Chapter 8 A Warning from the Shadows

Ethan left with his warmth, and Silas also withdrew his gaze.

  The room returned to silence, yet the two powerful auras and the turbulence they stirred in the wolf spirit within me still lingered.

  Ethan's kindness pierced through my cold facade like sunlight, bringing a sliver of warmth but also intensifying the pain of deceit.

  Silas's stern scrutiny clung to me like shadows, his suspicion stabbing into my heart like a thorn.

  I sat alone in the dorm, the shadowy force I had barely come into contact with stirring restlessly within me.

  It seemed to respond to Silas's frosty aura, while simultaneously protesting Ethan's warmth.

  I had to gain control over it quickly, but Silas's sharp gaze weighed on me more heavily than any challenge.

  The next day, during a group practical lesson at the academy, I encountered Silas again.

  On the third day, this class involved simulated field tracking and concealment.

  On the fourth day, the instructor tasked the freshmen with grouping up, tracking targets, or practicing concealment in a designated area, testing their sense of smell, hearing, and camouflage skills.

  By the fifth day, I was placed in a group with several ordinary Alphas, while Silas ended up in another group whose task zone

happened to border ours.

  When the task began, our group was assigned to track a hidden target.

  I tried my best to follow my teammates, mimicking their low stances and sniffing the air for scents.

  But my sense of smell was far inferior to an Alpha's-let alone discerning scents in a complex wild environment.

  I had to rely on my eyes to observe ground traces, striving not to hold the group back.

  As our group struggled to progress, I sensed a frosty aura approaching from the side.

  It was Silas's group.

  They moved quickly, their tracking abilities far surpassing ours.

  Silas led at the front, his gaze scanning the ground and surroundings like a precision instrument.

  As they drew closer, my bond sense with Silas surged again, and the wolf spirit within me emitted a pained, yearning growl.

  His aura-the frosty scent of metal and snow-seemed even purer and stronger in the wilderness, carrying the focused intensity and oppressive presence of a hunter pursuing its

prey.

  Silas abruptly halted, and his group stopped with him.

  He didn't look at his target but instead locked his gaze precisely onto us-or, more accurately, onto me.

  His sharp eyes sliced like blades, holding a distinct scrutiny and a barely perceptible... curiosity.

  He sniffed the air ever so subtly, then curled his lips into a cold, emotionless smile.

  "Young Master Vance." His voice wasn't loud, but in the silence of the wilderness, it rang exceptionally clear.

  "Your pace... is slow. And your tracking skills seem..." He didn't finish, but his implied meaning was unmistakable-terrible.

  Our group members turned to look at me, their faces awkward and displeased.

  I felt my face burn hotly.

  This was blatant humiliation and a deliberate test!

  "Tracking requires patience." I forced myself to stay calm, trying to mimic Torian's tone. "Silas, your speed is impressive, but

being overly aggressive might cause you to miss crucial clues."

  I attempted to respond with Torian's usual arrogance and disdain, but my voice trembled slightly.

  Silas didn't seem to care much about my response.

  He stepped closer, closing the distance between us.

  The oppressive force of his frosty aura grew stronger, making the wolf spirit within me tremble with tension.

  At such close range, his presence overwhelmed my bond sense to the point where I could barely breathe.

  He sniffed the air again subtly, his gaze roaming over me as though searching for something.

  "Patience defines an Alpha," he said slowly, his deep, magnetic voice carrying a slight oppressive tone. "But if even the most

basic sensory abilities are dull, then no amount of patience will help."

  Was he implying my sense of smell and perception were compromised?

  Was he suspecting that I wasn't an Alpha?

  Or did he sense the hidden, Otherforce aura within me?

  My heart raced, pounding so loudly it felt like it might leap out of my chest.

  "Young Master Vance's aura..." Silas suddenly locked eyes with me, his gaze as sharp as if it could pierce through my facade. "

It's not quite the same as it used to be. Fainter, and... a bit odd."

  His words cut through, like a dagger breaking my last line of defense.

  He had figured it out! He detected the anomaly! He was questioning my aura!

  My body froze, my mind went blank.

  The people around us-both my group and Silas's team-watched us, the air heavy with tension.

  What should I do? Make up an excuse? Deny it? My facade was teetering on the brink of collapse.

  At that moment, Silas suddenly bent down, pointing to a patch of soil near my feet.

  "Here," he said, his voice still icy. "The scent trail left by the target. If your nose works, you should catch it."

  He redirected the topic back to the tracking task, but his gaze remained fixed on me, as though observing how I would handle this

challenge-a test of my abilities and a further probe into my identity.

  I forced myself to steady my composure, crouching down and leaning my nose close to where he had pointed.

  The air was a chaotic mix of earth, plants, and animal scents, flooding my sense of smell with disorder.

  I focused as hard as I could to discern and detect anything unusual.

  The wolf spirit within me thrashed violently under the weight of tension and bond sense.

  Suddenly, amidst the cacophony of scents, I seemed to catch a faint, fleeting trace that didn't belong.

  It was the target's unique, short-lived scent left behind.

  It was so faint it was nearly imperceptible, but under the stimulation of Silas's powerful aura, the wolf spirit within me captured it

as if by a miracle.

  I snapped my head up to look at Silas, a trace of surprise in my eyes.

  Silas returned my gaze, and for a fleeting moment, a glimmer of astonishment flashed in his icy eyes.

  He hadn't expected me to actually detect it.

  "...It's faint," I said softly, trying to keep my voice steady. "It requires extreme focus to pick up on."

  Silas didn't respond immediately.

  Straightening up, he looked at me again, his gaze growing more complex.

  It seemed he was weighing my earlier poor performance against the barely passable tracking skill I just displayed, as well as the

abnormal aura surrounding me.

  The arc at the corner of his lips vanished, the contempt in his eyes replaced by deeper scrutiny.

  "Young Master Vance truly is... utterly intriguing," he said slowly, his voice carrying an indescribable undertone. Then he turned

to his group. "Let's move."

  Silas's team continued their tracking, quickly disappearing into the forest.

  I collapsed to the ground, utterly drained, my back drenched in sweat.

  That test was more exhausting than any physical training.

  How much had Silas deduced?

  What did he mean by "utterly intriguing"?