Fated Flames

CHAPTER SIX — The Wolf Inside

Elara

The next morning, I wake up drenched in sweat. My heart is still pounding from last night.

I shouldn’t have survived the alley, not unscathed. And yet, nothing hurts—except my mind. My wolf is awake. I can feel it pulsing under my skin, coiling in my muscles, burning in my chest.

Every sound in my apartment is louder than it should be. My senses are screaming. I can hear the neighbors, the hum of the fridge, the faintest rustle outside. My teeth ache like they want to sharpen themselves. My nails itch, like they want to claw the walls.

I groan and press my hands to my face.

“This isn’t real,” I whisper to myself. “This can’t be real.”

But it is.

And then I smell him.

Kael.

Even though he’s miles away. Even though I haven’t seen him since last night. I can smell him. Dark cedar, smoke, something raw and intoxicating.

My pulse hammers. My wolf whines softly in my mind. I close my eyes, trying to control it. Trying to calm it.

It’s impossible.

I arrive at school late, disheveled, heart hammering, hands shaking. Every step echoes. Every whisper cuts sharper than it should.

And then I see him.

Kael. Standing by the lockers. Alone. Waiting. Watching.

Even from a distance, I feel the pull—stronger than before. My stomach knots. My wolf surges, growling silently.

I start to walk toward him. Against every rational thought. Against everything I tell myself.

“Stop,” a voice hisses in my mind.

I glance up. Rian. He’s leaning against the wall, arms crossed, expression tight.

“You need to be careful,” he says quietly as I approach. “Kael… he’s unstable around you right now. Your wolf is awake. He can’t control himself.”

I frown. “What does that mean?”

Rian doesn’t answer. He just watches me.

Kael’s gaze meets mine. My knees threaten to buckle. Every instinct screams at me to run.

But I can’t.

He steps closer, every movement deliberate, predatory, magnetic. His silver-blue eyes are glowing faintly in the dim hallway light. I can feel the heat rolling off him. I can feel the pull.

And I want it.

I don’t know why. I don’t want it. I shouldn’t want it.

But I do.

“Are you… okay?” His voice is low, rough, like gravel sliding over velvet.

“I—I think so,” I stammer. My wolf howls softly inside me.

Kael tilts his head, studying me. His hand twitches, like he’s fighting an urge. “Your wolf… it’s strong. And it’s calling me. You don’t know what’s happening, do you?”

I shake my head. “No. And I don’t want to.”

He steps closer. Close enough that I can feel him in every fiber of my body. My breath hitches. My chest aches. My wolf surges.

“You don’t have to fight it,” he murmurs. His hand hovers near my waist. “Not when I’m here.”

My blood heats. My body leans toward him without permission. My wolf howls again.

Kael groans, frustration and hunger coiling in his voice. “God… I can’t—”

A sharp, cutting scream interrupts us.

Lyra.

She’s standing at the end of the hallway, fangs gleaming, eyes silver under her glare. “Elara! What do you think you’re doing?!”

Kael’s jaw tightens. “Step back.”

She smirks, venom dripping from her words. “You’re mine, Kael. Don’t forget it.”

My body tenses. My wolf growls.

Kael’s hands finally settle on my waist, fingers pressing firmly. “No. You’re mine,” he growls back.

Lyra hisses and lunges. Kael’s eyes flare silver. He shifts partially—enough to tower over her, aura radiating danger, primal power.

I gasp. My wolf surges again, responding to him. Heat, pull, tension—everything between us hums.

Lyra backs off, fuming, realizing she can’t take him—not right now.

Kael leans closer to me, voice low, rasping, magnetic. “You don’t understand… but this—this pull between us—it’s real. It’s yours as much as mine.”

I shiver. I don’t know if I’m afraid or thrilled. My wolf whines. My body aches to lean into him, to feel him, to be claimed.

And I don’t stop myself.

Not entirely.