Chapter 4 The Wolf Within

LINA'S POV

The dining hall's roar hit me like a wave, a chaotic blend of clattering trays, laughter, and the sharp scent of grilled meat. I gripped my tray tighter, my cap pulled low, as I wove through the crowd of Silverclaw students, their voices a constant reminder of my place-or lack of it. The stranger's words echoed in my head: You don't belong here, Ironfang. And I'm going to prove it. My pendant burned against my chest, its magic humming under the strain of my spiking pulse. Whoever he was, he knew something, and I was running out of time to figure out what.

"Linc, over here!" Jasper's voice cut through the noise, his arm waving from a corner table. His bruised cheek from the Trials was turning purple, but his grin was unshakable. I forced a smile, grateful for his familiar face in this sea of predators, and slid into the seat beside him. My wolf was restless, clawing at my ribs, and I wasn't sure if it was the stranger's threat or the memory of Kade's smirk and Elias's piercing stare. Both tugged at me, my wolf whispering mate every time they got too close. I shoved a forkful of mashed potatoes into my mouth to drown her out.

"You look like you're planning a jailbreak," Jasper said, eyeing me over his glasses. "What's up? Bryce giving you grief again?"

"Not Bryce," I said, keeping my voice low, rough. "Just... adjusting." I couldn't tell him about the stranger, not without risking questions I couldn't answer. Jasper was a friend-maybe the only one I had here-but my secret was a wall between us, cold and unyielding.

He leaned closer, his voice dropping. "Word is, you caught Professor Elias's eye. Not sure if that's good or bad, man. He doesn't notice just anyone."

My stomach twisted, the potatoes turning to lead. Elias's visit to my dorm yesterday, his probing questions about Ironfang-they weren't random. He suspected something, and that tug in my chest when he'd stood too close wasn't helping. "Great," I muttered. "Another fan."

Jasper chuckled, but his eyes flicked to the hall's entrance, and his grin faded. "Heads-up. Trouble's incoming."

I followed his gaze, and my wolf bristled. Kade strode in, his navy blazer slung over his shoulder, his dark hair mussed like he'd just rolled out of a fight-or a bed. The crowd parted for him, his presence a storm that silenced whispers. His eyes found mine across the room, and that damn smirk curled his lips. My wolf whined, the mate tug hitting me like a punch, and I gripped my tray to keep my hands steady.

"He's got it out for you," Jasper whispered. "Ever since you mouthed off to Bryce. Kade doesn't like being upstaged."

"He can get in line," I said, but my voice wavered. Kade wasn't just a bully-he was a puzzle, his warnings laced with something I couldn't read. Interest? Suspicion? Whatever it was, it made my skin prickle.

Kade didn't approach, thank the moon, but someone else did. Bryce and his goons, their trays piled high, shoved their way to a nearby table. His buzzcut gleamed under the lights, and his glare locked on me like a missile. "Enjoying your victory, runt?" he called, loud enough to turn heads. "Won't last. Next Trial, I'm carving my name in your hide."

The hall quieted, eyes on us. My wolf growled, eager, but my body screamed careful. I couldn't afford a scene, not with my pendant already strained. "Keep dreaming, Bryce," I shot back, pitching my voice low and cocky. "You couldn't carve a pumpkin with those paws."

Laughter rippled through the crowd, and Bryce's face reddened. He stood, fists clenched, but a sharp voice cut through before he could lunge. "Sit down, Mr. Harlow." Elias stood at the faculty table, his storm-gray eyes cold. "Or you'll be scrubbing the arena instead of fighting in it."

Bryce hesitated, then sank back, muttering curses. Elias's gaze shifted to me, lingering a beat too long, and that tug flared again, hot and disorienting. I looked away, my cheeks burning under my cap. Why did he keep watching me? And why did my wolf care so much?

Dinner passed in a blur of noise and nerves, Jasper's chatter a lifeline as I scanned the hall for the stranger. No sign of him, but his scent-sharp, like steel and frost-lingered in my memory, a ghost I couldn't shake. I needed answers, but Silverclaw wasn't exactly a library of secrets. I'd have to dig, and that meant risks I wasn't sure I could take.

