Something Woke Up Inside Me
2130 Words
Olivia’s POV
I barely slept because every time I shut my eyes, the symbol from the scroll glowed behind my eyelids. A circle. Three intersecting lines. The same one from my dreams. The same one that pulsed when I touched it, like it recognized me.
I kept repeating the message Silas said was on my door.
You are the prophecy. Yeah I get it. No pressure.
By the time morning came, I felt like I had been run over by a herd of wolves. I dragged myself to the training yard because Kael had already sent two guards to make sure I did not try to escape again.
The training yard was cold. Dew clung to the grass. Breath misted in the air. Kael stood in the center with his arms crossed. Riven lounged on a wooden log. Silas leaned against a post, polished as ever. And Lucy sat on a bench like she was here for entertainment.
Great. An audience.
Kael looked at me with that sharp, unreadable expression. “You are late.”
“I am exactly on time.”
“Which means late.”
“Oh my Goddess, you are impossible.”
He ignored that. “Today we test your wolf awareness.”
Riven perked up. “Finally. Something fun.”
Silas smiled. “I love awareness tests.”
Lucy raised her hand like a student. “Can I participate?”
“No,” Kael said without looking at her.
She lowered her hand slowly. “Right. Of course. I will just sit.”
I sighed. “Can we get this over with before my wolf decides to bite someone.”
Riven grinned. “I vote for biting Kael first.”
Kael shot him a cold stare. “Begin, Olivia.”
“How?”
“Just stand.”
“This feels stupid.”
“Stand,” he repeated.
I stood.
Kael stepped behind me. “Close your eyes.”
I hesitated. “After yesterday, I do not trust any of you enough to close my eyes.”
Riven laughed. “Fair.”
Silas said softly, “Close them, darling. We will not harm you.”
“That is exactly what someone who intends to harm me would say.”
Lucy cleared her throat. “I can close my eyes with you if it helps.”
“It does not.”
Kael’s voice tightened. “Olivia.”
“Fine.” I exhaled and closed my eyes.
Kael circled me, and I felt his presence like a cold wind. “Tell me what you sense.”
I focused.
“I hear Riven breathing like he is bored.”
“I am bored,” he said.
“I hear Lucy holding her breath because she wants to impress you.”
Lucy let out the breath in a flustered huff. “I was just being polite.”
“I hear Silas smiling again.”
Silas chuckled. “You always notice.”
“And Kael…” I swallowed. “I hear your footsteps. They are… steady.”
Kael paused. “Continue.”
“There is something else,” I whispered.
“What?”
“I hear my wolf.”
That made the entire yard fall silent.
Kael softened his tone. “What do you feel?”
“She is not at the back of my mind anymore.” My chest tightened. “She is… awake.”
“She was always there,” Elijah’s voice said from behind us. I had not even noticed him arrive. “But she was blocked.”
“Blocked by who?” I asked.
“That is the question,” Elijah said.
Before I could process that, Kael moved in front of me. “Open your eyes.”
I opened them slowly.
Kael nodded. “We test reflexes next.”
“Reflexes? Can we start with something simple first, like walking without tripping.”
Riven dropped down from his log and stretched his arms. “Reflexes. My specialty.”
Lucy frowned. “This looks dangerous.”
Riven smirked. “That is because it is.”
Kael stepped aside. “Riven, do not hurt her.”
Riven grinned wider. “I never hurt anyone unless they ask.”
Silas folded his arms. “You are going to ask her to dodge.”
“Exactly.” Riven cracked his knuckles. “Olivia, your task is simple. Dodge me.”
My eyes widened. “Are you going to punch me.”
“No. I am going to tap you. Lightly. You dodge. Easy.”
“This feels like a trap.”
“It probably is,” Silas murmured.
Lucy clapped her hands. “You can do it, Olivia. Just believe in yourself.”
“Please stop cheering for me,” I said. “It makes everything worse.”
Kael lifted a hand. “Begin.”
Riven moved.
He was fast. Faster than any wolf I had ever seen up close. He stepped forward with a playful smirk.
“Ready, trouble.”
“I said this is a ba—”
Riven lunged.
My wolf responded before I did.
My hand shot out. My body twisted. My foot swept under him with a speed that felt inhuman. Riven flipped over my hip and slammed onto the ground with a stunned grunt.
The entire yard went dead silent.
Lucy gasped. “Oh my Goddess.”
Silas clapped slowly. “Beautiful.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. “Again.”
Riven groaned. “Give me a second. I think she cracked my spine.”
“You are fine,” I said, stunned myself. “I did not even think. I just… reacted.”
Riven stood and shook the dirt off. “Again,” he said with a grin. “This is getting fun.”
“No more flipping,” Kael warned.
“I am not doing it on purpose,” I snapped. “My wolf is doing whatever she wants.”
Elijah stepped forward. “This confirms it. Olivia’s wolf has moved far beyond a normal first shift. This is accelerated development.”
Lucy bit her lip. “Is that dangerous?”
“For who,” Riven said. “Us or her.”
Elijah looked at me. “Both.”
My stomach dropped. “I do not want this.”
Silas approached me with slow, calculated steps. “Power is never given without a reason.”
“I do not want power.”
“That is irrelevant,” he said softly.
