✨ Chapter 8 – Into the Wild
A week passed at Elmwood Academy.
A week of training.
A week of trying to calm her wolf.
A week of Kai standing beside her, patient and steady.
And still…
She couldn't control it.
Not even a little.
No matter how hard she tried.
---
## **A Week of Failure**
Every day was the same:
* Light training? Perfect.
* Telekinesis? Flawless.
* Aura sensing? Easy.
But the moment she tried to reach for her wolf—
even gently—
her heartbeat spiked and her body trembled.
Her wolf was strong.
Ancient.
Wild.
Always responding to Kai.
Always reacting to his presence.
Always feeling everything too deeply.
And Ariana hated it.
She hated being the only one who couldn't shift.
The only wolf who couldn't even *talk* to her own wolf spirit.
The only Sterling who wasn't in control.
One afternoon, after she failed to hold her half-shift for the tenth time, she collapsed to her knees, exhausted and humiliated.
Kai stepped toward her immediately.
"Ariana—"
"No," she said sharply, voice shaking. "I can't do it. I can't keep doing this."
Kai dropped to a knee beside her.
"You're trying too hard."
"No," she whispered. "I'm failing too hard."
She felt it then—her wolf stirring, restless, frustrated just like her.
Kai watched her carefully.
"You need a break."
Ariana shook her head. "I need control."
"Exactly," Kai said quietly. "And you won't get it in a crowded training hall. You're overwhelmed."
Zane, appearing from behind a pillar, added,
"She's overthinking. Lunar wolves hate noise."
Calen lounged against a wall.
"She needs space. Real space."
Rylan crossed his arms.
"A forest. Away from people. Away from pressure."
Ariana blinked at all of them.
"You guys… want to help me?"
Kai nodded.
"We're your pack."
Ariana's breath caught.
"No one ever called me that before."
Kai's voice softened.
"You are now."
---
## **Into the Forest**
At sunset, Kai's clique met her at the academy gates.
Rylan carried a pack of supplies across his shoulder.
Calen conjured a cold breeze to keep the heat down.
Zane kept watch with his mind-sense spread wide.
Kai stood beside Ariana, calm and protective.
And together, they walked toward the Outer Woods—
a vast enchanted forest just outside the academy grounds.
Ariana hesitated at the edge.
"Are we… allowed to be here?"
Rylan grinned. "Absolutely not."
Calen added, "But you need it."
Zane smirked. "And rules are flexible."
Kai looked at her gently.
"You'll be safe with us."
Her wolf rose in response—softly, curiously.
Ariana nodded.
"Okay. Let's go."
---
## **The Clearing**
They stopped in a wide clearing surrounded by glowing trees. Moonlight filtered through the branches like silver dust.
Kai walked to the center and motioned for her to join him.
"Ariana," he said quietly,
"you've spent a week trying to force control. That's not how lunar wolves work."
She frowned. "Then how do they work?"
Kai stepped closer, his aura warm and steady.
"You calm them.
You guide them.
You trust them."
Ariana's throat tightened.
"I don't trust her."
Kai nodded.
"And that's the problem."
She looked down at her hands.
"What if she hurts someone again? What if she—"
Kai gently placed a hand under her chin, lifting her gaze to his.
"Ariana… what if she doesn't want to hurt anyone?"
Her breath froze.
"You felt her this week," Kai continued. "She's not angry. She's scared. Confused. Just like you."
Ariana felt tears prick her eyes.
"She… she is?"
Kai's voice softened even more.
"Yes. And she needs you. Not your fear. Not your control. You."
Ariana swallowed.
"What do I do?"
Kai took one step back, giving her space.
"Sit. Breathe. And let your wolf come to you."
Ariana closed her eyes.
She inhaled.
Exhaled.
Tried to slow her pulse.
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Then—
A soft warmth bloomed in her chest.
Her wolf stirred.
Curious.
Gentle.
Reaching.
Ariana gasped.
"I… I can feel her."
Kai's voice was a whisper.
"Good. Don't force her. Let her move."
Ariana felt something brush her mind.
Like…
a nuzzle.
A greeting.
A question.
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
"She's… she's not angry," Ariana whispered.
"No," Kai said softly. "She never was."
Ariana opened her eyes.
And for the first time since the forest incident years ago—
A faint shimmer of silver fur appeared along her arms.
Not violent.
Not painful.
Not dangerous.
A partial shift.
Her first successful one.
Rylan exhaled, impressed.
"Look at that…"
Calen smirked. "Took her long enough."
Zane smiled faintly. "She's waking."
Ariana stared at the silver fur, trembling.
"I… I did it."
Kai stepped toward her slowly.
"You did," he said quietly.
"And you're going to do even more."
But before he could say anything else—
Zane's expression froze.
His eyes went sharp.
His voice dropped.
"Someone's coming."
Ariana stiffened.
"Who?"
Zane's jaw clenched.
"No aura. No footsteps. No thoughts."
Kai's face darkened instantly.
"That means one thing," he whispered.
Ariana swallowed.
"The hooded figure."
Kai grabbed her arm protectively.
"Get behind me," he ordered.
But Ariana's wolf—
newly awake, newly aware—
growled inside her chest.
**Not this time.**
Not afraid.
Not hiding.
Ariana stepped forward.
"Kai," she whispered,
"I think my wolf wants to meet them."
A/n: she finally had her first successful calm transformation but who is lingering in the dark?