After dinner, Jasper dragged me to the common room for "team bonding," which was code for students sizing each other up over card games and boasts. The room was all dark wood and leather, the air thick with testosterone and the faint musk of shifting wolves. I kept to the edges, my cap low, until a familiar voice stopped me cold.

"Linc, you hiding or just lost?" Kade leaned against a wall, a deck of cards in his hand. His smirk was infuriating, but his eyes were sharp, like he was peeling back my layers. My wolf stirred, that tug pulling me toward him, and I hated how my pulse quickened.

"Neither," I said, crossing my arms. "Just not in the mood for your ego."

He laughed, low and rough, and stepped closer. "You've got a mouth on you, newbie. Most guys would've pissed themselves facing Bryce. What's your deal?"

My pendant warmed, a warning. He was too close, his scent-leather and wildfire-clouding my head. "My deal's surviving," I said, holding his gaze. "What's yours? Playing king or just bored?"

His smirk faltered, something flashing in his eyes-surprise, maybe, or respect. "Maybe I like a challenge," he said, his voice dropping. "And you, Linc, are definitely that."

My wolf whined, and I stepped back, my heart pounding. "Find another game, Kade," I said, turning away before he could see the flush creeping up my neck. His chuckle followed me, and I cursed my wolf for making this harder than it needed to be.

I slipped out to the courtyard, needing air. The night was crisp, the moon a sliver that still pulled at my wolf, urging her to run. I leaned against a stone pillar, my breath fogging in the cold, and tried to piece it together. The stranger, Elias, Kade-they were circling me, each a different kind of threat. My father's journal, tucked in my bag, felt heavier every day. Lead with will, he'd written, but my will was fraying, and my secret was a noose tightening around my neck.

Footsteps crunched behind me, and I spun, my wolf alert. A figure emerged from the shadows-not Kade, not Elias, but the stranger. Tall, lean, his face sharp and unyielding, like a blade honed by years of hate. His scent hit me-steel and frost-and my pendant flared, hot enough to sting.

"Didn't I tell you?" he said, his voice low, venomous. "You don't belong here." He stepped closer, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. "Ironfang's a lie, isn't it? No pack sends a weakling like you to Silverclaw High."

My wolf snarled, but fear coiled in my gut. "You don't know me," I said, my voice rough, steady. "Back off."

He laughed, cold and sharp. "Oh, I know enough. And soon, everyone will." He reached into his jacket, pulling out a small vial that glowed faintly, its contents swirling like liquid moonlight. My wolf recoiled, sensing danger, and I froze as he held it up.

"This," he said, "cuts through magic. One drop, and your little disguise is gone." He took another step, the vial inches from my face. "Who are you really, Linc?"

My heart stopped. The pendant burned, its magic faltering, and I felt my scent-my real scent, Lina's-flicker through. His nostrils flared, and a cruel smile spread across his face. My wolf roared, urging me to fight, but I was trapped, the courtyard empty, no one to hear me scream.

"Last chance," he said, uncorking the vial. "Tell me, or I expose you right now."

I opened my mouth, my mind racing for a lie, when a shadow moved behind him, swift and silent. A hand grabbed his wrist, twisting hard, and the vial flew, shattering against the stone. The stranger snarled, spinning, but the newcomer was faster, pinning him against the pillar.

"Leave him alone, Rylan," a voice growled, and my knees nearly buckled. Kade. His eyes blazed, his grip iron, and for once, his smirk was gone, replaced by something fierce, protective.

Rylan laughed, wrenching free. "Protecting the newbie, Kade? You'll regret that." He vanished into the night, his scent fading, but his threat lingered like poison.

Kade turned to me, his eyes searching. "You okay, Linc?" he asked, softer now, but the air between us crackled, that mate tug overwhelming.

I nodded, my throat tight, but my pendant flared again, and a faint trace of my real scent slipped through. Kade's eyes widened, his nostrils flaring, and I knew I was seconds from disaster.

"Linc," he said, stepping closer, his voice low, confused. "What the hell was that?"