The valley fell quiet again, but only for a heartbeat. Lucien led me back to the fortress, eyes scanning the horizon. "The hunt isn't over. Others are coming."
I touched the mark on my neck. Warm, alive, pulsing with energy. Power wasn't just survival anymore—it was influence, a signal that others could sense, wanted, feared.
"Kaiden isn't the only one," Lucien said, voice low. "There are others who know… who've felt the waves. Your presence will draw more than rogues."
I shivered. "Who?"
"Alphas, bloodlines you haven't met, hunters who've been waiting for centuries… powerful men and women who won't tolerate someone like you existing unchecked."
Fear flared, but also something else. Excitement. The mark pulsed under my fingers. I was alive. Powerful. Dangerous. And for the first time, I felt… unstoppable.
From the shadows, a figure moved. Not a rogue, not a pack member. Something else. Tall, broad, presence radiating control. Lucien's hand tensed briefly on my shoulder.
"Who's there?" I whispered.
The figure stepped closer, light glinting off steel, eyes sharp. "I've been watching," he said. "The Omega with the mark. You're… more than expected."
My pulse spiked. "Who are you?"
He smiled faintly, dangerous. "Someone who knows the truth. About the First Luna. About your bloodline. About what you're becoming."
My chest tightened. "What do you want?"
"Observe," he said simply. "Until it's time for you to choose… or be chosen."
Lucien's grip tightened slightly on my shoulder. "Watch closely," he muttered. "Not everyone will be friendly. Some will see you as a weapon. Some… as a threat."
The figure melted back into the shadows, leaving only a promise and unease. I realized then: the war wasn't just outside the fortress—it was surrounding me. Friends, enemies, Alphas, hunters… all circling, waiting.
And I would have to survive. Not just for me. Not just for Lucien. But for the power growing inside me, for the destiny no one had dared imagine…