The night air was sharp, filled with the scent of rain and tension.
Lucien led me to a secluded training hall deep inside the fortress. The walls hummed faintly with energy—older than the fortress itself. He stopped and faced me.
"Tonight, we push limits," he said. His eyes didn't leave mine. "You need full control of your mark. If Darius comes again, this won't just be an attack. It could be war."
I nodded. My hands tingled with anticipation.
"Start."
I raised my hands. Energy surged outward. The mark on my neck pulsed. Faster. Hotter. My body shook as the power reacted to every thought, every heartbeat.
Then it happened.
Kaiden stepped into the hall.
"Selene."
His presence made the air crackle. Not threatening, not hostile… commanding.
"Focus," Lucien said.
I tried, but my power had other plans.
Kaiden moved closer, calm and deliberate. "Look at me."
I did. And for the first time, my power didn't surge wildly. It synced. Responded to him.
Something ancient stirred.
"Your bond…" Kaiden whispered.
I froze. My heart raced. "Bond? We don't—"
"Yes," he interrupted softly. "It's faint. Broken by rejection, yes. But not gone. You just didn't notice it yet."
My stomach dropped.
"Why… why now?" I whispered.
"Because danger brings truth," he said. His hand hovered near mine—not touching. "And you're not just any Omega. You're the First Luna's bloodline. That power reacts differently to Alphas. You might never control it fully… but you can learn."
Lucien's jaw tightened. "Careful, Kaiden."
Kaiden ignored him. His gaze was fixed on me.
I felt the heat of the mark again, responding to his presence. My body shivered—not from fear. Something else entirely.
Lucien finally spoke, voice low. "This isn't training anymore."
"No," I said softly. "It's… something else."
Kaiden nodded, unreadable. "And it will get more complicated. They will sense it soon. Darius already knows. Every Alpha nearby will want to test it."
My heart pounded. "Test it… me?"
Kaiden's gaze softened, almost imperceptibly. "Yes. But not everyone will survive their own curiosity."
The hall was silent. Tension hung between us. Energy hummed faintly around the mark.
I realized something terrifying—and thrilling.
This bond, faint though it was, made me stronger.
And in the quiet, I wondered…
Was it just power?
Or something more?