The air crackled with tension as the rogue wolves encircled them, their glowing eyes fixed on Alina and Lysander. They moved silently, a silent testament to their training, their predatory instincts. The moonlight cast long, menacing shadows across the ruins, but all Alina could focus on was the heat of the battle that was about to erupt.
Lysander stood in front of her, his broad shoulders blocking her view of the wolves. But even with him as a shield, Alina could feel their presence like a storm gathering on the horizon. The rogue wolves didn't need to speak. Their growls and low snarls said everything she needed to know. They had come for her. And Lysander had known this moment would come.
Alina's heart beat faster in her chest as she gripped the knife at her side. It felt almost useless in her hand now. These wolves were not like the ones she had known. They were fierce and ruthless, and their eyes burned with a hunger that could not be satisfied. She could sense their desire for power, their belief that only they had the right to control this world.
She wasn't just a target because of her bloodline anymore. She was a symbol a symbol of something they feared.
Lysander stepped forward, his movements smooth, almost calculated. "Stay behind me," he said in a low, commanding voice. "Do not engage until you are certain of your target."
Alina nodded, her pulse thundering in her ears as she watched the rogue wolves advance. They were circling them, their movements synchronized, like a pack of predators preparing for the kill. She could almost hear the way the pack worked together, the silent communication that flowed between them.
The first wolf lunged, its fangs bared, a blur of motion. Lysander was faster. In a single, fluid motion, he met the wolf's attack head-on, his body shifting into the form of a wolf in a flash. Alina gasped in awe. She had seen him shift before, but never with such intensity. His fur was darker than the night, his muscles rippling as he battled the rogue wolf.
The other wolves followed suit, shifting into their wolf forms as well, the sound of their claws scraping against stone and earth filling the air. Alina's heart raced as she watched Lysander tear into one of the rogue wolves with vicious precision. The growl of the battle filled the air, the sounds of violence raw and primal.
But Alina knew she couldn't just stand back and watch. She wasn't some helpless human anymore. She wasn't a bystander in this world.
Her hand clenched around the knife, and for the first time since she had arrived in this world, she felt the heat of the power inside her. It was faint at first, a whisper in her veins, but it was there. A force that had always been just out of reach, but now, it was responding to her need. Her breath steadied as she took a step forward, the heat in her chest growing stronger.
The rogue wolves weren't just here to kill her. They wanted to take her power. And Alina knew that if they succeeded, they would destroy everything Lysander and the others had fought for.
With a cry, she pushed forward, her senses sharpened, the power now flowing through her with a fierce urgency. She could feel the magic in the air, feel it building in the earth beneath her feet. She wasn't sure how she knew what to do, but she felt an overwhelming urge to act.
She raised her hand toward the nearest rogue wolf. The air hummed with energy as she focused, her heart beating louder than the sounds of battle. The wolf's movements slowed, its glowing eyes flicking to her with confusion.
"Leave him," she commanded, her voice stronger than she had ever heard it.
The wolf hesitated, a low growl bubbling in its throat. But it stopped its advance, shifting slightly, as though waiting for something. The power inside Alina surged, and in that moment, the wolf's eyes flickered with something like fear. It backed away, retreating into the shadows.
Alina's breath came in shallow gasps as the wolf disappeared. She had done it. She had controlled it and forced it to submit.
But the others were still coming. They weren't backing down.
The power within her was still wild, and unrefined, but it was hers. It felt like fire in her blood, and she knew she could do more. She had to.
Lysander was still battling, his form a blur of motion as he fought two rogue wolves at once, his jaws snapping with deadly accuracy. Alina's gaze flicked to him, and for a split second, their eyes locked. At that moment, he saw her. Saw the power that had awakened inside her.
He shifted slightly, giving her an opening.
"Now!" Lysander shouted, his voice echoing with command.
Alina didn't hesitate. She reached deep inside herself, calling on the magic she had only begun to understand. Her hand shot out, and with it, a wave of energy surged from her, a blast of raw power that rippled through the air. The rogue wolves froze, their movements halted by the force of her will.
The ground beneath them trembled as she channeled the energy, her entire body alight with the power she had only just begun to master. She didn't know what would happen next, but she knew she had to act. The rogue wolves were a threat no longer just to her, but to everything she had come to care about.
With a final, focused push, the energy erupted from her, a violent wave that knocked the remaining wolves to the ground, their bodies convulsing with the force of the power she had unleashed. The air stilled as they lay motionless, their forms shifting back into human shape.
Alina gasped, her body trembling from the effort. The energy inside her dissipated, but the sense of power the feeling of something ancient and raw remained.
Lysander was by her side in an instant, his eyes wide with awe and something else she couldn't name. He looked down at her, his breath coming heavy. "You did it," he said, his voice a mixture of surprise and admiration.
Alina could hardly believe it herself. The power had surged through her like a force of nature, and she had harnessed it. She had controlled it.
The battle was over. For now.
But Alina knew this was just the beginning. The rogue wolves were only a fraction of the enemies she would face. There were others out there who would come for her. The world she had entered was much darker, and more complicated than she had ever imagined.
But for the first time, Alina felt ready. Ready to face whatever came next.
"I'm not done yet," she said, her voice steady and strong.
Lysander's gaze softened, pride shining in his eyes. "No, you're not."
And with that, they turned toward the future, uncertain of what lay ahead but certain of one thing Alina was no longer just a girl caught between two worlds. She was something more.