<h4>Chapter 621: Tracking Her</h4>


    <strong>Oscar:</strong>


    I held up a finger.


    "First - scent tracking under pressure."


    That caused several ears to twitch.


    "Second - controlled wolf-form engagement in uneven terrain."


    This time their eyes lit up.


    "And third..."


    I let the pause stretch just enough.


    "Team survival simtion."


    A ripple of murmurs spread through them.


    Corey smirked faintly. "You’ll be divided into four teams. Each team will be assigned a marked territory zone within this section of the forest."


    I continued smoothly, "Your objective will be to track a moving scent marker while navigating obstacles and avoiding simted threats."


    "Simted threats?" someone asked cautiously.


    Corey’s grin widened.


    "That’s where wee in."


    I crossed my arms at their collective groans. "Corey and I will be your predators."


    Immediate silence.


    "We will stalk," I said calmly. "We will test your awareness. We will exploit hesitation."


    Corey added, "If we catch you off-guard, your entire team does penalty drills."


    A few swallowed visibly.


    Good.


    "But," I said, my voice firm but not harsh, "this is not about winning. This is about control."


    I let that settle.


    "You will shift today," I confirmed. "But only partially at first. ws. Heightened senses. Gradual integration with terrain."


    Several of them straightened, barely containing excitement.


    "For many of you," I continued, "this will be your first time engaging your wolf outside academy walls in a structured setting."


    The weight of that hit them.


    Out here, their instincts would feel stronger.


    The forest would call to them.


    They would need discipline.


    Corey stepped back slightly.


    "Before we begin," he said, "any questions?"


    One hand hesitantly rose. "Are there actual rogues nearby?"


    I nced toward the treeline briefly.


    "They have been seen in this area recently."


    That earned several wide-eyed looks.


    "They will not attack even if they are here," I added calmly. "But they will definitely be watching."


    Which was true.


    The students shifted uneasily, their excitement tinged now with awareness.


    Good.


    They needed to feel it.


    The real world wasn’t padded.


    I stepped forward once more.


    "Today is not about proving strength," I reminded evenly. "It is about learning how to move with your environment instead of against it."


    I met their gazes one by one, stopping for a second longer on my mate.


    "You are wolves."


    A faint breeze moved through the clearing.


    "You belong out here."


    Next five minutes went by as we called out names and divided the students into four groups.


    With everyone set, I gave the signal... and the clearing exploded into motion.


    Shifts rippled through the air - ws extending, canines sharpening, eyes shing gold and amber as wolves brushed closer to the surface. Just as instructed.


    I stood at the edge of the clearing with Corey beside me, arms crossed as I observed.


    Forty-one students.


    Four teams.


    And my gaze, traitorously, found her within seconds.


    Evaline stood with Mallory, Ria, and Kyros. The four of them formed a loose square as the others began testing their partial shifts.


    Eva didn’t shift.


    She never could.


    And yet she stood there with the same calm focus as the rest of them, flexing her fingers once like she was preparing for something far more dangerous than a training exercise.


    A year ago, some of these students would have doubted her.


    Some had... thinking she’s weak and a liability since she’s wolfless.


    But they had learned quickly.


    Because what shecked in a wolf, she made up for in relentless discipline.


    River and I had trained her ourselves - strength conditioning, reaction drills,bat sparring. We didn’t hold back, even when she had begged us to.


    And since unlocking her healing ability... everything about her had sharpened. Her eyesight caught the smallest movements. Her hearing could pick up whispers carried by wind. Her speed had increased enough to rival beta-level shifters.


    She wasn’t the fragile girl they once whispered about.


    She was lethal in her own way.


    Corey blew a short whistle.


    "Teams disperse!"


    The forest swallowed them in seconds.


    Leaves crunched. Branches snapped. Air shifted with movement.


    I waited ten breaths before moving. I was in my predator mode. My movements silent, controlled.


    Corey veered east. I took the northern arc, already tracking the second team by scent alone. I let them feel watched for a few minutes before deliberately circling away.


    I wasn’t hunting them.


    Not yet.


    I adjusted my path subtly.


    Toward Eva’s team.


    They had moved southwest, keeping tight formation.


    Good.


    I caught the faint scent marker assigned to them - crushed cedar mixed with iron shavings. Subtle but traceable.


