Three days after the moon pool, I woke burning.
Not metaphorically. Actually burning. My skin was on fire, my bones ached, and every nerve ending felt like it was being slowly flayed.
Kael was already awake. Already panicking.
"Elena. Elena, look at me."
I tried. Couldn't focus. Everything blurred.
"What's happening?" My voice was a rasp.
"The bond. It's settling. Deepening." His hand was on my face, cool against my burning skin. "This happens sometimes. When the mate bond fully locks in."
"Feels like dying."
"Feels like changing." He kissed my forehead. "Your body is adapting. Becoming more wolf. Not fully ,you'll never shift. But stronger. Faster. Connected."
"Connected to what?"
"To me. To the pack. To the Moon." He pressed closer. "I'm here. I'm not leaving."
The fever lasted three days.
Three days of delirium. Of dreams that weren't quite dreams. Of Kael's voice, constant and calm, pulling me back when I drifted too far.
I saw things.
The pack's history. Battles won and lost. Wolves I'd never met, living and dying in service of something greater.
I saw Kael as a boy. Alone. Hurting. Waiting for a mate who might never come.
I saw myself,not as I was, but as I would become. Standing beside him. Strong. Certain. Loved.
And through it all, the bond sang.
On the third night, the fever broke.
I woke clear-headed for the first time in days. Kael was beside me, exhausted, dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't slept. Hadn't eaten. Hadn't left my side.
"Hey," I whispered.
His eyes snapped open.
"Elena?" His voice cracked. "You're back?"
"I'm back."
He crushed me to him. Held me so tight I couldn't breathe.
"I thought….." He stopped. Swallowed. "I thought I was losing you."
"You're not." I held him back. "I'm here. I'm okay."
"What do you remember?"
"Everything. Nothing." I pulled back, looked at him. "I saw things. Your past. The pack's past. Is that normal?"
His eyes widened. "You saw?"
"Images. Feelings. I don't know how to explain it."
"The bond. When it deepens, sometimes mates share memories. Especially strong mates." He touched my face. "What did you see?"
I thought about it. The lonely boy. The waiting. The hope that never died.
"I saw you," I said. "Waiting for me. All those years."
His jaw tightened.
"I saw how hard it was. How alone you felt." I touched his face. "I'm sorry it took so long."
"Don't." He caught my hand. "Don't apologize. You're here now. That's all that matters."
Sasha arrived that evening with food.
Lots of food. Enough for ten people.
"You need to eat," she announced. "Both of you. You look terrible."
"Thanks," Kael muttered.
"I'm not being nice. I'm being honest." She set down the trays. "Jax is handling patrols. The pack is fine. Focus on your mate."
She left before either of us could respond.
I laughed. Weakly, but it was a laugh.
"I like her."
"Everyone likes her." Kael handed me a plate. "Eat."
I was stronger by morning.
Still tired. Still recovering. But the fire was gone, replaced by something new. Something humming under my skin.
Power.
Not wolf power I couldn't shift, would never shift. But something else. Connection to the pack. To the land. To Kael.
"Feel that?" he asked.
"What is it?"
"The pack bond. You're connected to them now. All of them." He smiled. "You're really Luna."
I closed my eyes. Reached out.
And felt them.
Dozens of heartbeats. Dozens of lives. All connected to me, and me to them. It was overwhelming. Beautiful. Terrifying.
"That's…"
"Everything. I know." He pulled me close. "Welcome to the pack, Elena. Really welcome."