Morning arrived, and Bella felt as if she hadn’t slept at all. The weight of the previous night pressed on her mind, filling her with dread. She was trapped in this forest, with Ethan and Asher’s wolves steadily uncovering her secret. Her disguise as "Ben" was slipping, and she didn’t know how much longer she could keep up the act.
She forced herself out of the tent, feeling the tension in her muscles from a sleepless night. Around her, the others in the group were moving slowly, still waking up, but Ethan and Asher emerged shortly after her. Their eyes held the lingering intensity of the night before, though she could tell they had no memory of their wolves’ interrogation. She couldn’t relax; she knew it was only a matter of time before their wolves took control again, each shift bringing them closer to the truth.
Professor Grant called the group together and split them into pairs for the day's hike. Despite her silent pleas to be paired with anyone else, the professor assigned her to Ethan and Asher, citing their "solid teamwork" in the previous hikes.
As they walked into the depths of the forest, Ethan and Asher seemed uncharacteristically silent, though she could feel their attention on her. Finally, Asher broke the silence, his tone soft, yet probing. “You were quiet last night, Ben. Are you… worried about something?”
“Or hiding something?” Ethan added, his voice casual but his gaze anything but.
Bella forced a laugh, though her nerves screamed at her to run. “Just… tired. Yesterday’s hike wore me out,” she replied, hoping the answer would satisfy them.
Ethan raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "You’re not like most people here, you know. You keep things close, like there’s some part of you you’re not willing to show anyone."
“Or maybe he’s just careful,” Asher suggested, though there was an edge to his words. “That’s not a bad thing, right?”
Ethan smirked. “Not usually. But sometimes, careful hides other things.” He leaned in a little, his eyes piercing. “There’s something about you that doesn’t add up, Ben.”
Bella’s stomach twisted. She needed to deflect, to change the subject before their curiosity led them somewhere she couldn’t escape. “Maybe I’m just not good with people like you two are,” she said lightly. “I’m here for the experience, that’s all.”
They continued in tense silence until the sun reached its peak, the light filtering through the trees casting long shadows across the forest floor. They reached a steep incline, where Professor Grant had planned a climbing challenge. Ethan and Asher both went ahead to help scout the best path, leaving Bella to catch her breath at the base.
Finally alone, she took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. The walls were closing in, and she didn’t know how much longer she could keep up this charade. She was a wolf without a wolf’s strength or senses, hiding behind a fragile identity.
As she gazed up the incline, she noticed something strange in the trees just ahead—a flash of movement. Before she could react, a rustle in the underbrush made her heart race. She knew the forest was home to predators, but this wasn’t an ordinary animal. The scent in the air was distinctly wolven but unfamiliar, dangerous.
Suddenly, Ethan and Asher reappeared, both alert, their eyes scanning the area as if they sensed the same presence. They moved instinctively to her side, their bodies tense. “Did you see something, Ben?” Asher whispered, his eyes never leaving the forest around them.
Bella nodded slowly, not daring to speak. She could feel the wolves in Ethan and Asher rising, their instincts sharpening as they sensed the threat. She’d never seen them so serious, so attuned to their surroundings. For once, she felt like she could let her guard down, at least a little. But as she watched them, a new thought struck her.
“Is… is there something out here that I should know about?” she asked, testing the waters, trying to gauge their reaction.
Ethan exchanged a glance with Asher. “The forest is safe as long as we’re here, but there are… other wolves in these parts. Not all of them are friendly.”
Asher’s eyes met hers, his expression guarded but sincere. “You should stay close. We can protect you, but you have to trust us.”
Bella’s heart twisted at his words. Trust wasn’t something she could easily offer, not with everything at stake, but she nodded, following their lead as they continued deeper into the forest, this time moving as a unit. She was hyper-aware of every sound, every movement, her senses on high alert.
Eventually, they reached a dense thicket where they decided to make a temporary camp. The air was thick with tension as they sat in a tight circle, scanning the woods.
After a while, Ethan turned to her, his eyes dark with intensity. “Ben, I don’t know what you’re running from, but whatever it is, you don’t have to do it alone.”
Asher nodded in agreement. “We can tell you’re hiding something, but if it’s because of this—” he gestured to the woods around them, “then know we can handle it. You’re not alone here.”
Bella’s defenses wavered. For the first time, she felt a genuine sense of safety, as if, just maybe, they wouldn’t judge her for who she really was. But could she really risk it?
Before she could decide, the atmosphere shifted again, and she could feel their wolves stirring, both of them gazing at her with an intensity that seemed to pierce through every wall she’d built. Ethan’s hand reached out, a touch that was soft, protective, his wolf’s presence shining through his eyes.
“Whoever you are,” Ethan’s wolf murmured, his voice deep and possessive, “know that you belong here. We feel it, even if you don’t.”
Asher’s wolf leaned closer, his gaze softer but no less intense. “You’re hiding, little one, but we’ll find you eventually. You can’t stay hidden from us.”
Bella’s heart pounded as they stared into her, the walls she’d constructed feeling like they were crumbling with every second under their gaze. She wanted to believe them, to let down her guard, but the fear of what they might think, what they might do, held her back. They might see her as their mate, but would they still feel that way if they knew she was Bella and not “Ben”?
The silence grew heavy, the three of them locked in a standoff of truths unspoken. Finally, Asher’s wolf broke the silence, his voice low and full of meaning. “Remember this, little one. No matter what you’re hiding, no matter who you really are… you’re ours.”
The possessiveness in his tone, echoed in the way Ethan’s wolf looked at her, sent a shiver down her spine. The boundary between friend and protector was blurring, their words an unspoken promise she wasn’t sure she could handle.
As the wolves retreated, leaving Ethan and Asher back in control, Bella felt the weight of their vow pressing on her. She had tried so hard to hide, to keep herself safe, but now she was in too deep. She knew they wouldn’t stop until they knew her truth, and the realization struck her like a cold shock.
She could run, but she couldn’t hide—not anymore.