    They were moving too fast at first. Miss Niles nearly tripped on a root.


    "Slow down," Eva’s voice carried... not loud, but firm.


    I stopped behind a thick oak trunk, hiding even though I knew she could sense me if she focused on our bond.


    She crouched slightly, touching the ground where leaves had been disturbed.


    "The wind shifted," she said quietly. "We are following it wrong."


    Mallory frowned. "You sure?"


    Eva lifted her chin slightly, inhaling. Her eyes unfocused just slightly... not shifting, just focusing deeper.


    "It’sing from higher ground," she added. "We need elevation or we’ll lose it."


    None of her team mates argued. Instead, they immediately adjusted their direction.


    Not because she was their assigned leader.


    But because they trusted her.


    I felt something warm settle low in my chest.


    She moved first, choosing a path that required bnce across a fallen log instead of the easier open ground. Testing stability. Forcing control.


    Smart.


    I moved parallel to them, silent.


    They reached a rocky incline ten minutester. The scent was stronger here.


    Kyros began shifting further, his ws elongating fully.


    "Wait," Eva said again.


    He paused immediately.


    "If you shift fully now, you’ll burn energy too early," she exined. "Save it for when they strike."


    They.


    Meaning me and Corey.


    Her gaze flickered briefly toward the treeline. And for half a second, our eyes met.


    She knew.


    A slow, knowing smile curved her lips.


    I felt the pull in my chest like gravity.


    I moved.


    Fast.


    Silent.


    Within seconds, I was behind her. Close enough to feel her warmth.


    She was left momentarily alone as her team had spread slightly to scout the ridge. But if Mallory decided to look over her shoulder, she could easily spot us.


    Eva stepped back two paces... and I caught her wrist.


    She didn’t gasp.


    Didn’t flinch.


    She twisted immediately, turning momentum into a defensive elbow strike aimed directly at my ribs.


    I caught that too and pinned her lightly against the tree trunk.


    "Distracted," I murmured near her ear.


    Her breath warmed my jaw.


    "You are predictable," she whispered back.


    A lie.


    Her pulse was steady.


    Controlled.


    I leaned closer than necessary. "You left yourself open."


    "You are using me to track my team," she countered. "Or more precisely, you are tracking me."


    That made me pause.


    Damn.


    I released her wrist slowly.


    "You are not supposed to be flirting with the predator," I said quietly.


    Her lips twitched.


    "Who said I’m flirting?"


    Footsteps approached before Mallory’s familiar voice called her name.


    I stepped back instantly, vanishing into shadow just as her team regrouped.


    Eva rejoined them as if nothing had happened.


    But I saw the faint flush in her cheeks.


    And I had to physically restrain myself from going back.


    Focus.


    The exercise continued.


    Corey made the first official strike - lunging from above onto another team. Chaos erupted briefly. Growls, scrambling, penalty calls.


    Eva’s team froze at the sound.


    "Down," she whispered sharply.


    They dropped instinctively.


    She closed her eyes for half a second, listening.


    Tracking.


    "They are northeast," she concluded. "We cut west and circle."


    Kyros nodded immediately.


    They moved again... tighter now. Smarter.


    I shadowed them once more, testing angles.


    At one point, I deliberately snapped a twig behind them.


    Mallory spun. Kyros half-shifted, and two other students had their ws ready.


    But Eva didn’t move. She just tilted her head slightly.


    "Too obvious," she murmured.


    Then, without warning, she pivoted and threw a small stone directly toward my actual position... not where the sound had been.


    It hit the tree inches from my shoulder.


    I raised a brow.


    Impressive.


    Very impressive.


    Later, when her team sessfully secured their scent marker at the designated zone, she let the others take the lead in iming the point.


    She stepped back and let them celebrate.


    Leadership without needing recognition.


    That was her.


    As the teams began regrouping toward the clearing for phase two, I allowed myself one final indulgence.


    Shegged behind slightly to tie her shoces.


    I waited until she was the only one left behind before I appeared beside her silently.


    This time, I didn’t grab her. Instead, I simply brushed my fingers against the small of her back as I passed.


    It was barely a touch.


    But enough.


    Her breath hitched softly.


    "Focus, Instructor," she muttered under her breath.


    I smirked, continuing forward.


    I had set this field ss up to let her breathe.


    Instead, I was the one struggling to keep control.