It began with a burn.
Not pain. Not pleasure. Something primal, like fire crawling beneath her skin.
Sera was walking through the training grounds, watching younger wolves spar. Lucien had gone to a summit between alphas, leaving her under the watch of two guards. But she hated the attention. Hated the whispering behind her back.
She could hear every word now. The bond made it impossible to block them out.
"She's not one of us."
"She carries old blood."
"She'll get him killed."
She clenched her jaw, fingers twitching.
And then—it snapped.
The world shifted.
The air around her dropped, cold and electric. Her eyes went dark for a moment, the way a storm blots out the sun.
A sparring wolf lunged near her.
And before she could think—her body moved.
Sera reached out, not touching the wolf, but stopping him midair.
Everyone froze.
The young male dropped to the dirt, choking on his breath, eyes wide in shock.
She hadn't even touched him.
A hush fell over the grounds.
Then came the sound of running feet.
Ronan appeared, sword at his back, eyes narrowing on her.
"What did you do?"
"I didn't mean—" she started, but her voice cracked.
He approached like she was a bomb. "You're not a wolf. Not fully. Your power isn't from the moon. It's older."
Sera backed away. The other pack members stared. She could feel the fear rolling off them.
And shame.
Because a part of her had liked the control. The fear in their eyes. The way they looked at her—finally seeing her.
Lucien Returns
That night, Lucien came home to chaos.
He walked straight into the pack hall where Alira, Ronan, and the others surrounded Sera—arms folded, tension thick.
"What the hell is going on?" Lucien growled.
"She attacked one of the young wolves," Ronan snapped. "Used something… dark."
Lucien's eyes found hers. "Sera?"
"I didn't mean to," she whispered, shaking. "I just… felt something inside me."
He didn't look afraid.
He looked furious—at them.
"She's mine," he said. "If she's changing, we protect her. Not hunt her."
"You're blinded by the bond," Alira warned. "Her blood could break the order. If it awakens further—"
"I'll deal with it," Lucien said coldly. "Not you."
He pulled Sera into his arms, shielding her from the room.
And for the first time since she arrived, she felt like she belonged—not just to him, but to the darkness in her.
The Claim—Again
Back at the cabin, Sera was trembling, tears threatening to spill.
Lucien closed the door behind them, turned, and grabbed her.
"You are mine," he growled. "No matter what's inside you. You understand?"
His voice, rough and velvet. His eyes, glowing gold. He was furious. Possessive. But his hands were gentle when they cupped her face.
"I'm not afraid of you. Don't you dare be afraid of yourself."
Sera pulled him down into a kiss, desperate and consuming.
Lucien lifted her up and slammed her back against the wall, devouring her mouth, grinding his hips against her bare thighs. The fire between them was uncontrollable. She peeled his shirt open, ran her hands over his chest, her nails digging into muscle.
He laid her on the bed and pulled her clothes off slowly, worshipping every inch of her trembling body.
And when he entered her, her powers flared—but he held her tighter.
"I've got you," he growled, "even if you lose yourself."
Their bodies moved like smoke and fire. Their bond thrummed between them like a drumbeat. Sera cried out his name, her back arching, her nails slicing down his back.
Lucien came undone inside her, groaning her name like a vow.
And still… something pulsed in the back of her mind.
A whisper she couldn't shake.
"The blood remembers. The wolves will fall."