POV: Katie, Liam, Lucian
---
Katie
Everything felt… wrong.
Not in a loud, obvious way. Not like danger crashing in or something chasing us through the woods.
No.
This was quieter.
Heavier.
Like something inside me had shifted—and now nothing quite fit the same way it used to.
Liam's arm was still around me, steady and warm, keeping me upright as we stood there in the forest. I could feel the tension in him, coiled tight, like he was one wrong word away from snapping.
And a part of me… understood why.
Because I felt it too.
That moment—
The one I couldn't fully remember, but couldn't ignore either.
My chest tightened.
"I didn't mean to…" I started, my voice coming out softer than I expected.
Liam didn't respond right away.
That scared me more than if he had.
"I know," he said finally, but his voice was tight. Controlled.
Not relaxed.
Not okay.
I swallowed, pulling slightly out of his hold so I could stand on my own. My legs felt a little unsteady, like I'd just run for miles.
"I lost control," I admitted.
Rachel stirred inside me, uneasy. That wasn't just you.
I knew.
That was the problem.
---
Liam
I didn't like this.
Not one bit.
Watching her stand there, looking confused, shaken—like she didn't even fully understand what just happened—it twisted something in my chest.
Because I did.
Or at least… I understood enough.
"That wasn't just losing control," I said, my voice lower now.
Katie looked at me, her brows pulling together.
"I know," she said quietly.
Lucian hadn't moved.
He stood a few feet away, calm as ever, like this was just another normal conversation.
Like she hadn't just—
I cut that thought off.
No.
I wasn't going there.
"What was it then?" I pressed.
Katie hesitated.
And for a second, I saw it.
That flicker of uncertainty.
That crack in her confidence.
And I hated it.
Because she wasn't supposed to look like that.
Not her.
---
Lucian
She was unsettled.
Good.
Not because I wanted her uncomfortable—but because it meant she was aware.
Awareness was the first step.
Denial would've been far worse.
"You felt it," I said calmly, watching her carefully.
Katie's gaze snapped to mine.
"That doesn't mean I understand it," she replied.
"No," I agreed. "But it means it's real."
Liam exhaled sharply, clearly irritated. "You're not helping."
"I am," I said simply.
He didn't believe that.
Of course he didn't.
He still saw this as a threat.
As something taking her away from him.
He wasn't entirely wrong.
But he wasn't entirely right either.
---
Katie
"I need you both to stop talking like I'm not here," I said, my voice a little sharper now.
That got their attention.
Finally.
Silence stretched between us again, but it felt different this time.
Not explosive.
Just… tense.
Unsettled.
"I don't understand what's happening to me," I admitted.
That felt harder to say than it should've.
"I don't understand why I felt—" I stopped.
Because I did understand part of it.
And I didn't want to say it out loud.
Liam's gaze softened just slightly. "You don't have to figure it out right now."
Lucian tilted his head, watching me closely.
"She already has," he said quietly.
My stomach dropped.
---
Liam
I turned to him, irritation flaring again. "Stop speaking for her."
"I'm not," Lucian replied calmly. "I'm observing."
"She's overwhelmed."
"She's evolving."
The words hit harder than they should've.
I stepped forward slightly, my body angling toward Katie again.
"She needs time."
"And time will not stop what she is," Lucian said.
I clenched my jaw.
I didn't like the certainty in his voice.
Didn't like how sure he sounded.
Like this was already decided.
Like she didn't have a say in it.
"She decides," I said firmly.
Lucian's gaze shifted to me.
For once… not calm.
Not distant.
Something sharper flickered there.
"For now," he said.
---
Katie
"Stop."
My voice cut through the tension before it could build again.
Both of them went still.
Good.
"I'm not something happening to you," I said, looking between them. "And I'm not something either of you gets to figure out like I'm a problem to solve."
Liam's expression softened instantly.
Lucian's didn't change much—but I felt the shift.
"I get that something is changing," I continued. "I'm not stupid."
Rachel huffed slightly. Obviously.
I ignored her.
"But I'm still me," I said, my voice quieter now. "And I need both of you to remember that."
Silence.
Then Liam nodded slowly. "I know."
Lucian didn't nod.
But he didn't argue either.
And somehow… that felt just as important.
---
Lucian
She was holding her ground.
Even now.
Even after what had just happened.
That told me more than anything else could.
"She is stronger than you think," I said, my gaze flicking briefly to Liam.
"I know she is," he replied immediately.
There was no hesitation in that.
No doubt.
Interesting.
"But strength does not prevent change," I added.
Katie exhaled slowly, clearly tired of going in circles.
"Then explain it," she said, looking directly at me. "Without talking around it."
A reasonable request.
I considered my words carefully.
"You carry more than one nature," I said finally.
Liam tensed slightly.
Katie stilled.
"And tonight," I continued, "one of those natures recognized something it had been waiting for."
Her breath caught.
She understood that.
Even if she didn't want to.
---
Katie
Recognized.
That word again.
It made something twist in my chest.
Because it felt true.
Too true.
"That doesn't mean I don't have control," I said, more defensive than I meant to be.
Lucian's gaze softened slightly. "It means control will not always be simple."
That wasn't reassuring.
At all.
Liam stepped closer to me again, his presence grounding.
"You're not alone in this," he said.
I looked at him.
Really looked at him.
And something in my chest steadied just a little.
"I know," I said quietly.
---
Liam
I wasn't letting this pull her away.
Not without a fight.
Not without understanding it first.
Not without making sure she was okay.
I glanced at Lucian again, my expression hardening slightly.
"This isn't over," I said.
He didn't look concerned.
Of course he didn't.
"It has only begun," he replied.
I didn't like that answer.
Not one bit.
---
Katie
I exhaled slowly, rubbing my temples.
"Great," I muttered. "Love that for me."
Rachel snorted.
Despite everything, I almost laughed.
Almost.
But the weight of what just happened settled back in.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
I looked between them one more time.
Two different sides of something I didn't fully understand yet.
Two different pulls.
Both real.
Both impossible to ignore.
"Can we just… go back?" I asked quietly. "Please."
Liam didn't hesitate. "Yeah."
Lucian didn't move.
"I will see you again," he said, his voice softer now.
Not a threat.
Not a promise.
Something in between.
Something certain.
And then—
He was gone.
Like he'd never been there at all.
---
The forest felt different after that.
Quieter.
But not peaceful.
As Liam and I started walking again, I couldn't shake the feeling sitting heavy in my chest.
Something had awakened.
Not just once.
But twice.
And next time?
I wasn't sure I'd be able to stop it.