Sleep did not come easily.
Liora lay on her bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling as silver moonlight spilled across her room in soft, shifting patterns. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the training grounds again. The dust lifting. The air trembling. Darius's cold voice. Kael's steady one.
Dangerous.
The word echoed inside her chest like a secret that had been waiting years to be spoken aloud.
Her wolf paced restlessly beneath her skin, agitated, alert, and strangely awake. It was a sensation she had never felt so strongly before. Usually, her wolf was calm, almost quiet, like a distant companion that stirred only when necessary.
But tonight, it felt… close.
Alive.
Watching.
Liora pushed herself upright, pressing a hand to her chest. The broken mating bond with Darius still lingered faintly, like a dull ache that refused to disappear. It didn't feel like love anymore.
It felt like an old wound.
And yet, something else had taken its place.
Something sharper.
More electric.
Every time she thought of Kael, warmth spread through her veins, chased quickly by a nervous shiver. She didn't understand it. It wasn't a bond. It couldn't be. That was impossible.
And yet her wolf responded to him.
That alone frightened her.
A soft knock came at her door.
"Liora?" her mother's voice called gently. "Are you awake?"
"Yes," she replied, quickly slipping out of bed.
Selene entered quietly, closing the door behind her. Her eyes scanned Liora's face with the knowing look only a mother could carry.
"You felt it tonight," Selene said.
It wasn't a question.
Liora hesitated, then nodded. "I didn't mean to. It just… happened."
Selene stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Your father is worried."
Of course he was.
Orin Ashen did not fear easily. He was a respected wolf, steady and practical, known for keeping peace in tense situations. If he was worried, then whatever was happening wasn't small.
"What does he think it is?" Liora asked quietly.
Selene paused, as if choosing her words carefully. "He thinks the broken bond may have triggered something in you."
Liora frowned. "Triggered what?"
But Selene didn't answer right away.
Instead, she reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair from Liora's face. "When you were born, the elders said you were… different."
A chill ran down Liora's spine.
"Different how?"
Selene's expression softened, but there was tension beneath it. "You were unusually quiet as a child. You hardly cried. But sometimes, when you got upset, things would move."
Liora blinked.
"What?"
"Small things," Selene continued. "A glass tipping over. Doors creaking open. Once, the fire in the hearth flared without reason."
Liora stared at her. "Why didn't you tell me this?"
"Because it stopped," Selene said. "As you grew older, it faded. The elders said it was just a child's uncontrolled energy. Nothing more."
But it wasn't nothing anymore.
Liora remembered the dust lifting at the training grounds. The pulse that had rippled outward from her body. The way Kael had looked at her.
Not surprised.
Recognizing.
Her throat tightened. "What if it's not fading?"
Selene's silence answered her.
A sudden knock sounded from downstairs, sharp and urgent.
Both of them froze.
Moments later, her father's voice echoed faintly through the house. "Liora. Come down."
The tone in his voice made her stomach drop.
Something was wrong.
—
The sitting room felt colder than usual.
Orin stood near the fireplace, arms folded tightly across his chest. Two elders sat nearby, their expressions grave. Liora recognized them instantly — Elder Merek and Elder Thorne.
They didn't visit homes unless something serious had happened.
Liora's steps slowed as she entered. "You wanted to see me?"
Orin turned, his face stern but not unkind. "Come sit."
She obeyed, her heart beginning to race.
Elder Merek leaned forward slightly. "We felt the surge today."
Her hands tightened in her lap.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean to cause trouble."
"This is not about blame," Elder Thorne replied calmly. "This is about understanding."
Liora swallowed.
"What is happening to me?" she asked.
The elders exchanged a look.
Then Elder Merek spoke.
"Power is not always inherited in the ways we expect. Sometimes, it sleeps for generations before awakening again."
Her pulse quickened. "What kind of power?"
But again, there was hesitation.
Orin finally stepped in. "There are old bloodlines in this territory, Liora. Ones tied to more than just strength or leadership."
Her breath caught.
"You mean… like Alpha blood?"
Elder Thorne shook his head slowly.
"Older."
The word settled heavily in the room.
Liora felt a strange pressure building in her chest, like her wolf was listening closely.
