Rowan woke to the scent of damp earth and the distant rustling of leaves. His body ached from where he had collapsed the night before, exhaustion finally dragging him into an uneasy sleep beneath the old oak tree. Morning light filtered through the branches, painting the forest floor in shifting golden patterns.
For a moment, he let himself stay still, staring up at the sky. It was peaceful out here, far from the accusing stares and the weight of disappointment pressing down on him. But the peace was temporary. He only had a month.
A single moon cycle to prove he belonged.
He exhaled and sat up, rubbing a hand over his face. His body felt sluggish, but it wasn't just from exhaustion. Something inside him was off. Like there was a wall between him and the part of himself that should have answered the call to shift.
Rowan pushed himself to his feet, shaking off the stiffness in his limbs. The flicker of warmth he had felt the night before—he wasn't imagining it. It had been real. His wolf was there, buried deep, waiting for something. He just had to wake it up.
Training. That was the only answer.
His entire life, he had pushed his body beyond its limits, preparing for the day he would shift. None of it had mattered when the time came, but maybe… maybe he had to force it.
He started with a run, weaving through the trees, pushing himself harder than he ever had before. His breath came fast, his legs burned, but he didn't stop. He imagined his wolf waiting just beneath his skin, clawing to break free. If he could just push past whatever barrier was keeping it locked away—
A sharp pain lanced through his ribs. Rowan stumbled, catching himself against a tree as his vision blurred. His breath hitched. The warmth from last night flickered again, but weaker this time, like a dying ember.
He gritted his teeth. It was there. Why wouldn't it come out?
Frustration roiled in his chest. He slammed his fist into the tree bark, ignoring the sting. He was running out of time. He needed to do more.
More training. More pushing.
Rowan took a deep breath, ignoring the ache in his chest, and forced himself into motion again. He spent the next hour pushing himself through drills—fighting stances, defensive maneuvers, speed training. Sweat dripped down his back, but nothing happened. No shift. No surge of power.
Just exhaustion.
A rustle in the underbrush made him tense. Rowan turned sharply, heart still pounding from the exertion. He wasn't alone.
She stepped into view, dark eyes steady as she watched him. The girl from last night.
Rowan straightened, unsure what to say. He hadn't expected to see her again, especially not here.
"You're pushing too hard," she said simply.
He frowned. "I don't have a choice."
She tilted her head slightly, studying him. "That's not how it works."
Rowan crossed his arms, frustration bubbling up again. "You don't even know what I'm trying to do."
The corner of her lips twitched, almost like she wanted to smile. "You think forcing yourself to the edge will wake up your wolf."
Rowan hesitated. She had said it so casually, but there was something in her tone… like she understood more than she was letting on.
"Isn't that how it works?" he asked.
She took a slow step closer, then another. Rowan fought the urge to step back.
"Not for you," she said. "Not for your kind of wolf."
A chill ran down Rowan's spine.
"My kind?"
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she crouched down, brushing her fingers against the forest floor, as if listening to something only she could hear. Then she looked up at him again, and for the first time, Rowan noticed the faint silver gleam in her eyes.
"You need to remember," she said. "Your wolf isn't lost. It's waiting."
Rowan swallowed hard. He had never seen her before last night. She wasn't part of the high-ranking families, wasn't someone who had ever stood out in the pack. And yet… she spoke as if she knew something.
"Who are you?" he asked.
She stood slowly, the wind catching a few loose strands of her dark hair.
"No one important," she said. "Yet."
Then, without another word, she turned and walked back into the trees, disappearing as quickly as she had come.
Rowan stood there, the weight of her words settling deep into his bones.
His wolf wasn't lost. It was waiting.
But waiting for what?
He exhaled sharply. He wasn't going to find his answers by standing here. If training his body wasn't enough, then he had to train something else.
His mind.
The elder. The one who had hinted at his bloodline being asleep. He was the only one who might have answers.
No one spoke of him much, but Rowan knew where to find him. The old man lived in the outermost part of the village, away from the pack's center. Some called him a relic of the past, while others whispered that he still held knowledge long forgotten by the modern pack.
Rowan didn't care about rumors. He needed the truth.
By the time he reached the elder's hut, dusk had begun to settle over the village. The air smelled of burning wood and pine, and the sound of distant howls echoed through the trees.
The hut was small, built from rough stone and old timber. Smoke curled from the chimney, a faint sign that someone was inside. Rowan hesitated only a moment before knocking.
Silence.
Then, a slow shuffling sound. The door creaked open, revealing a pair of piercing amber eyes staring up at him. The elder was smaller than Rowan remembered, but his presence was anything but weak. There was something ancient in his gaze, something that made Rowan's stomach tighten.
"You're late," the elder said.
Rowan blinked. "What?"
The old man studied him for a long moment, then stepped aside, motioning him in.
Rowan hesitated only briefly before stepping into the dimly lit hut. The air inside smelled of herbs and something else—something old.
The door shut behind him with a finality that made Rowan's pulse quicken.
"You came looking for answers," the elder said, moving toward a small wooden table. "But I wonder… are you ready to hear them?"
Rowan clenched his fists. "I don't have a choice."
The elder let out a soft chuckle. "Oh, but you do." He turned, his sharp eyes meeting Rowan's. "And if you truly want to wake up the wolf inside you, you're going to have to face the truth about what you are."
Rowan's breath caught in his throat.
Something told him that nothing would ever be the same after this.