Morning didn't bring relief.
It made everything worse.
Scott felt it the moment the first light broke through the trees. The camp wasn't just tense it was fractured. Conversations were quieter, sharper. Wolves grouped together more tightly, speaking in low voices that stopped the second he stepped too close.
And at the center of it all
Her.
She stood near the edge of the clearing, separate but not distant. Watching. Always watching.
Scott exhaled slowly, dragging a hand across the back of his neck. This was exactly what he knew would happen. He just hadn't expected it to hit this fast.
"You've got a problem."
He didn't turn. He recognized the voice immediately.
"Yeah," Scott muttered. "I noticed."
His best friend stepped beside him, following his line of sight. "You brought a hunter into a werewolf camp. I'm surprised no one's tried to kill her yet."
Scott's jaw tightened. "They won't."
A quiet pause.
"That confidence," his friend said lightly, "is either impressive… or dangerous."
Scott shot him a look. "Which one do you think it is?"
A small shrug. "Depends how this ends."
That wasn't comforting.
Scott looked back toward the clearing. Garrick was already speaking to a group of older wolves. Their expressions weren't hard to read. Suspicion. Disapproval. Calculation.
"They're not going to accept this," his friend added.
"I'm not asking them to."
"No," he said, glancing at Scott, "you're forcing them to."
Scott didn't deny it.
Because it was true.
The confrontation didn't take long.
It started quietly just a few raised voices but it spread fast. By the time Scott stepped fully into the clearing, the entire pack was watching.
Garrick stood at the center again.
Waiting.
"You need to explain this," he said, voice carrying easily.
Scott didn't hesitate. "She helped during the attack."
"That doesn't answer the question."
Scott's gaze hardened slightly. "It answers enough."
Murmurs rippled through the group.
Garrick took a step closer. "She's a hunter."
There it was.
Out in the open.
Scott didn't react outwardly but inside, something tightened.
"How long did you plan to keep that from us?" Garrick pressed.
Scott glanced briefly at her. She didn't move. Didn't speak.
"I wasn't," he said.
"Then say it," Garrick challenged.
Silence stretched.
Scott turned back to the pack.
"She's a werewolf hunter."
The reaction was immediate.
Voices rose. Some angry. Some shocked. Some already stepping back like the truth alone made her dangerous.
"She shouldn't be here."
"She's a threat."
"This is a mistake"
"Enough!"
Scott's voice cut through them all.
And just like that
Silence.
Not calm.
Controlled.
"You think I don't know what she is?" he continued, eyes sweeping across them. "You think I don't understand the risk?"
No one answered.
"Then listen carefully," Scott said, voice lower now but heavier. "She's still here. That was my decision."
"And if she turns on us?" someone challenged.
Scott didn't hesitate. "Then I'll deal with it."
That didn't reassure them.
If anything, it made things worse.
Garrick watched him closely. "You're asking for trust you haven't earned yet."
Scott held his gaze. "Then I'll earn it."
Another pause.
Then Garrick stepped back slightly. Not agreeing.
But not challenging further.
Not yet.
The rest of the morning passed under a heavy weight.
Training resumed but it wasn't normal.
Everything felt sharper. Tenser.
And Scott…
Scott felt worse.
At first, it was subtle. Just a faint pressure in his chest.
Then it grew.
Tightening.
Pulling.
He paused mid-step, breath catching slightly.
"What's wrong with you?"
He glanced up. His best friend was watching him again closer this time. More focused.
"Nothing," Scott said quickly.
A lie.
And they both knew it.
"That didn't look like nothing."
Scott exhaled slowly, pressing a hand briefly against his chest. "Just tired."
His friend didn't look convinced.
"You sure it's not… something else?"
Scott's eyes flicked toward the edge of the clearing.
Toward her.
The moment he did
The pressure eased.
Not completely.
But enough.
His expression shifted slightly.
His friend noticed.
And this time
He didn't comment on it.
Which was worse.
By midday, Scott couldn't ignore it anymore.
The pull wasn't just emotional.
It was physical.
Real.
Every time he moved too far from her, the tension built again tight, suffocating, wrong.
And every time he got closer
It eased.
Not fully.
But enough to matter.
Scott leaned against a tree at the edge of the clearing, breathing slower now, trying to steady himself.
"You're starting to understand it."
Her voice came quietly.
He didn't turn right away.
"I don't like it," he said.
"Doesn't matter."
That earned a glance.
She stood a few steps away, arms relaxed at her sides, expression calm but her eyes…
Her eyes were anything but.
"You feel it when you're far from me," she continued. "Don't you?"
Scott didn't answer.
Didn't need to.
"And it gets worse the longer you stay away."
A beat.
"What did you do to me?"
Her expression didn't change.
"Nothing."
"That's not possible."
"No," she said quietly. "It's not."
Silence settled between them again.
But this time it wasn't tense.
It was understanding.
And that made it worse.
"What is this?" Scott asked.
Her gaze held his.
"Something that shouldn't exist."
Not helpful.
Scott ran a hand through his hair, frustration building. "That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting right now."
He didn't like that.
Didn't like how much control she seemed to have over something he didn't even understand.
And yet
He didn't step away.
Didn't break the distance between them.
Because part of him already knew
That would make it worse.
"You're getting too close to her."
Scott turned sharply.
Garrick stood a few feet away, arms crossed, expression hard.
Scott straightened slightly. "I'm handling it."
"That's not what it looks like."
Scott's eyes narrowed. "Then what does it look like?"
Garrick didn't hesitate.
"It looks like you're losing control."
The words hit harder than they should have.
Scott's jaw tightened. "I'm not."
"Then prove it."
A pause.
"Send her away."
The air shifted instantly.
Scott didn't even need to think about it.
"No."
Garrick's expression darkened. "Then you're choosing her over the pack."
"That's not what this is."
"Then what is it?"
Scott didn't answer.
Because he didn't have one.
And that silence
That hesitation
Said everything Garrick needed to hear.
"This will break the pack," Garrick said quietly.
Scott held his ground.
"Then I'll fix it."
Garrick shook his head slightly not in disagreement.
In doubt.
That night, Scott stayed awake again.
Not because of the pack.
Not because of the threat.
But because of the feeling in his chest.
It hadn't gone away.
It had settled.
Changed.
Like something connecting instead of pulling.
He stepped away from the camp slowly, moving just far enough to test it.
The moment he did
It came back.
Sharp. Immediate.
Scott stopped.
Breathing heavier now.
"Yeah," he muttered. "That's not normal."
"You keep saying that."
He didn't turn this time.
"Because it keeps getting worse."
She stepped beside him again.
Close enough that the pressure eased almost instantly.
Scott let out a slow breath.
"That's… convenient," he said dryly.
"For me?"
"For whatever this is."
A pause.
Then
"You still haven't walked away."
Scott glanced at her.
"No," he admitted.
And that was the problem.
Behind them
Unseen.
Unnoticed.
Someone was watching.
Not from the shadows of the forest.
But from within the pack itself.
Still. Silent. Patient.
And for just a brief moment
A faint smile crossed his best friend's face.
Gone as quickly as it appeared.