WHAT YOU ARE BECOMING
751 Words
The word stayed with her.
War.
Seren didn’t speak as they moved through the forest.
She followed Ryker in silence, her thoughts restless, her senses sharper than ever. Every sound felt louder now. Every shift in the wind carried meaning.
Nothing felt normal anymore.
“They weren’t rogues,” she said finally.
Ryker didn’t slow.
“No.”
“Then what were they?”
A brief pause.
“Hunters.”
The answer settled heavily in her chest.
Seren frowned.
“They knew about me.”
“Yes.”
Her steps slowed slightly.
“How?”
This time, Ryker stopped.
He turned to face her, his expression serious.
“Because what you are,” he said,
“doesn’t stay hidden forever.”
Seren’s jaw tightened.
“I don’t even know what I am.”
“That’s the problem.”
Silence stretched between them.
Seren took a breath.
“Then stop giving me pieces and tell me the truth.”
Ryker studied her for a moment, as if weighing something.
Then he exhaled.
“You’re not like other wolves,” he said.
“That much is obvious,” she muttered.
“You don’t just sense the forest,” he continued.
“You connect to it.”
Seren stilled.
“The shadows… the ground… even the creatures you faced,” he added.
“They didn’t submit.”
A pause.
“They responded to you.”
Her chest tightened.
“That doesn’t explain enough.”
“It explains why you’re dangerous.”
The word landed hard.
Seren shook her head slightly.
“I need more than that.”
Ryker’s voice dropped.
“The truth is… most Alphas would try to control you.”
Her breath caught.
“And the ones we saw?”
“They don’t want control,” Ryker said.
A brief pause.
“They want you gone.”
Silence fell again.
Seren looked away, her thoughts spinning.
Rejected.
Hunted.
Wanted for something she didn’t understand.
“What happens now?” she asked quietly.
Ryker didn’t hesitate.
“You train.”
Her eyes snapped back to him.
“Harder than before.”
Before she could respond, he moved.
Fast.
Seren barely reacted before he struck, knocking her off balance. She hit the ground, breath leaving her chest.
“Again,” he said.
She pushed herself up immediately.
“You’re serious?”
“Very.”
She attacked first this time.
Faster.
Sharper.
Ryker blocked easily.
Every move she made, he countered without effort.
Frustration rose quickly.
“I can’t beat you like this.”
“You’re not supposed to.”
He struck again.
Seren stumbled back, barely steady.
“Stop thinking like a fighter,” Ryker said.
“Start thinking like what you are.”
Her chest tightened.
“And what is that?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he came at her again.
This time, Seren didn’t react immediately.
She felt it.
The energy inside her.
It surged through her, stronger than before.
The air shifted around them.
Ryker slowed slightly.
“Good,” he said quietly.
Seren focused.
The ground beneath her feet responded.
Not violently.
Not wildly.
Controlled.
She moved
And instead of dodging, she redirected him.
Ryker’s footing shifted slightly.
Just enough.
His eyes flickered with something new.
“Again.”
They moved faster now.
Back and forth.
Attack and counter.
But something had changed.
Seren wasn’t reacting anymore.
She was anticipating.
Feeling everything.
When Ryker finally stepped back, her breathing was heavy but steady.
“You’re learning,” he said.
Seren looked down at her hands.
“They’re coming back, aren’t they?”
“Yes.”
Her chest tightened.
“I’m not ready.”
“You don’t get to choose that.”
The truth stung.
A low wind moved through the trees.
Seren stilled.
Something felt wrong.
“Ryker…”
He noticed it too.
The forest had gone quiet.
Too quiet.
Seren’s pulse quickened.
“They’re back,” she whispered.
Ryker shook his head slightly.
“No.”
A pause.
“Something worse.”
A presence moved through the trees.
Slower.
Heavier.
Seren felt it immediately.
That pressure.
Stronger than before.
Her breath caught.
“It’s him.”
Ryker didn’t deny it.
The shadows shifted.
Then a voice came from the darkness.
“You’re improving.”
Seren froze.
He stepped into view.
Calm. Unbothered
Like he had never left.
His eyes locked onto hers.
“But not fast enough.”
Seren’s heart pounded.
This time
She didn’t step back.
The energy inside her rose.
Steady.
Ready.
And for the first time…
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