Chapter 4 The awakening

I dreamed of fire.

Not the kind that burned forests or consumed homes-but ancient fire, blue and silver, swirling in patterns across my skin. In the dream, I stood beneath a blood moon, my body shifting, not just into a wolf, but something bigger. Stronger. Something the earth itself seemed to recognize.

My wolf-Lyra-howled from within me. But this time, it wasn't pain or confusion. It was power. It radiated from us, shaking the ground.

Then I woke, gasping.

The chamber was dim, lit only by the soft glow of embers. I sat up, heart pounding, my skin tingling like lightning had passed through me.

The dream had felt so real.

I slid out of the bed Kael had given me-soft silk sheets, thick blankets, nothing like the hard cot back in the packhouse. My feet touched the stone floor, and I padded silently to the tall windows that overlooked the forest. The moon was still high, fat and glowing.

Lyra stirred, stronger than before.

Something's happening to us, she whispered. We're changing.

I clutched the windowsill. "Why now?"

Because you're free. And because he's waking us up.

A knock at the door made me spin. Kael didn't wait for permission-he entered like he owned the very air. Which, honestly, he probably did.

"You felt it," he said simply.

I nodded. "It wasn't a dream, was it?"

"No." He stepped closer, eyes scanning me like he could see something glowing beneath my skin. "You're on the edge of a shift unlike any your kind has seen in generations."

I swallowed hard. "What does that mean?"

Kael looked toward the window. "Most wolves are born with ordinary bloodlines. But there are exceptions-hybrids, descendants of ancients, children touched by the Moon Goddess herself."

I stiffened. "Are you saying I'm one of them?"

"I'm saying I've seen this once before," he said, his voice low. "Long ago. In a war that nearly tore our world apart."

He turned back to me, eyes gleaming. "You have a choice. You can return to your pack, broken and forgotten... or you can train with me and become something they'll never touch again."

I stepped back, overwhelmed. "Why me?"

Kael didn't answer right away. When he finally spoke, his voice was softer. "Because I was like you once-rejected, hunted, underestimated. Until I took back my power."

I looked at him then, truly looked. Not just as the fearsome Lycan King, but as something more. A man who had been through pain. A man who saw something in me worth protecting-or maybe awakening.

"What kind of training?" I asked cautiously.

He smiled, slow and dangerous. "The kind that breaks you... and rebuilds you stronger."

---

The courtyard behind Kael's fortress was carved into the mountain, surrounded by obsidian stone pillars and lit by blue torches that never seemed to flicker. The air buzzed with old magic.

"Shift," Kael ordered, folding his arms.

I stared at him. "I told you-I've never shifted."

He gave me a look that could freeze lava. "You will. Now."

Frustration flared. "It doesn't work like that. I've tried. I've screamed, begged Lyra to come out-"

"Because you were forcing it," he said, stepping closer. "Shifting is instinct. Emotion. Not fear, but power. Let me help you."

He raised his hand slowly, and in a blink, his eyes turned gold. The same moment, I felt something crack inside me-a rush of heat and light and-

PAIN.

I doubled over as fire surged through my limbs, every bone screaming. My skin prickled. My heart pounded like a war drum.

Lyra's voice roared inside me: Now, Lia! Let me OUT!

I threw my head back and screamed-only it wasn't a scream. It was a howl.

Flesh twisted, bones snapped, and the world shattered into color and light.

And then I was no longer standing-I was running.

On four legs.

Faster than I'd ever moved before. I could hear everything-the whisper of wind in the trees, the heartbeat of a deer miles away, the crackle of magic under the earth.

I was shifted.

My wolf-Lyra-was glorious.

Not the golden-furred form I'd imagined, but something different. Silver fur streaked with blue, eyes glowing like starlight. I was taller, stronger, sharper than any wolf I'd ever seen.

I raced through the courtyard, then leapt high onto a ledge, howling at the moon with triumph.

Kael stood below, watching with an expression I couldn't name.

Pride. Awe. Maybe even... fear?

When I shifted back-hours later, drenched in sweat and shaking-he handed me a cloak.

"You're more than a wolf," he murmured. "You're something the world hasn't seen in centuries."

I pulled the cloak around myself, heart still thundering. "What happens now?"

Kael's gaze burned into mine. "Now, little wolf, you become the weapon fate tried to bury."