Chapter Six
939 Words
Ellie’s world had changed overnight.
She wasn’t just a girl anymore.
She wasn’t just some bystander caught up in a supernatural storm.
She was an Alpha by birthright—one that rival packs either wanted to control or eliminate.
And war was coming.
Her fingers trembled as she pressed them against the cold kitchen counter, her mind racing with the memory of Caleb’s golden eyes, his warning echoing in her head.
"Choose a side. And do it fast."
She glanced at Grayson, who stood near the window, his entire body tense, as if expecting an attack at any moment. He had barely spoken since Caleb left, but his silence carried weight—a storm waiting to break.
Finally, Ellie exhaled and turned to face him. “So what now?”
Grayson’s gray eyes met hers, unreadable. “Now we prepare.”
Ellie swallowed hard. “Prepare for what?”
Grayson’s expression darkened. “For war.”
A chill ran down her spine.
She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t ready for any of this.
But ready or not, the fight was coming.
And if she wanted to survive, she needed to be stronger.
Faster.
Deadlier.
She needed to awaken the wolf inside her.
The clearing was silent, the only sound the whisper of the wind rustling through the trees.
Ellie stood in the center, her heart hammering as Grayson circled her like a predator stalking its prey.
“Your instincts are there,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “You’ve felt them before, haven’t you?”
Ellie hesitated.
She had.
The strange restlessness. The heightened senses. The way she could sometimes sense things before they happened.
It had always been there, buried beneath the surface, waiting.
Grayson stopped in front of her. “The change is already happening. You just need to stop fighting it.”
Ellie clenched her fists. “I don’t know how.”
Grayson stepped closer, his voice dropping to a murmur. “Then let me show you.”
Before she could react, he moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
One moment, he was in front of her. The next, he was behind her, his breath warm against her ear.
“React,” he said.
Ellie spun, instinct taking over, but he was already gone, moving like a shadow through the clearing.
Her pulse pounded.
She felt him before she saw him—felt the shift in the air, the way the energy around her crackled.
She ducked just as he lunged, missing her by inches.
Grayson grinned. “Good.”
Ellie’s breath came fast, but there was something exhilarating about it—the rush, the way her body was responding without thinking.
The wolf inside her was stirring.
And it wanted more.
The Shift
Hours passed, the sky darkening, the moon rising overhead.
Ellie’s body ached, sweat clinging to her skin, but she refused to stop.
She couldn’t stop.
Not when she felt something deep inside her beginning to c***k open.
Grayson circled her again, slower this time. “You’re close,” he murmured.
Ellie clenched her fists, breathing hard. “Close to what?”
Grayson’s gaze held hers. “To shifting.”
A shiver ran through her.
It had been building all day—the heat, the pressure, the strange pull beneath her skin.
She could feel it.
She just didn’t know how to let go.
Grayson stepped closer, lowering his voice. “You’re holding back. Why?”
Ellie swallowed hard. “Because I don’t know what happens if I let go.”
Grayson studied her, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he reached out and took her hand.
The touch was electric—like a spark igniting deep inside her.
“You are the wolf, Ellie,” he said softly. “You don’t have to fear it.”
Ellie’s breath caught.
And then—
It happened.
A snap of energy tore through her, and suddenly, her body wasn’t her own.
Heat exploded in her veins. Her bones shifted, stretched, changed.
Pain.
Power.
A wild, untamed force roaring to life inside her.
She barely registered Grayson stepping back as her vision blurred, her senses sharpening to something more.
And then, where Ellie once stood—
A wolf remained.
The First Hunt
The world was different.
Brighter. Sharper.
She could hear everything—the rustle of the leaves, the heartbeat of a rabbit in the distance, the steady, measured breathing of Grayson as he watched her.
She turned her head, catching her reflection in the nearby stream.
Amber eyes stared back at her.
Wild.
Powerful.
Hers.
She was a wolf.
Ellie let out a shaky breath—except it wasn’t a breath. It was a growl, deep and guttural, vibrating through her chest.
Grayson crouched in front of her, his gray eyes gleaming with something like pride.
“You did it,” he murmured.
Ellie’s ears twitched at the sound of his voice.
She had done it.
She had shifted.
And it felt—
Right.
Grayson stood, tilting his head toward the trees. “Run with me.”
The invitation sent a thrill through her.
Ellie didn’t hesitate.
She ran.
The forest blurred around her as she moved, faster than she ever thought possible. Wind howled past her ears, the earth soft beneath her paws.
And beside her—
Grayson ran too.
Two wolves.
Two predators.
For the first time in her life, Ellie felt free.
She let out a wild howl, the sound echoing through the night.
Grayson’s answering howl sent a shiver down her spine.
She didn’t know what the future held.
Didn’t know what war was coming.
But for now—
She ran.
- Writer
