In my palm, the pendant felt weighty and its cool metal pulsed softly with an inexplicable force. The things Kai spoke rang in my head.
"Whatever power you possess—it's waking up."
I had spent my existence being taught Luna, mate, Silver fang—Luna, friend. But never heard what else I could be.
I drew a steady breath, closing my fingers around the pendant. "What precisely is this meant to mean?"
Kai's silver eyes flicked with something unreadable. "It implies you are not simply any other wolf, Zaia. And it's time you started acting like it.
I started to stiffen. I have no desire for power. I only want—
"To survive?," Kai stopped and moved in close proximity. Little wolf, you are not allowed to merely survive anymore. You have to get to rise. Or you'll fall.
Although his comments made me shiver, I refused to let him see my uncertainty. Too long I had been underappreciated. I was not about to begin questioning myself right now.
Then show me, I asked. "Help me to unlock something inside me."
Kai's lips bent into a slow, piercing smile. "I thought you never would ask."
High atop the moon, its radiance created silver shadows across the clearing. The normal noises of the pack had quieted, leaving just the whisper of the wind and my consistent thrum of heartbeat.
Face three wolves I had never seen before, I stood in the middle of the training area.
Their muscles stiffened for battle, their eyes gleamed in the dark. Shadow Moon fighters were not among them.
I faced Kai. "Who are them?"
Kai crossed his arms, his face inscrutable. "The Wolves of the Lost."
A ripple of unease spread through me. "Missing?"
Kai's gaze darkened. "Wolves who were cast out. Trapped. Not remembered. They were like you once."
I rigidened. "I'm not like them."
Kai tilted his head. "Aren't you?"
Before I could answer, one of the wolves lunged.
I barely had time to react.
I ducked just as claws swiped past my face, twisting out of reach. The wolf—tall, lean, faster than I expected—pivoted immediately, coming at me again.
This time, I met his attack head-on.
I blocked his strike and countered, driving my elbow into his ribs. He stumbled, but not for long.
A second wolf, smaller but quicker, darted in from the side.
I turned just in time, barely dodging the blow aimed for my ribs. Damn it, they worked together.
Kai's voice rang through the clearing. "Don't think. Move."
I didn't hesitate. Instinct took over.
I dropped low, sweeping my leg in a sharp arc. The second wolf hit the ground, but before I could press my advantage, the third wolf struck.
Pain exploded across my side as claws raked against my ribs.
I gasped, but I didn't fall. I twisted, caught his wrist, and yanked hard. The momentum sent him stumbling forward, and in a blur of movement, I drove my knee into his stomach.
A grunt. A curse.
Then stillness.
I stood, panting, my heart hammering. The fight was over.
Kai watched me carefully, his silver eyes gleaming with something unreadable.
"Not bad," he murmured.
I scowled. "Not bad? I just took down three of your so-called Lost."
Kai smirked. "And yet, you're bleeding."
I glanced down at my side. Blood seeped through my torn shirt, the wound stinging like hell.
I forced myself to stand straighter. "I'll heal."
Kai studied me for a long moment. Then, to my surprise, he nodded. "Yes. You will."
I barely tasted the whiskey as I downed another glass, the burn doing nothing to numb the growing ache inside me.
Zaia was gone.
Worse, she had moved on.
The moment I saw her standing next to Kai, something inside me snapped. The way she had looked at me—calm, unaffected, like I was nothing more than a stranger—had nearly driven me to madness.
I clenched my jaw, setting the glass down harder than necessary.
I had made a mistake.
But it wasn't just rejecting her.
It was underestimating her.
"She won't come back, you know."
Elara's voice cut through my thoughts, sharp and edged with amusement.
I turned to see her leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. "She's not yours anymore, Sebastian."
A low growl built in my throat, my wolf pacing restlessly beneath my skin. "Stay out of this, Elara."
She smirked. "I don't need to. She's already made her choice."
Her words hit harder than I wanted to admit.
Because I knew she was right.
I sat alone, the pendant still clenched in my palm.
Everything felt… different.
Like something inside me was shifting, changing.
I had spent my life believing I was meant to be a Luna, but now…
Now, I wasn't sure what I was becoming.
The fire crackled softly beside me, the warmth doing little to ease the restlessness in my bones.
Then—
A whisper.
Soft. Faint.
But unmistakable.
I tensed, my pulse spiking. The room was empty. No one else was here.
And yet, the whisper came again.
"You are not what they made you."
A chill ran down my spine.
I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening around the pendant. "Who's there?"
No answer.
Just the fire's steady crackle.
And the slow, creeping realization that something had changed inside me.
Something dangerous.
Something awakening.