The Awakening

Chapter Three – The Awakening

Maelis’ POV

The moment Silas pointed at me, the entire combat hall went silent.

For a few seconds, I could only stare at him.

Me?

Out of everyone in the room, he had chosen me.

A nervous laugh almost escaped my lips because it felt impossible.

There were students here who had spent their entire lives training. Students from powerful packs. Students who already knew how to control their wolves and fight like warriors.

I was only here because Cassandra needed someone beside her.

I was not someone people chose.

Whispers immediately began spreading around the hall. “Her?” “Who is she?” “Why would Silas choose her?”

I lowered my eyes, I hated being the center of attention.

Before I could move, Cassandra stepped forward. “She’s the one my father adopted.”

Her voice carried across the room. Everyone turned toward her.

Cassandra stood with her usual confidence, her arms crossed as she looked at me. “She isn’t trained like the others.”

The words were not loud, but everyone understood what she meant.

She didn’t belong here, I felt my fingers tighten.

I looked at Silas. “I…”

My voice came out quietly. “I think I’m not good enough to participate with you.”

I expected him to agree, I expected him to choose someone else.

Instead, he walked toward me.

The entire hall watched as he stopped in front of me.

His golden eyes studied me carefully. “Come.”

I hesitated. “I really don’t think this is a good idea.”

He didn’t answer.

He simply turned and walked toward the center of the training field.

I stood there for a moment, feeling everyone’s eyes on me.

Then slowly, I followed. The moment we entered the fighting area, something strange happened.

The other students stopped their assessments, no one chose an opponent, no one continued training. Everyone was watching us.

The instructor looked between Silas and me. “Begin.”

My heart started beating faster. I looked at Silas. “What am I supposed to do?”

He stared at me for a moment.

Then he said the one thing I feared. “Shift.”

My entire body froze. “What?”

The noise in the hall disappeared, I looked around quickly. Hundreds of eyes were watching me. “No.”

The answer came out before I could stop it.

Silas didn’t react. “Why?”

My throat tightened.

Because I couldn’t because I can’t, I don’t I didn’t know what would happen.

Because my wolf was not like everyone else’s. “I can’t.”

Silas stepped clos, I don’t have”

Silas looked at me without saying a word.

For a long moment, his golden eyes searched mine, as if he was waiting for me to stop pretending.

“I saw your blood yesterday,” he said quietly.

My heart skipped a beat. “The Bloodstone reacted.”

I felt the color drain from my face, he remembered, he had seen everything.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whispered.

He took one slow step closer, his eyes never leaving mine. “Ever since yesterday, I’ve known you’re hiding something.”

His voice remained calm.“Show me your wolf.”

Fear gripped my chest.

If he only knew… It wasn’t that I didn’t want to.

I was terrified of what would happen if I did.

I shook my head. “No.”

My voice became more desperate. “No, I can’t.”

The whispers started again. “She can’t shift?”

“Then why is she here?”

“She must be weak.”

I clenched my hands, I wanted to leave, I wanted to disappear ? Silas continued watching me.

Not with disappointment but with certainty.

Like he already knew there was something inside me. “Hey”

Hearing my name from him made me look up. “Trust yourself.”

I didn’t understand why he sounded so sure, I closed my eyes.

I squeezed my eyes shut and wrapped my arms around myself as though I could hold whatever was inside me in place.

No. Please… Not now.

I could feel it pushing against every part of me, growing stronger with each heartbeat.

A low growl echoed inside my head.

My breathing became ragged, my heart pounded so hard that it hurt.

The voices around me faded beneath the sound of my own heartbeat.

Heat spread through my body, starting from my chest and racing through my arms and legs until every muscle trembled.

I dug my fingernails into my palms, hoping the pain would help me stay in control, but it didn’t.

The pressure only grew stronger.

A sharp gasp escaped my lips as another wave of power surged through me.

My vision blurred.

The stone floor beneath my feet seemed to sway.

“No…” I whispered, shaking my head. “Please… stop.”

I tried to force the wolf back the way I had so many times before, but this time it refused to listen.

Something clawed beneath my skin, desperate to break free.

A painful shiver ran through my body.

I staggered backward, struggling to stay on my feet.

Every breath became harder than the last.

My legs trembled violently.

The strength slowly drained from them until they could no longer support me.

Everything around me began to spin.

Then my knees gave way beneath me.

I fell. Silas moved immediately.

He caught me before I hit the ground. “Hey”

His voice was no longer calm. There was concern in it but I couldn’t answer.

The power inside me was breaking through.

A dangerous pressure spread through the training hall, the students stepped backward.

Fear appeared on their faces. “She’s shifting…”

Someone whispered.

My eyes widened. No.

I couldn’t stop it. 

Before he could move, two figures moved instantly. Jace and Kieran, the other two, rushed forward. They had been standing among the students, watching everything unfold.

The moment they reached us, they understood.

A ripping sound echoed through the hall. The sleeve of my academy uniform split apart as something beneath my skin struggled to break free. Another tear followed across my shoulder. Kieran removed his academy jacket and covered me immediately, hiding my changing body from the crowd.

“Maelis, look at me,” he said.

I could barely focus.

Jace turned toward the students. “Everyone turn around.”

No one moved. The pressure from his wolf filled the room.

His voice became colder. “Now.”

Slowly, the students looked away.

The whispers stopped, the instructors remained silent.

No one dared challenge him.

Kieran stayed beside me, keeping me covered. “Breathe.”

I tried. The wolf inside me fought against my control.

I clenched my teeth and forced myself to calm down. Slowly… The pressure began to disappear, the growling faded, the changes stopped.

When I finally opened my eyes, I realized what had happened.

Everyone knew. My secret was no longer hidden and the person I feared seeing the most… Was Cassandra.

I turned toward her, she was standing there, staring at me.

Her expression was not shock, It was anger.

Pure anger.