I backed up. “Do not come closer.”
Silas stopped. “As you wish.”
Kael interrupted sharply. “Olivia. Focus. Try again. Control your wolf.”
“How am I supposed to control something I did not even know existed last week.”
“Try.”
“Why do you always talk like your words are commands written in the sky.”
“Because they should be,” Kael said.
Riven snorted. “He has always been bossy.”
Kael ignored him. “Again. Dodge. But do not attack.”
Riven moved in again. This time he was more careful. He stepped in slow, watching my shoulders, my stance, my breathing.
“Relax,” Elijah instructed. “Let your wolf guide without overtaking.”
“I do not know how to—”
Riven reached for my shoulder.
My wolf snapped.
My eyes blurred. My body shifted sideways. Heat burned through me. I caught Riven’s wrist and slammed him to the ground.
Again.
He cursed loudly. “Seriously. What is she made of.”
Lucy jumped to her feet. “Olivia, stop. You are hurting him.”
“I am not trying to hurt him.”
Kael’s voice shifted lower. “Your wolf is fighting. She senses threat.”
“There is no threat,” I said frantically.
Silas whispered. “She does not believe that.”
My breathing quickened. My heartbeat sped up. Heat pulsed under my skin. Something inside me growled.
Kael stepped closer. “Olivia. Look at me.”
“No,” I said. “I need space.”
“Look at me.”
I snapped my head toward him. “Stop ordering me.”
He held my gaze without blinking. “I am trying to help.”
“You do not help. You command.”
“Sometimes that is the same thing.”
My chest clenched again. “I do not want to hurt anyone.”
He moved closer. “Then breathe.”
“I am breathing.”
“Not enough.”
“Stop telling me how to breathe.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. “You are spiraling.”
“I am not—”
My legs weakened. My vision blurred. The world tilted.
“Olivia,” Kael said sharply. “Stay with me.”
“I cannot.”
And then my knees gave out.
I heard voices mixing. Riven cursing. Lucy panicking. Silas laughing softly like he found this fascinating.
Hands caught me before I hit the ground. Kael’s hands. Strong. Steady. Cold.
“Olivia,” he said again. “Open your eyes.”
I tried. The world spun.
Riven crouched beside me. “I told you this was too much for her.”
Silas knelt on my other side. “Her wolf is awakening too quickly. This is delicious.”
“Silas,” Kael snapped. “Not now.”
Lucy hovered behind them. “Should I call the healer.”
“No,” Kael said. “Elijah can handle it.”
Elijah placed a hand on my forehead. “She is overheated. Her wolf is overpowering her human side. Olivia, you must listen to me. Breathe slowly.”
“I am trying,” I whispered.
Kael slid an arm behind my back and kept me upright. “Look at me. Do not close your eyes.”
“It hurts.”
“What hurts,” Riven asked.
“Everything.”
Silas tilted his head. “Her senses are multiplying.”
I grabbed Kael’s shirt. “Make it stop.”
His eyes softened. “Focus on my voice.”
Lucy stood helplessly. “Olivia, please. You can do this.”
I forced air into my lungs. In. Out. In. Out.
Elijah nodded. “Good. Slow.”
Kael’s hand moved to the back of my neck. “Stay with me.”
“I am trying,” I whispered again.
“You are strong,” Kael said. “Stronger than you know.”
Riven added, “You are terrifying. In a good way.”
Silas smiled. “In the best way.”
Slowly the burning began to fade. My heartbeat steadied. My vision stopped spinning.
I leaned against Kael, exhausted. He did not push me away.
Lucy handed me a water flask. “Drink. Please.”
I took a sip. My hands shook.
Riven exhaled. “She is not training again today. She needs rest.”
Kael hesitated. Then nodded. “Agreed.”
Silas stood. “I will walk her back.”
“No,” Kael said immediately.
Riven shook his head. “I am not letting Silas near her in this state.”
Silas sighed dramatically. “You both ruin all my fun.”
I pushed away from Kael slowly. “I can walk.”
Kael stood beside me. “I am coming with you.”
“I do not want company.”
“You are getting it.”
Lucy lifted her hand. “I can take her.”
Kael ignored her.
I turned and walked away. Kael followed closely. Too closely.
“Stop hovering,” I muttered.
“I am ensuring you do not faint again.”
“I will survive.”
He stayed silent for a moment. Then said quietly, “I am not so sure.”
I looked at him. “What is happening to me.”
His eyes shifted. “I do not know.”
We reached my room. I turned the handle.
Something crackled under my boot.
A piece of paper. Crumpled. Thin.
Kael picked it up first.
“What is it,” I asked.
He unfolded it slowly. His expression went cold.
“What does it say,” I whispered.
He finally spoke. “It says I know what you are.”
My stomach dropped.
Kael handed it to me.
The handwriting was sharp. Uneven. Familiar.
I whispered the words aloud.
“I know what you are. And soon everyone else will know too.”
Kael looked at me with a shadowed expression. “Someone is watching you.”
My hands shook around the note. “Who.”
Silas stepped into the hallway behind us without making a sound. “That,” he said softly, “is the question.”
Kael stared at me.
“Olivia,” he said quietly. “This is not a warning.”
He paused.
“It is a threat.”
- Writer
