✨ Chapter 3 – The Controlled Wolf
Ariana barely had time to step off the glowing Placement Circle before the whispers began swirling around her like living things.
"She's a Mystic–Mentalist hybrid—just like her mother."
"And a Sterling! Did you see that light control?"
"She didn't even try. It looked effortless…"
Ariana kept her head down.
She hated attention.
Her brothers loved it.
Especially the twins, who started waving proudly at anyone who glanced their way.
But Kai Vesper—the academy's strongest student and now her official guide—stood calmly beside her, waiting.
"Ready for orientation?" he asked, voice cool and composed.
Before Ariana could answer, Cassian stepped between them like a wall.
"We'll accompany you."
Kai didn't blink. "You're not required."
Landon folded his arms. "We're still coming."
"Always," Luca added.
"Forever," the twins echoed.
Kai paused… then nodded once.
"Fine."
Ariana groaned. "You all are suffocating me."
Theo smiled at her. "We're protecting you."
Kai's violet eyes flicked to her—brief, unreadable, assessing. "I won't let anything happen to her."
The twins exchanged a look.
Max whispered, "He's lying."
Mason whispered back, "He's too calm."
Kai heard them.
He didn't deny it.
---
## **Recognition**
As they walked away from the circle, Kai slowed his pace.
"Ariana," he said quietly, "I need to ask you something."
She blinked. "…okay?"
He studied her face carefully—like he already knew the answer.
"Twelve years ago, were you involved in a car accident on the Riverside Bridge? With your mother there?"
Ariana's breath froze.
She hadn't thought about that day in years. She was only three, but some memories were too sharp to fade…
Her mother's arms around a terrified little boy.
Light magic pouring from her palms.
Ariana holding a small hand that trembled like a frightened heartbeat.
"Yes," she whispered. "That was me."
Kai's jaw tightened slightly. "I knew it."
She swallowed. "You… remember?"
"Of course." His voice softened—something rare. "You saved my life. Your mother stabilized me. And you—" He hesitated. "—you held my hand until the medics came."
The Sterling brothers all snapped to attention.
Cassian: "What?"
Luca: "You knew her before today?"
Adrian: "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"
Max: "Suspicious."
Mason: "Very suspicious."
Kai stayed calm.
"I recognized her aura," he said simply. "Some auras burn so bright they never change."
Ariana turned red.
"Please stop saying things like that."
Kai didn't apologize.
---
## **The Hybrid Wolves**
As they continued walking, they passed the training fields—where students with shifting abilities practiced. Wolves flickered in and out of partial form. Some were fast. Some were strong. Some were barely shifting their claws or eyes.
Ariana slowed down.
Kai watched her carefully.
"Don't worry. Their wolves aren't like yours."
She tensed. "…you don't know anything about mine."
"I do."
His voice was gentle, but firm.
"I can sense it."
Her heart stumbled.
"What do you mean?"
"Ariana," he said quietly, "I'm a werewolf too."
She froze.
"You—what?"
Kai nodded once.
"And not just any werewolf. I'm the strongest hybrid wolf this academy has ever seen."
Her eyes widened.
He continued, "My control is perfect. I've mastered shifting since I was ten."
Ariana felt a mixture of awe… and jealousy.
"I can't control mine," she whispered.
"I know."
"How?" she demanded.
Kai stopped walking and turned to her fully.
"Because your wolf is ancient," he said softly. "Powerful. Rare. And it's asleep—but not gone."
Her stomach twisted.
"My wolf is… dangerous."
Kai's expression didn't change. "So is mine."
"But you control yours," she muttered.
"And I'll help you learn to control yours too."
Ariana looked up sharply.
"…You will?"
His violet eyes held hers.
"Yes."
Her brothers immediately stepped in like a synchronized barrier.
Cassian: "NO."
Landon: "ABSOLUTELY NOT."
Theo: "She doesn't need you."
Adrian: "We'll teach her."
The twins: "We can be wolves!!… eventually…"
Kai raised a brow.
"None of you can shift."
The brothers fell silent.
Ariana sighed. "Guys. Please."
Kai looked at her again, voice dropping low.
"You're not alone, Ariana. Not with this."
Her heart thudded.
But before she could answer—
A sudden voice called out:
"Vesper! Over here!"
---
## **The Clique**
Three boys approached—confidence radiating off them like heat.
**Rylan Drake**
Tall, broad-shouldered, fiery aura crackling around him.
**Zane Ashford**
Sharp eyes, mind-reader, unnervingly calm.
**Calen Frost**
White-blond hair, smirking, frost mist gathering at his fingertips.
Together with Kai, they were known as:
**The Four Pillars.**
The elite of the elite.
Sons of the most powerful supernatural houses in the country.
Rylan grinned. "So this is the Sterling princess."
Zane tilted his head. "She's hiding something."
Ariana stiffened.
Calen smirked. "Relax, sweetheart. We're not enemies."
Kai stepped slightly in front of her.
"She doesn't need to answer anything."
Rylan raised a brow.
"Protective, aren't you?"
Kai ignored him.
Zane's eyes softened slightly. "She's bright. Very bright."
Ariana groaned. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"
Calen laughed.
Kai shot the boys a look that clearly meant *stop*.
Ariana suddenly felt overwhelmed by four powerful boys, six overbearing brothers, and a secret wolf inside her she could barely think about.
But Kai looked at her like he understood every piece of it.
"Come," he said quietly. "The tour isn't over."
She nodded slowly.
And for the first time since arriving at Elmwood…
She wasn't terrified.
She was curious.
What do you guys think about Kai?