Kelly

Fifteen

Sleep was a fitful, shallow thing, filled with nightmares of snarling wolves and roots that coiled like snakes. I woke tangled in my blankets, my heart pounding, just as the first grey light of dawn filtered through the window. The birds were singing again, their tentative chirps a sign that the forest's anger had lifted. The land was calm.

I pushed myself up, my body aching with a weariness that went deeper than my muscles. I had to face this. I had to face Beta Joseph. The thought of it sent a fresh wave of panic through me, colder than the morning air. I had used my power to harm a pack member. To imprison the Beta's son. There was no coming back from that. I would be exiled. Or worse.

I splashed my face with cold water from the basin, the shock of it clearing my head. Then, I took a deep breath and made my choice. I would not run. I would not hide. I had acted to protect what was mine, and I would accept the consequences. I dressed in a simple tights and shirt, nothing fancy, and braided my hair back from my face, before I walked out the door.

The main pack house was abuzz when I arrived, a low murmur of anxious energy that I could feel from the path. Wolves were gathered in small, tense groups, their voices hushed, their eyes darting toward the Beta’s house. They knew. Of course, they knew. News travelled faster than a wolf could run. I could feel their gazes on me, a mix of fear, curiosity, and something else… accusation? They saw me not as a girl who had been pushed too far, but as an unknown, a danger.

Liam and Chloe were standing on the porch of Caleb’s house, their faces pale but their expressions smug. They were milking this, painting themselves as the victims. My gaze slid past them to the door. It was going to open. I held my breath.

When it did, it wasn't Beta Joseph who emerged. It was Alpha David. He was a formidable man, tall and broad, with a presence that commanded respect even from the most arrogant of wolves. His expression was unreadable, a calm mask that did nothing to soothe the knot in my stomach. Behind him came Beta Joseph, his face a storm cloud of worry and anger. And then, Caleb.

He looked awful. His clothes were torn and caked in dirt. He had a long, shallow scratch on his cheek from a thorny vine, and he was limping slightly, favouring one ankle. But it was the look in his eyes that truly struck me. The smugness was gone, replaced by a hollow, haunted fear. He wouldn't meet my gaze. He stared at the ground as if he could will it to swallow him whole.

I stood my ground in the centre of the clearing, the focus of every eye in the pack. The murmuring died down, the silence stretching until it was heavy enough to choke on.

Alpha David’s gaze swept over the assembled pack before landing on me. He didn't raise his voice, yet it carried to every corner of the clearing. "What happened yesterday on the west trail?" he asked, the question directed at no one and everyone.

It was Caleb who broke, not with defiance, but with a choked sob. "She… she attacked me," he stammered, pointing a trembling finger in my direction. "She used… magic. The roots, they just came out of the ground, just like last time. They held me there all night. I couldn't move. I was trapped. Then she walked away. She left me alone a-and vulnerable."

Liam stepped forward. "He's telling the truth, Alpha. We saw it. She's dangerous. She attacked a pack member for no reason."

Alpha David looked at Liam, his gaze assessing.

"And what were the three of you doing on the west trail? From my recollection the west trail is used only for border patrol - which none of you are part of - and where Kelly-Grace's cabin is located." Alpha David asked, his voice still calm.

"She was walking home," Chloe piped up, her voice shrill. "We were just talking to her."

Alpha David let the silence hang for a long moment. Then, he turned to me. "Kelly-Grace. Your version."

I took a slow, steadying breath, forcing myself to meet the Alpha's gaze. I couldn't hear the thoughts of the wolves around me, but I could feel the weight of their attention pressing down on me. I had to be careful.

"They came out from the old Oak grove along the trail and stopped me, Alpha. I asked him to leave me alone and the three of them laughed in my face and taunted me before throwing my school things in the mud and ruining them. Then they taunted me about being an orphan and smelling of death." My eyes met Beta Joseph, "They purposely ruined a sketch I had been working on. I asked them to let me pass, but they wouldn't. They never let me."

The Alpha’s eyes narrowed slightly. "And the roots? Did you command them to attack Beta Joseph's son?"

A murmur went through the crowd. Attack. The word hung in the air, heavy and damning. I could feel the panic rising again, a cold tide in my veins. My gaze flicked between the Alpha, and Beta Joseph. His face was grim, but he gave me an almost imperceptible nod.

"I don't control the earth. But it responded to my distress." The words came out quietly, but with a certainty that surprised even me. "Caleb… he destroyed my sketch. He ground it into the dirt with his boot while taunting me. Something inside me snapped. Again. I didn't mean for him to be hurt, I just wanted him to stop. To leave me alone. I thought that leaving him to reflect on his actions and his anger overnight would teach him a lesson. It's not cold enough to be dangerous to be out overnight and he was well within the pack borders so he wouldn't be harmed. My cottage would be at more risk than where he was. I told him that he would be let go in the morning." I said, my voice strong as I held back the tears that threatened to fall. "I promise, Alpha."

The pack was silent, the only sound the wind rustling through the trees. Alpha David's face was a blank slate. He looked at Caleb, who was still staring at the ground, then at me, then at the crowd. He took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, his voice was laced with iron.

"The history of our kind is written in the soil beneath our feet. Our strength, our survival; it has always been tied to the land. There are old tales, whispers of wolves who could feel the land's pain, who could draw strength from it. These were not abilities to be feared, but to be revered." He paused, letting his words sink in. "Caleb, you have been warned. Many times. By your father, by my son Alex, by me. Your actions have shown a lack of respect for your packmates, for the rules that keep us safe, and for the territory that we live within. You pushed first. You have been pushing for years. Kelly-Grace just finally responded."

He looked from Caleb to Liam and Chloe. "As for you two. You stand here and lie to my face, and to the faces of your pack, your families. You were not simply talking. You were looking to hurt someone and not for the first time. This is not the strength of our pack. This is a tantrum by pup's who are well old enough to know better." He looked back to me and then at Beta Joseph. "Joseph, with me, we will discuss an adequate punishment for these two. Caleb, I agree with the punishment you have already recieved since it sounds no different to a night on the shaming post. The rest of you, disperse."

The crowd parted before him, a sea of bowed heads and averted eyes. Caleb scurried into the house, a defeated shadow. Liam and Chloe looked like they'd been struck, their smugness evaporated into pure, undiluted fear. As I turned to leave, Beta Joseph's hand on my arm stopped me. His grip was gentle but firm. He didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes said everything. Relief. Pride. And a deep, simmering worry. I gave him a small, tight nod before turning and walking away, the weight of the pack's stares lifting from my shoulders with every step.