"Long ago," Elder Merek continued, "there were wolves who could influence the elements. The ground. The air. The energy between living things."
Liora's mind flashed back to the dust rising.
The vibration in the air.
"You think that's me?" she whispered.
"We don't know yet," Elder Thorne said. "But the signs are there."
Orin's jaw tightened. "Which is why you must be careful."
"Careful?" she echoed.
"If others begin to believe you carry that kind of blood," he said quietly, "you will not be seen as just a rejected girl anymore."
Liora understood immediately.
You will be seen as something valuable.
Or dangerous.
Or both.
"And Kael Veyron?" she asked before she could stop herself.
The room went very still.
Elder Merek's eyes sharpened. "What about him?"
"He knew," she said softly. "He felt it. He wasn't surprised."
Orin exhaled slowly. "That man sees more than he says."
"Is he a threat?" she asked.
No one answered right away.
Finally, Elder Thorne said, "He is not a man who does anything without reason."
That wasn't comforting.
—
Later that night, Liora couldn't stay inside.
The walls felt too tight. The air too heavy.
She slipped out quietly, pulling a cloak around her shoulders as she made her way toward the edge of the estate. The night was cool, the forest alive with soft sounds and rustling leaves.
Her wolf stirred eagerly.
It wanted space.
Freedom.
She walked deeper into the trees until the house lights disappeared behind her.
And then she felt it.
That same presence.
Before she even saw him.
"Following me now?" Kael's voice came from the darkness.
She turned sharply.
He stood a few steps away, leaning casually against a tree as if he had been there for a while.
"I could ask you the same thing," she replied.
A faint smile touched his lips. "I was here first."
Her heart beat faster, but she held her ground. "Why are you always watching?"
"Observation is not a crime."
"It is when it's constant."
He pushed off the tree and stepped closer. "You walked into the forest alone at night. That suggests you wanted to be found."
Her cheeks warmed. "I did not."
"Your wolf did."
That silenced her.
Because it might have been true.
Kael stopped a few feet away, studying her carefully. The moonlight caught the sharp lines of his face, making his eyes look even colder.
"You spoke with the elders," he said.
It wasn't a question.
"How do you know that?" she asked.
"Because they visited your house."
"You were watching?"
"I observe everything that could affect the territory."
The words should have irritated her.
Instead, they made her feel… protected.
And that thought scared her more than anything.
"They think something is awakening in me," she said quietly.
Kael nodded once. "It is."
"You sound very sure."
"I felt it," he said. "Energy like that doesn't lie."
Liora hesitated, then asked the question that had been burning in her chest.
"Why do you care?"
Kael was silent for a moment.
Then he stepped closer.
Close enough that she could see the faint scar near his jaw. Close enough to feel the heat of his body.
"Because power like yours changes things," he said softly.
Her breath caught.
"And change," he continued, "is either protected… or destroyed."
A chill ran through her.
"Which one are you planning to do?" she whispered.
His eyes held hers.
"Depends on what you become."
Her wolf stirred restlessly, drawn to him in a way she couldn't explain.
"You're not afraid of me," she said.
Kael tilted his head slightly. "Should I be?"
"I don't know."
He studied her for a long moment.
Then, unexpectedly, he reached out.
Not to grab.
Just to touch her wrist.
The moment his fingers brushed her skin—
The air pulsed.
A soft wave of energy rolled outward, rustling the leaves around them.
Both of them stilled.
Liora's heart slammed against her ribs.
Kael's grip tightened slightly, not in pain, but in focus.
"There it is," he murmured.
The energy didn't feel wild this time.
It felt… steady.
Responding.
To him.
To her.
To both of them.
He slowly let go.
But the space between them remained charged.
"You need to learn control," he said.
"How?" she asked.
His gaze darkened slightly.
"With someone who understands what you are."
Her breath hitched. "And you do?"
Kael didn't answer directly.
Instead, he stepped back into the shadows.
"I'll come for you tomorrow," he said.
Her heart skipped. "Come for me?"
"To train."
She blinked. "My father will never allow that."
A faint, knowing smile appeared.
"Your father won't have a choice."
And just like that, he was gone.
Leaving her alone beneath the moonlight.
But this time, she didn't feel lost.
She felt like something had just begun.
Don't forget to vote with your power stones