Cruel Jabs and a Rising Wolf

Rhys's face contorted with fury, his usual warmth evaporating as he processed what I'd just told him about Jaxon. His hands curled into tight fists, knuckles turning white.

"I'll kill him," he snarled, pacing the small bathroom like a caged animal. "I swear to god, if I ever get my hands on Victor—"

"Shh!" I pressed my finger to my lips, my own heart hammering. "Rhys, please. If Jaxon hears you—"

"Let him hear me!" Rhys's voice rose despite my warning. "Someone should have protected him. Where the hell was the Academy when he was being—" He couldn't even finish the sentence.

My pulse quickened with anxiety. If Jaxon or Ronan returned and heard Rhys's outburst, they'd know I'd betrayed Lyra's confidence. I grabbed Rhys's arm, pulling him closer.

"You need to calm down," I whispered urgently. "Your anger won't help him now, and if he senses something's wrong..." I tapped my chest, where my racing heartbeat was probably broadcasting my distress to every bond within range.

Rhys took a deep breath, visibly trying to collect himself. He ran his fingers through his damp hair, leaving it standing in messy spikes. The pain in his eyes made my chest ache.

"You're right," he conceded, voice dropping. "But I just keep thinking about him going through that alone. For three months. And none of us knew."

A soft knock interrupted us. I jumped, startled.

"Everything okay in there?" Silas's concerned voice filtered through the door.

I cracked it open to see Silas's worried face.

"Jaxon and Ro are on their way back," he murmured, glancing nervously down the hall. "They finished their run early."

My eyes widened in panic. "Already?"

Rhys moved behind me, his mind clearly racing. "We need a cover story for why we're both in here talking."

Silas raised an eyebrow. "Well, you're both half-dressed in a bathroom..." He trailed off meaningfully.

I felt heat rush to my cheeks, but Rhys didn't hesitate. "Good point." Before I could protest, he yanked me back into the bathroom and closed the door, then turned the shower on full blast. He stripped off his shirt in one fluid motion.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

"Creating a believable scenario," he said simply. "Come on, hair under the water. Quick."

I hesitated for only a second before stepping under the spray, letting the warm water soak through my borrowed t-shirt. Rhys joined me, water cascading over his bare chest. My breath caught as his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me close.

"There," he murmured, his lips at my ear. "Now we look the part."

The water streamed between us, making his skin slick against mine. Despite the urgency of our situation, a different kind of tension crackled. I swallowed hard.

"Since we're here anyway," I whispered, trying to sound casual, "can I ask you something?"

"Anything," Rhys replied, pushing wet strands of hair from my face with gentle fingers.

"These heats... how often do they happen?" My voice sounded small even to my own ears. "Will I be completely out of control every time?"

Rhys's expression softened. "First heats are the most intense," he explained. "They'll get more manageable as you learn to work with your wolf. Most females have them every three months or so."

"Every three months?" I felt panic bubbling up. "I can't do this every three months, Rhys. I can't lose control like that, be so...vulnerable."

"Hey," he soothed, cupping my face. "It won't be like this time. You'll learn to feel it coming, prepare for it. And we'll be there to help you through it."

"Jaxon clearly thinks I'm a liability," I muttered, remembering his cold demeanor.

Rhys sighed, water droplets clinging to his eyelashes. "We need our own space," he decided. "I'll talk to Kaelen about moving us somewhere more private, where you can feel safe during your cycles."

The shower suddenly felt too hot, too intimate. I nodded gratefully and reached to turn off the water. We stepped out, Rhys wrapping a towel around me before taking one for himself.

By the time we emerged from the bathroom, steam billowing out behind us, Jaxon and Ronan had returned. The atmosphere in the bedroom was instantly tense. Jaxon stood by the window, his body rigid, while Ronan sat on the edge of the bed, still flushed from their run.

Silas shot us a warning look from where he leaned against the wall.

Jaxon's eyes flicked to us, taking in our wet appearance with a dark, unreadable expression. "Having fun?"

His tone made me bristle. "Just showering," I replied evenly.

"It's too cramped here," Rhys stated, moving to stand beside me. "I'm going to talk to Kaelen about finding us a place of our own."

"Because of her heat," Jaxon said flatly. It wasn't a question.

The way he said 'her heat' made me feel like a problem to be solved rather than a person. I crossed my arms over my chest defensively.

"Yes," Rhys answered, challenging Jaxon with his gaze. "Hazel deserves privacy and comfort during her cycles."

Jaxon scoffed, turning to stare out the window. "Maybe Vance should just compel her wolf."

The room went deadly silent.

"What did you say?" Ronan's voice was dangerously quiet.

"You heard me," Jaxon replied without turning. "If her wolf is such a problem, have Vance compel it back down. Or put it back to sleep. Whatever."

Rhys stepped forward, eyes flashing. "That's not happening."

"Why not?" Jaxon finally turned, his expression cold and detached. "Wasn't everything easier when she was a fucking vegetable? At least then we didn't have to worry about her setting off every unmated male within fifty miles."

The words hit me like physical blows. A fucking vegetable. The casual cruelty in his voice paralyzed me momentarily as shock gave way to a deep, searing hurt.

Silas moved instantly, wrapping a protective arm around my shoulders. "That's enough, Jaxon," he warned, his normally gentle voice hard.

"Get out." The command came from Ronan, who had risen to his feet, hands trembling with rage. His blue eyes burned with an intensity I'd never seen from him before. "Now."

Jaxon's expression flickered for just a moment—something like regret crossing his features before the mask slammed back down. Without another word, he stripped off his shirt and kicked off his shoes.

The next instant, his body contorted, bones cracking and reforming as he shifted into his massive black wolf. He didn't look at any of us as he padded to the door, nudging it open with his muzzle before disappearing down the hall.

The silence he left behind felt suffocating.

"Hazel," Rhys began, reaching for me, but I stepped back.

My heart was pounding, but not from fear or sadness anymore. White-hot anger surged through me, burning away the hurt. A fucking vegetable. The words echoed in my head, fueling something primal rising within me.

I'd been helpless for too long—unconscious and vulnerable while everyone else made decisions around me. I'd woken to a new reality where I was constantly being protected, watched over, worried about.

And now Jaxon had the audacity to suggest I'd be better off back in that state?

"Hazel," Silas tried, his arms still around me. "He didn't mean—"

I pushed out of his embrace, something fierce and powerful awakening inside me. I felt her—my wolf—responding to my anger, rising to meet it with her own strength.

The warmth began in my chest and spread outward, a sensation both foreign and deeply familiar. This time, I didn't fight it. I welcomed it, called to it, embraced the heat as it flourished through my limbs.

Unlike before, there was no pain, no struggle—just a seamless shift as my body transformed. My senses sharpened dramatically, the room suddenly alive with scents and sounds I'd never noticed in human form.

I stood on four paws, my vision lower but somehow clearer. From the corner of my eye, I could see my own fur—deep black with silvery highlights catching the light.

The shocked expressions on my bonds' faces would have made me laugh if I could. Instead, I let out a soft snort and padded toward the door Jaxon had left open.

If he thought I was better off as a vegetable, I'd show him just how wrong he was.