Among Wolves
607 Words
The pack grounds were nothing like I imagined.
Hidden deep within the forest, the land opened into a wide clearing surrounded by towering trees and stone-built structures that looked ancient—powerful. The air buzzed with energy, thick with scents I couldn’t identify but somehow felt in my bones.
Wolves.
So many wolves.
They watched us the moment Ronan and I stepped forward.
Every conversation died. Every movement stilled.
I felt it instantly—the weight of their stares, sharp and judging, peeling me apart layer by layer. My pulse thundered in my ears, but I forced myself to stand tall.
Ronan’s hand brushed mine.
The bond flared, warm and steady.
“You’re safe,” he murmured. “As long as you’re beside me.”
That was supposed to comfort me.
It didn’t.
We walked through the clearing, every step echoing with silent scrutiny. Some faces were curious. Others were openly hostile.
And then I saw her.
Seraphine stood near the central platform, dressed in white leather that hugged her form like armor. Her silver-blonde hair caught the sunlight, making her look almost unreal.
Almost.
Her smile when she saw me was anything but kind.
“So the human dares to come,” she said loudly, her voice carrying across the clearing.
Whispers erupted around us.
Ronan’s grip tightened. “Enough.”
She tilted her head. “We expected a threat. Not a girl who looks like she might faint.”
Heat rushed to my face, but I refused to look away. “I’m still standing.”
A ripple of surprise moved through the crowd.
Seraphine’s eyes narrowed. “For now.”
An older wolf stepped forward—tall, broad, with silver streaks in his dark hair and eyes as sharp as a blade.
“The council will hear this,” he announced. “Alpha Ronan, explain why a human carries your bond.”
Silence fell.
Ronan stepped ahead of me, his presence commanding, absolute. “Because fate chose her.”
Murmurs spread again—some angry, some fearful.
“Fate doesn’t rule us,” a wolf snarled from the crowd.
“I do,” Ronan replied calmly.
The tension snapped tight.
The elder raised a hand. “The human must be tested.”
My heart skipped. “Tested how?”
“Survival,” he said bluntly.
Before I could react, Seraphine stepped closer, her voice low and poisonous. “If she fails, the bond ends.”
“And if she passes?” Ronan asked.
The elder studied me carefully. “Then she earns the right to stand among us.”
Stand.
Not belong.
Ronan turned to me, his golden eyes searching my face. “You don’t have to do this.”
Every instinct screamed to run.
But I didn’t.
“I’ll do it,” I said.
Shock rippled through the clearing.
Seraphine smiled. “Brave. Or foolish.”
“Maybe both,” I replied.
The elder nodded once. “The trial begins at moonrise.”
Ronan leaned close, his voice barely audible. “This wasn’t supposed to happen so soon.”
I met his gaze, fear and determination burning together in my chest. “Then we adapt.”
Something fierce flickered in his eyes—approval, pride, something deeper.
As the pack began to disperse, I felt it again—that pull, that sense of something shifting beneath the surface.
The wolves weren’t just watching me anymore.
They were waiting.
Waiting to see if the Alpha’s human mate would break.
Or become something they could never ignore.
And as I stood there among wolves, one truth settled deep inside me—
I was done being invisible.
- Writer
