CHAPTER 3 - Eyes that know me
1212 Words
Sable
The door doesn’t open gently this time.
It swings wide.
And for a second, I don’t move because this feels different.
Not like before. Not like food being dropped off or Xavier coming in to run his mouth which he does a lot.
This feels… intentional.
“Up,” the Beta says.
No greeting. No explanation.
Just a command.
I slowly sit up from the bed, my eyes narrowing slightly as I study him. Same rigid posture. Same unreadable face. Same eyes that look like they see too much.
“You finally remembered I exist?” I mutter.
He doesn’t react.
Of course he doesn’t.
“Move,” he says again.
My wolf stirs immediately.
Careful.
I stand anyway.
Slow. Controlled.
I’m not giving him the satisfaction of looking eager or worse, obedient.
But inside?
I’m alert.
Because this is the first time in days that I’m stepping out of this room.
And I don’t trust it.
Not even a little.
The hallway hits me first.
The scents.
So many wolves.
It crashes into me all at once. Different layers, different strengths, different emotions woven into the air. My wolf lifts her head instantly, trying to separate them, trying to make sense of it.
Home.
“No,” I whisper under my breath.
This is not home.
Not anymore.
We walk.
The Beta doesn’t look back to check if I’m following.
He just… assumes.
Annoying.
I match his pace anyway, my eyes scanning everything.
The pack house is bigger than I remember.
Or maybe I just never saw it like this before.
More guards.
More movement.
More tension.
People start to notice me.
Of course they do.
It starts subtly.
A glance here.
A pause there.
Then whispers.
Low. Quick. Not meant for me but not hidden well enough either.
I keep my face neutral, but inside?
I feel it.
Every look.
Every shift.
Some of them stare like I’m something dangerous.
Others, like I’m something they’ve heard stories about.
And a few?
A few look at me like they already know how this ends.
My wolf growls low.
They remember.
“Let them look,” I murmur under my breath.
Because I won’t flinch.
Not for them.
Not for anyone.
We step outside.
And that’s when it really hits.
The open air.
The forest stretching beyond the pack grounds.
The sky.
Freedom. So close it almost hurts.
My chest tightens slightly.
I could run.
Right now.
I could shift, take off into the trees, push past whatever guards they think are enough to stop me—
“Don’t,” the Beta says.
I freeze.
Slowly, I turn my head toward him.
“I didn’t say anything,” I reply.
“You didn’t have to.”
His eyes meet mine, steady and sharp.
“You won’t make it past the borders.”
A pause.
Then, quieter:
“And you know that.”
I hold his gaze for a second longer.
Then I look away.
Not because he’s right.
But because I don’t want him to see me calculating.
Because I am.
Every entrance.
Every exit.
Every guard.
Every weakness.
I’ll find it.
Eventually.
He leads me further out, toward what looks like a training field.
Wolves are scattered around. Some sparring, some shifting, some watching.
The energy here is different.
Raw.
Unfiltered.
And the moment we step into view?
Everything shifts.
It doesn’t stop completely.
But it slows.
Eyes turn.
Voices lower.
I feel it settle over me like a weight.
Recognition.
Not all of them know me personally.
But they know of me.
That much is clear.
“Enjoying the show?” I mutter.
The Beta doesn’t answer.
Of course.
I glance around again, more carefully this time.
Mapping.
Always mapping.
My wolf nudges forward slightly.
Something’s off.
I frown.
She’s right.
There’s a tension here that doesn’t quite match the situation.
It’s not just curiosity.
It’s…
Expectation.
Before I can figure it out, a voice cuts through the space.
“Well, well.”
I don’t need to turn to know who it is.
Xavier.
I do anyway.
He’s leaning casually against one of the posts, arms crossed, that same annoying grin on his face. Dark chocolate brown hair catching the light, tall and relaxed like nothing in the world phases him.
But his eyes?
Sharp.
Always sharp.
“Took you long enough,” he adds.
“Missed me?” I shoot back.
“Terribly,” he says without missing a beat.
I roll my eyes. “Liar.”
“Bold of you to assume I’d lie to you.”
“Bold of you to assume I care.”
He grins wider. “Ah. There she is.”
I shake my head slightly, turning away from him but even with his usual nonsense, something feels… off.
He’s watching me too closely.
Not teasing.
Not really.
Studying.
Like he’s waiting for something.
I glance around again, slower this time.
The wolves on the field aren’t just curious anymore.
They’re… anticipating.
It’s subtle. Easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking for.
But I do.
I always have.
My wolf shifts uneasily beneath my skin.
Something’s wrong.
Before I can figure it out, voices carry from somewhere behind us.
Low.
Not meant for me.
But not quiet enough either.
“…thought she’d be stronger.”
“She hasn’t seen him yet.”
A pause.
Then—
“He’s been waiting.”
My body goes still.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Something sharp slides down my spine, settling low in my stomach.
I don’t turn.
I don’t react.
But my ears strain, picking up every shift in tone, every breath, every word they don’t want me to hear.
“Does she know?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
A quieter voice this time.
Colder.
“Alpha will deal with her himself.”
Alpha.
The word lands heavier than it should.
My jaw tightens slightly.
Of course.
Of course this is about him.
This so called "Alpha"
Everything here always is.
I let out a slow breath, forcing my expression back into something neutral. Controlled. Unaffected.
Even as my mind starts moving.
Fast.
Too fast.
There's something about the way they said it.
Not curious.
Not casual.
But certain.
Like whatever happens next… isn’t a question.
Xavier steps closer, just slightly.
Close enough that only I hear him when he speaks again.
“You should get some rest,” he says lightly.
But there’s nothing light about it.
I glance at him.
Really look this time.
And for the first time since I’ve seen him again, he’s not smiling.
“Why?” I ask quietly.
His gaze holds mine for a second longer than usual.
Then the grin comes back.
Easy. Effortless. Fake.
“You’re going to need it.”
My wolf goes still.
The Beta steps forward before I can respond.
“Inside.”
No explanation.
No room for argument.
Just like before.
I hold Xavier’s gaze for one more second.
Then I turn and walk.
But this time…
I’m not just observing.
I’m preparing because whatever they think is about to happen, whatever they’re waiting for, it has everything to do with me.
And whoever this Alpha is…
He’s about to find out I’m not the same girl they remember.
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