Calla's POV
The training field still buzzed with energy even after the last sparring match had ended. Omegas were heading back to their chores, warriors cleaned their weapons, and the air was thick with the scent of sweat and dust.
But I stood still—my feet glued to the spot where I had nearly collapsed earlier.
Mika tugged at my wrist gently. "You okay?" she whispered, concern clouding her usually bright eyes.
I nodded slowly. "I just… felt dizzy for a second."
"Maybe the sun," she offered, but I knew it wasn't that. It was something else. Something inside me had stirred—and not just stirred, it had cracked open like a door pushed slightly ajar.
And when Alpha Darien steadied me…
There was something.
Not a mate bond. But… something.
I didn't have the words for it. Just a feeling buried in my chest that refused to leave.
---
Darien's POV
She didn't fall.
She should have. The way her legs trembled, her face pale, her eyes glazed over like she was lost in a different world.
But she didn't.
Calla stepped into the training circle and something changed—around her and inside me. A flicker. Faint, but undeniable.
I felt it. A warmth that danced at the edge of awareness. And then—nothing.
I let go of her arms quickly, before I gripped too tight. I didn't want to scare her. And I didn't want to show my confusion. Not even to Kael, who stood just behind me with narrowed eyes.
"She didn't shift," Kael murmured under his breath, watching Calla closely.
"No," I said. "But something happened."
Kael didn't argue. He rarely did. Instead, he stepped forward with quiet confidence and addressed the rest of the pack, calling an end to the day's training.
Mika quickly returned to Calla's side, throwing a worried glance at me as she guided her back toward the village. I let them go, even though part of me wanted to follow.
But Alpha or not, I knew when to wait.
---
Calla's POV
Mika fussed over me all the way home, even pulling out the old chipped mug and filling it with cool mint tea. She sat me down at the small wooden table we shared and pushed the cup into my hands.
"Drink. No arguing," she said firmly.
I smiled faintly, touched by her concern. "You're starting to sound like an elder," I teased.
Mika rolled her eyes and flopped into the seat across from me. "Seriously, Calla. What happened out there?"
I shook my head. "I don't know. I didn't feel sick. It was… different."
"Was it your wolf?" she asked, leaning in closer.
I hesitated.
Mika was the only one who knew I hadn't shifted since arriving here. Not because I didn't want to—but because something deep inside me felt like it wasn't ready. Like there was more waiting beneath the surface.
"I think she was trying to come forward," I admitted quietly. "But it wasn't just that. When the Alpha touched me…"
Mika's eyes widened slightly.
"I felt something," I whispered.
Mika leaned back in her chair, thoughtful. "Still no bond?"
"No. Nothing like that."
She nodded slowly. "Maybe… you're just late. Or maybe it's not what we think."
We sat in silence for a while.
My eyes wandered to the silver ring I wore on my right hand—a plain band, nothing fancy. Every wolf in the Kaelstrom Pack wore one. It wasn't just decoration. It marked you as part of the pack.
I still remembered when Kael—Beta Kael—handed it to me the day I arrived. "This marks you under our protection," he'd said. "As long as you wear it, you are one of us."
I hadn't taken it off since.
"Do you think they'll ask me to step into the circle again?" I asked quietly.
"Maybe," Mika said. "Maybe they saw something. The Alpha looked at you like… like he was trying to solve a riddle."
I looked down at my tea.
So was I.
---
Darien's POV
Later that evening, I stood on the balcony of my house—the Alpha's house. It wasn't the highest building in the village, but it was the largest. A two-story stone and wood structure with wide windows and strong beams. From here, I could see most of the pack homes spread out evenly like pieces of a puzzle.
I'd designed it that way on purpose. Everyone equal. Just with one larger house in the middle—not for status, but for responsibility.
I watched the soft flicker of lanterns turning on one by one in the village below. Including the one in Calla's home.
"She didn't shift," Kael said again, appearing beside me with a mug in his hand.
"I know."
"But something moved."
"Yes."
Kael was quiet for a while before speaking again. "You think it's buried? Her wolf?"
I nodded. "Dormant. Not suppressed… but asleep."
Kael took a long sip of tea. "You're thinking she's more than she seems."
"I'm not thinking anything yet," I said. "But I'm watching."
Kael smirked. "You've been watching since she got here."
I didn't deny it.
Because I couldn't stop.
---
Calla's POV
That night, I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, the soft moonlight casting shadows on the wall.
I couldn't sleep.
I kept hearing Mika's words… and the Alpha's voice… and that whisper inside me that felt like it was waiting.
What if Mika was right?
What if I wasn't just late to shift?
What if I was something else?