Chapter 3 The Awakening Within

Liana pov

Power has a sound.

It doesn't roar or whisper, it throbs.

It coils through the air, thick like thunderclouds before a storm, vibrating with something you can't quite name. I felt it as I walked away from Jaxon, every step echoing through the obsidian halls of Kael's palace like I was finally stepping into the life I'd been denied.

And I wasn't alone anymore.

She was awake.

The White Wolf inside me, silent for years, was no longer caged.

You are not what they told you, she said. You never were.

Kael didn't speak again until the door shut behind us, sealing the echo of Jaxon's broken face away.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice low and controlled.

I turned to him, searching his eyes.

"You planned that, didn't you?" I said.

"Yes."

"You used him to make a point."

"Yes."

"You kissed me in front of him."

Kael stepped closer, his hands clasped behind his back like a king before war. "I claimed you in front of him. There's a difference."

I bristled. "I'm not a pawn."

"No," he said. "You're the board."

I spent the rest of the day pacing my chambers, fighting the hum beneath my skin.

Power.

It wanted out.

My skin tingled like my bones were about to crack open and unleash something ancient. I couldn't sit still. Couldn't eat. Couldn't think past the rush of energy boiling beneath the surface.

My wolf watched from the shadows.

Shift, she whispered. Let me out.

But I was afraid.

Because the last time I shifted... I lost control.

The blood of an entire rogue pack was on my hands. And while they'd attacked first, I still remembered the screams. The way their bodies broke like twigs. The way she laughed as I tore them apart.

So I ignored the ache. The bond. The wild pull to run into the night and rip free from my skin.

Until Kael appeared at my door, bathed in moonlight.

"You're fighting it," he said simply.

"I can't risk"

"Not shifting will kill you," he said. "Your wolf is stronger than she was. She's waking. And the Moon doesn't wait."

I looked at him, trembling. "What if I hurt someone?"

Kael stepped forward, cupping my cheek. "Then hurt me. I can take it."

We went to the Moon Glade, a clearing protected by ancient magic deep in the heart of Kael's territory. The sky opened above us like a silver eye. The wind howled with anticipation.

"Let her out," Kael said. "Let yourself be."

I dropped to my knees.

And shifted.

Pain tore through me, bones breaking, muscles twisting, my skin flaring white-hot.

And then she was there.

My wolf.

Full. Glorious. Made of flame and frost.

She howled, and the ground shook.

Kael didn't flinch. He stepped forward, his wolf a massive black beast with eyes like dying stars emerging from his skin with ease.

We circled each other. Shadows and moonlight. Predator and predator.

And then

We ran.

The forest blurred beneath us, stars raining above. For the first time in years, I wasn't afraid.

I was free.

I could feel Kael behind me, not chasing but protecting. Running with me like we were born to do it. Our bond sang in the wind, and the threads connecting us wove tighter.

And when I shifted back, breathless and glowing, he was there naked, powerful, eyes burning.

I didn't flinch this time.

I walked toward him, heart thundering.

"I felt everything," I whispered.

"So did I."

"You weren't afraid."

Kael's voice was rough. "Of you? Never."

I reached for him.

His hands found my hips.

And when he kissed me this time, it wasn't for Jaxon.

It wasn't for dominance.

It was for us.

We didn't go back to the palace that night.

We made a fire. Lying under the stars. And for once, I didn't feel like prey. I felt like the storm that devoured the world.

"I want to know everything," I said, curled against him.

Kael's fingers traced my spine. "About what?"

"About why the Moon chose you."

He was quiet for a long moment. Then

"Because I made a deal."

I stilled. "With whom?"

He didn't look at me. "With the Moon herself."

My blood chilled. "That's not possible."

"It is," he said. "But it always comes at a cost."

He told me about the War of the Packs. About the death of his first mate. About the night he knelt before the ancient altar and begged the Moon for strength to protect his people.

"She gave me power," he said. "But warned me it would come with a second bond."

"A second mate?" I whispered.

He nodded. "She said when the last White Wolf rises, she would be mine. And through her, the throne would return."

"And if you rejected me?" I asked.

Kael's jaw clenched. "I would die."

I stared at him, stunned.

"I'm your salvation," I whispered.

He turned to me, eyes fierce.

"No," he said. "You're mine."

The next morning, everything changed.

Kael called a council.

The leaders of the outer provinces, the generals of his army, and the mages who controlled the Runestones all gathered in the obsidian throne room.

And I was there too.

No longer hidden. No longer dressed like a servant.

I wore a gown of white and silver, my hair unbound, my presence unmistakable.

Gasps echoed through the chamber as I entered beside Kael.

"She's the White Wolf."

"She can't be."

"She's supposed to be dead."

I raised my chin, eyes sharp.

"I'm very much alive."

Kael stood beside me, his voice echoing through the chamber.

"Let it be known the Moon has returned her heir. The Queen walks among us. And through her, the future begins."

The silence that followed was thick with disbelief... and fear.

A mage stepped forward, cloaked in blue fire.

"My King," she said carefully, "you're certain?"

Kael turned to me. "Liana."

I nodded and shifted.

Right there, in the middle of the throne room.

Gasps turned to screams. A few dropped to their knees.

My wolf stood tall, glowing with light.

And when I shifted back, I didn't bother hiding.

"I am not a myth," I said. "I'm your Queen."

That night, Kael found me on the balcony, my hands still shaking.

"You were perfect," he said.

"I felt like I was drowning."

"You rose like a tide."

I turned to him. "They're afraid of me."

"Good," he said. "They should be."

He stepped closer.

"I'm not afraid," he whispered. "Not of your wolf. Not of your power. Not of what you're becoming."

"What am I becoming?" I asked, heart racing.

Kael touched my lips.

"Mine."

But as his mouth met mine, and the heat built between us like wildfire on dry grass.

I felt something else.

A shadow.

Watching.

Waiting.

A presence that did not belong to the Moon.

And deep inside me, my wolf growled.

Because something dark had crossed the veil.

And it wasn't done with us yet.