Chapter 3 The Fire Within

Selena stumbled backward as the flames around the ritual ring rose higher, curling into the air like golden serpents. They didn't scorch her-didn't touch her skin-but they pulsed with life, with heat, with... recognition.

She felt them inside her.

Not just around her.

Her pulse thundered in her ears. Her skin buzzed. Her wolf paced inside her restlessly-but even that presence felt... altered.

"What's happening to me?" she whispered.

Thorne stepped forward, his eyes locked on hers. "You're awakening."

"To what?" she demanded, her voice trembling.

"To the truth of who you are."

Selena's hands curled into fists. "Stop speaking in riddles. I'm not one of you-I'm not a dragon. I'm a wolf."

"No," Thorne said. "You were born of wolves. But your bloodline is older than that. Your soul carries fire."

She stared at him, shaking her head. "That's not possible."

"Then how do you explain this?" he asked, gesturing toward the blazing ring that had responded to her touch-her presence.

Selena didn't answer. Couldn't.

Inside her chest, the burning mark pulsed again, like a heartbeat of flame.

Thorne's gaze softened. "You've spent your life thinking you were weak. Powerless. But the truth is, your potential frightened them."

She looked away, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Kael rejected me because I was nothing."

"No," Thorne said, stepping closer. "He rejected you because he sensed what you would become."

Selena's breath caught. A part of her wanted to believe him. The other part still bled from the betrayal.

"I don't know what you want from me," she said. "But I didn't come here to become some... fire-breathing monster."

Thorne smiled faintly. "You won't become anything you're not already. The fire within you is not a curse. It's a legacy."

Selena stared at the flames again, listening to their crackle. For the first time, they didn't scare her. They felt... familiar.

Alive.

She took a breath and stepped forward.

The fire parted for her.

Thorne said nothing, only watched.

Selena walked slowly into the center of the ring, the lava-lit stone warm beneath her bare feet. The wind shifted, and with it came whispers-distant voices she couldn't understand, but somehow felt.

Seraya's voice echoed from the platform above: "The Trial of Flame has begun."

Selena turned sharply. "What trial?"

Before anyone could answer, the flames surged skyward-taller, wilder. Then they collapsed inward in a wave of blinding light.

---

When Selena could see again, the world had changed.

She stood alone, surrounded by ash and flame. The ritual circle was gone. The sky was black, cracked with lightning. And before her rose a massive obsidian gate, its surface etched with ancient runes glowing orange.

Something inside her told her this wasn't real-not entirely.

It was a realm of the mind. A trial of the soul.

The gate opened with a low groan.

From the darkness beyond, a shape stepped forward.

Tall. Broad. Familiar.

Kael.

Selena froze.

But it wasn't him. Not exactly.

This Kael's eyes glowed red, and his body was covered in shifting shadows, like smoke clinging to skin. His lips curled in a cruel smile.

"Did you miss me, little omega?"

Selena's heart clenched, but she lifted her chin.

"You're not real."

He laughed. "Aren't I? I'm the voice that lives in your head. The one who reminds you what you are. Rejected. Weak. Unwanted."

She clenched her fists.

"I'm stronger now," she said.

"You're alone," the shadow-Kael sneered. "You always will be."

Selena took a step forward. "I don't need you. Not your approval. Not your pack. And not your lies."

He charged.

But she didn't flinch.

As he lunged at her, her chest burned-and fire erupted from her hands.

The shadow screamed as flames engulfed him, his form writhing before vanishing in a burst of ash and sparks.

Selena fell to her knees, panting.

The gate behind her slammed shut.

---

She awoke on the platform with a gasp, drenched in sweat. The flames around the ring had vanished.

Thorne stood beside her, gaze intense.

"You passed," he said quietly.

Selena tried to stand, but her legs trembled.

"What was that?" she asked.

"A reflection of your fear," Seraya said from nearby. "The Trial shows each candidate what binds them to weakness. And burns it away."

Selena touched her chest.

The mark had changed-now glowing brighter, more defined.

"You did well," Thorne said.

"I didn't feel like it," she muttered.

"You faced your pain and didn't run," he said. "That is strength."

Selena looked up at him. "How many people have passed the Trial of Flame?"

He didn't answer right away.

"None," he said at last. "Until now."

---

That night, Selena couldn't sleep.

She stood at the edge of a high balcony in Thorne's fortress, watching the crimson moon dip behind black peaks. The stars here were unfamiliar. The wind carried the scent of ash and wildflowers.

So much had changed. In a matter of days, she had gone from an outcast to... something else. Something more.

Her wolf was still there-but it had grown quiet, blending with something new inside her. Something primal. Elemental.

"Can't sleep?"

Thorne's voice came from behind her.

She turned. He wasn't wearing his armor, only a black tunic and loose pants. His wings folded behind him, casting wide shadows across the stone.

"Too much on my mind," she admitted.

He joined her, silent for a moment as they both looked out at the glowing valley.

"Why me?" she asked softly. "Of all the people the Flame could choose... why a broken wolf girl from a forgotten pack?"

Thorne glanced at her. "You're not broken, Selena. You're forged."

She met his eyes.

There was no pity in his gaze.

Only fire.

"You saved me," she said. "Why?"

A pause.

Then, "Because once... someone saved me."

He looked away, and for the first time, Selena saw something beneath the god-like power he wore like armor.

Loneliness.

Pain.

Regret.

"Who were they?" she asked.

He didn't answer.

But the wind whispered her name.

"Selena."

She turned, startled. "Did you hear that?"

Thorne's eyes narrowed.

Then the air grew cold.

A black mist crept over the edge of the balcony.

Selena stepped back instinctively.

"What is it?" she asked.

Thorne stepped in front of her, wings flaring.

"Trouble."