood-stained stone. A strange pull tugged at her chest, subtle but insistent, drawing her attention upward.
The moon.
“You felt it too.”
She turned sharply.
The amused alpha stood beside her, hands tucked casually into his pockets, dark eyes glinting beneath the torchlight.
“Felt what?” she asked quickly.
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “The way the air tightens when the moon demands something.”
Her pulse spiked. “You’re imagining things.”
He smiled. “Maybe. But you don’t smell weak tonight.”
Before she could respond, the silver-blond alpha stepped between them, his presence cold and unyielding.
“Enough,” he said. “Stay away from her.”
The amused alpha laughed softly. “Relax. I’m just curious.”
“So am I,” the golden-eyed alpha added from behind, his gaze never leaving Glosh. “She’s changing.”
Her stomach twisted.
The silent alpha approached last, his movements measured, controlled. He studied her face intently.
“You should report to the infirmary,” he said quietly.
“I’m fine,” she snapped, fear sharpening her tone.
His jaw tightened. “That wasn’t a suggestion.”
Something flared between them—challenge, tension, something dangerously close to recognition.
Instructor Kaine’s voice cut through the moment. “All of you. Leave. Now.”
Reluctantly, the alphas stepped back, but none of them looked away from Glosh as they did.
She knew, with chilling certainty, that their interest had only deepened.
That night, the moon rose full and heavy, glowing with unnatural brightness.
Glosh paced her dorm room, fingers clenching and unclenching at her sides. The pull inside her had grown stronger with every passing hour, an ache that settled deep in her bones.
Her skin burned.
Her muscles twitched.
She staggered toward the window, gripping the stone sill as dizziness washed over her. The forest beyond the academy shimmered in moonlight, calling to something she didn’t understand.
“I don’t have a wolf,” she whispered desperately. “I don’t.”
A knock sounded at her door.
Her heart jumped violently. “Go away.”
“It’s me.”
The silent alpha’s voice.
She hesitated, then cracked the door open. “What do you want?”
He frowned. “You’re burning up.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“You’re lying.”
Before she could protest, he stepped inside. The door closed behind him with a soft click.
The moment they were alone, the pull exploded.
Heat surged through her veins like wildfire. Her breath hitched as pain ripped through her muscles, sharp and blinding. She cried out, collapsing forward.
He caught her instinctively.
The contact shattered whatever restraint remained.
Her nails lengthened, digging into his arm. Her vision blurred, colors bleeding together as pressure built beneath her skin.
“Glosh,” he said firmly. “Listen to me. You’re shifting.”
“I can’t!” she sobbed. “I don’t have a wolf!”
“Yes, you do,” he said fiercely. “It’s been sealed. Sleeping. But it’s waking up now.”
Her scream tore from her throat as her body convulsed. Bones cracked painfully. Muscles stretched and burned. She collapsed to the floor, shaking uncontrollably as something ancient roared inside her mind.
The door burst open.
The other three alphas rushed in, dominance flaring instantly.
“She’s shifting,” the golden-eyed alpha growled.
“That’s impossible—” the amused alpha began.
“She’s not human,” the silver-blond alpha snapped. “She never was.”
The pain peaked—then shattered.
Silence fell.
Glosh lay gasping on the cold stone floor, sweat-soaked and trembling. Slowly, she pushed herself upright.
Her senses exploded outward.
She could hear heartbeats. Smell every wolf in the room. Feel the moon’s pull like a living force wrapped around her soul.
Her reflection stared back at her from the window.
Her eyes glowed gold.
“What… am I?” she whispered.
The silent alpha knelt before her, awe and reverence written across his face.
“You’re a wolf,” he said softly. “And a powerful one.”
Far away, in a throne room of stone and shadow, Queen Angella stiffened as ancient magic surged.
Her daughter had awakened.
- Writer
