Chapter 12

Riley didn't remember walking away from the clearing.

One moment, she had been standing in front of Elena, her mind spinning, her heart pounding. The next, she was deep in the woods, the damp scent of pine and earth filling her lungs.

She needed air.

She needed space.

Branches clawed at her arms as she pushed forward, her steps uneven, frantic. Her body felt too hot, her skin too tight, her thoughts tangled and suffocating.

Feral.

The word rang in her head like a curse, a brand she would never escape.

She stopped near the edge of a stream, bracing herself against a tree, her breath ragged. The water rushed over smooth stones, its soft babble a stark contrast to the chaos inside her.

This wasn't happening.

It couldn't be happening.

She had spent her entire life believing she was normal. Even when she had learned about werewolves, even when Kieran had come crashing into her life, she still clung to the idea that she was just Riley.

But that wasn't true, was it?

She wasn't just anything.

The proof was already there: the unnatural speed, the strength, the instincts that had saved her life back in the cabin. She had felt them growing stronger, stretching beneath her skin like something waiting to wake up.

And now, she knows why.

Her stomach twisted.

She didn't want this.

She didn't want to be one of them.

A rustle in the trees made her tense.

She turned sharply, every muscle in her body coiling tight, her breath catching in her throat.

Kieran stood a few feet away, watching her carefully.

Of course, he had followed her.

Of course, he had known she wouldn't stay.

"Riley."

She exhaled shakily, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "Don't."

Kieran hesitated but didn't move closer.

"You shouldn't be out here alone," he said after a beat.

Riley let out a humorless laugh. "Why? Afraid I might lose control?"

Kieran didn't answer right away. The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy.

Finally, he said, "I know this isn't easy."

Riley's fingers curled against the bark of the tree. "Easy?" she echoed. "Kieran, my entire life just got rewritten. Nothing about this is easy."

He nodded, but there was something guarded in his expression.

Something he wasn't saying.

Riley swallowed hard, her pulse pounding against her ribs.

"You knew," she said, her voice quieter now. "Didn't you?"

Kieran inhaled deeply, then nodded. "I suspected," he admitted. "But I didn't know for sure."

Her chest tightened. "And you didn't think to tell me?"

"I didn't have proof," he said, his golden eyes steady. "I didn't want to make you afraid of something that might not have been real."

"Well, guess what?" Riley let out a bitter laugh. "It's real. And now I don't have a choice."

She turned away from him, staring at the rushing water, willing it to drown out the roar of her thoughts.

Kieran stepped closer. "You do have a choice."

Riley clenched her jaw. "Do I?"

He hesitated. "You can learn to control it."

Her breath hitched. "And if I can't?"

Kieran didn't answer.

That silence told her everything.

Her hands tightened into fists.

She wanted to scream. To hit something. To tear this feeling out of her chest and throw it into the river.

Instead, she turned back to him, her voice sharp. "What aren't you telling me?"

Kieran's expression darkened.

"Elena said you don't have time," he said carefully. "She's right."

Riley frowned. "What do you mean?"

Kieran hesitated again. Then he exhaled slowly, his shoulders tight.

"Callum knows," he said. "And if he knows, the others will, too."

A cold weight settled in Riley's stomach.

"He's coming for me," she whispered.

Kieran's jaw clenched. "It's not just him. All of them will want to know what you are."

Riley swallowed hard. "And if they don't like the answer?"

Kieran's golden eyes burned. "Then they'll try to kill you."

The words hit like ice down her spine.

She knew it was bad. Had felt the weight of it in the way Callum had looked at her, the way Elena had spoken about control.

But hearing it out loud made it real.

Riley forced herself to stay steady. "So what do we do?"

Kieran hesitated again. "Elena can help. But it's not going to be easy."

Riley let out a sharp, hollow laugh. "Right. Because everything so far has been super easy."

Kieran gave her a look, but she wasn't in the mood for it.

She took a slow breath, pressing her fingers against her temples.

"So what? I just train until I magically fix whatever the hell is happening to me?"

Kieran's gaze flickered. "If you don't"

"I know," she snapped.

She knew what would happen if she lost control.

She had seen it in Kieran's face. In Elena's.

She would become something else.

Something the packs would hunt.

Something she wouldn't recognize.

Her stomach churned.

Kieran stepped closer. "You're not alone in this."

Riley exhaled, trying to ignore the warmth that spread through her at his words.

She wanted to believe him.

But deep down, she knew

Whatever was happening to her, whatever she was becoming

She was on her own.

Because no one could fight what was inside her.

No one except her.

Riley turned away from Kieran, staring at the dark water rushing past.

The weight of everything pressed down on her, suffocating, relentless. She wanted to scream. To punch something. To run.

But no matter how far she went, she knew the truth would follow.

Kieran was right.

Callum knew.

And if he knew, the others would too.

The packs would come for her, not just out of curiosity but out of fear.

She wasn't human. She wasn't a wolf.

She was something else.

Something dangerous.

Riley's hands clenched at her sides.

"Okay," she said finally, her voice tight but steady. "We train."

Kieran blinked. "What?"

Riley turned back to him, meeting his gaze. "I need to learn how to control this. Before it's too late."

Something flickered across his expression of relief, maybe. Or understanding.

"You will," he said.

Riley exhaled slowly, then nodded. "Then let's start now."

Kieran hesitated, studying her carefully. "You're exhausted."

"I don't care."

"You should."

Riley let out a harsh laugh. "Kieran, I threw a wolf across a room tonight. My body is doing things it shouldn't be able to do. I felt it trying to take over. If I wait too long"

She swallowed hard, shaking her head.

"I can't risk it."

Kieran held her gaze for a long moment. Then, finally, he nodded.

"All right," he said. "Let's begin."

The training started at dawn.

Riley's body ached, her muscles screaming in protest, but she pushed through it.

Kieran tested her speed first, forcing her to move purely on instinct. Every time she thought before she acted, he knocked her off balance. Every time she hesitated, he used it against her.

"You're holding back," Kieran said, dodging another one of her attacks.

Riley gritted her teeth. "Because I don't know what I am."

Kieran's golden eyes locked onto hers. "Then find out."

Something snapped inside her.

Riley lunged fast, faster than before.

This time, she didn't overthink it.

She let her body move, let her instincts take over.

She almost hit him.

But Kieran twisted at the last second, narrowly avoiding her strike. He stepped back, breathing hard, and for the first time

He smiled.

Riley stared at him, chest rising and falling rapidly.

She didn't know what had just happened.

But she felt it.

Something inside her was waking up.

Something she couldn't ignore.

And for the first time, she wasn't sure she wanted to.