Mira exhaled shakily. "This… this is extraordinary."
Darian reached for Faye's hand but paused before touching it.
"Does it still hurt?"
"Less," Faye breathed.
Her wolf hummed softly, comfortingly.
Mira studied the faint glow beneath Faye's skin. "The fire is subsiding. The pain will fade for now."
"For now?" Faye echoed.
Mira nodded solemnly. "The full shift hasn't happened yet—your wolf pulled back at the last moment. But once this process restarts… you'll finish it."
Faye swallowed. "When will that be?"
"It can be hours," Mira said, "or days."
Darian's voice was steady but low. "And whatever creature is hunting her… will sense that shift."
Mira nodded grimly. "Yes. It will come for her when she's weakest."
Darian stood, jaw tight, energy crackling beneath his skin.
"Then it won't lay a finger on her," he said. "Not while I'm breathing."
For a moment, no one spoke.
The shadows around Faye curled gently, like they recognized him.
Faye whispered, "Why are you doing this?"
Darian didn't look away.
"Because you're my mate. And because I won't lose you—not to that thing. Not to anything."
Faye's wolf purred at the conviction in his voice.
But Faye?
She wasn't sure whether the trembling in her chest was fear—
or something entirely different.
Faye spent the rest of the day in Elder Mira's chambers, her body still humming from the almost-shift.
Faye hugged her knees to steady herself. "I know."
Darian stood near the door, leaning against the wall but fully alert. He hadn't left once—not even when she insisted she was fine.
He didn't argue.
He just stayed.
Mira sorted through ancient scrolls, muttering under her breath. Finally, she stopped at one that was older than the rest—dark parchment, edges frayed, the ink nearly faded.
"I think I found something," the elder said.
Darian moved closer. Faye straightened.
Mira traced her finger over a symbol—the same jagged circle they found near the body.
"In the old tongue," Mira murmured, "this mark belonged to creatures from beyond our territory. They were not wolves. Or humans. Or anything we can name."
Faye felt her throat tighten. "Can it be killed?"
"Yes," Mira said. "But not easily."
Darian stiffened. "What is it called?"
Mira hesitated.
Then she said softly:
"A Voidborn."
Faye frowned. "Voidborn… what does that mean?"
Mira turned the scroll so they could both see.
"These creatures do not hunt for food. They hunt for purpose. They sense magic—rare magic. Wolves whose gifts break normal limits."
Darian looked at Faye. "Shadowborn."
Faye's pulse quickened.
"Yes," Mira said. "Your wolf's power comes from ancient magic. You were born with it, but it stayed dormant until eighteen. When it awakened… the Voidborn sensed it."
"So it's attracted to her?" Darian asked.
Mira nodded. "More than that. It needs her."
Faye's stomach twisted painfully. "Needs me for what?"
"To complete a bond older than our pack," Mira said quietly. "The Voidborn feeds on magic. A Shadowborn wolf is… its natural opposite. Or its natural fuel."
Darian's voice sharpened. "So it wants to take her power?"
Mira nodded. "Or take her."
Faye froze.
Faye could feel the shadows stirring around the room again, reacting to her wolf's rage.
Mira stepped back cautiously. "Easy, child. Your emotions affect your power. If you lose control—"
"I'm not losing control," Faye said through clenched teeth. "I'm tired of being afraid."
Darian stepped closer—not too close, but close enough to calm the energy swirling around her.
"Faye," he said quietly, "fear is not weakness. You're allowed to feel it. But you're not facing this alone."
Her wolf hummed with grudging agreement.
Faye exhaled slowly. "So what do we do?"
Mira rolled up the scroll. "The Voidborn is strongest at night. We must protect you until you complete your first full shift. Once your wolf is fully awakened, its magic will not be able to consume you."
Faye blinked. "So I have to shift completely. Even if it hurts."
Mira nodded. "Yes. It will be painful. But it will save your life."
Darian's jaw clenched. "Then we prepare for her shift. And for whatever comes with it."
Mira gave a grave look. "There's something else."
Both teenagers stilled.
"When your shift completes," Mira said carefully, "your wolf will not be like the others. A Shadowborn wolf is powerful… but unpredictable. You must trust your instincts—and Darian must be prepared to guide you if you lose control."
Darian straightened. "I will."
Mira handed him a small leather-bound book. "This contains the rituals used to anchor unstable wolves."
Faye froze. "Unstable?"
"Not dangerous," Mira clarified. "Just overwhelmed."
Faye wasn't sure that made her feel better.
sudden pounding shook the walls.
Darian instantly positioned himself in front of Faye.
A warrior burst into the room, breathless. "Beta Rowan sent me—there's movement in the woods again. East border. Fast."
Faye felt the blood drain from her face.
Mira whispered, "It's searching."
The warrior swallowed. "And there's more. It's… speaking."
Faye's heartbeat stilled. "Speaking?"
He nodded, eyes wide. "Not words. Sounds. Like… calling."
Darian grabbed his weapon and looked at Faye, voice steady.
"You're staying with me."
The packhouse grew eerily quiet as night approached. Patrols moved along the borders, warriors sharpened their weapons, and every window was checked twice.
But inside Faye's room, the silence pressed harder than the danger outside.
Darian stood near the window, arms crossed as he watched the tree line. His wolf sensed the creature's presence—Faye could feel the tension radiating off him, even without looking.
After a long moment, Darian finally turned to her.
"You should try to rest."
Faye almost laughed. "Rest? With a monster waiting to eat my magic? Sure. Sounds peaceful."
Darian's expression softened. "I know it's terrifying, Faye. I'm not pretending it isn't. But your wolf is strong, and you're not alone."
Faye looked down. "Everyone keeps saying that. But I've always been alone."
Darian flinched slightly—like the words stung.
"You shouldn't have been," he said quietly.
Faye blinked. "What?"
He stepped closer, the moonlight outlining him in pale silver.
"Everything we said. Everything we did to you growing up…" He swallowed. "We were ignorant. Cruel. And you never deserved any of it."
Faye wasn't sure she had heard him correctly.
"You're apologizing?"
"I'm trying," he admitted. "It won't undo anything. But you should know… I'm not that person anymore."
Faye's chest tightened. "Why say this now?"
"Because…" Darian hesitated, then met her eyes. "Because you deserve more than fear tonight."
Faye didn't know what to say.
She didn't know what to feel.
So she simply nodded.
"Thank you," she whispered.
A sudden pulse ran through her body—like lightning.
Faye gasped and grabbed her chest.
Darian rushed forward.
"Faye? What's happening?"
"I—I don't—" Another jolt cut through her. "It's starting again!"
Her wolf roared:
"THE SHIFT!"
Faye cried out as heat surged from her spine down to her legs. Her vision blurred. Her bones felt too tight, too small.
Darian caught her before she collapsed.
"It's okay, I've got you," he said urgently. "Mira said this would happen—she said it would restart soon."
Faye's breath came in ragged waves. "It hurts—!"
"I know," Darian said, voice low and steady. "But listen to me. Don't fight it. Breathe with your wolf."
Her wolf pressed against her mind:
"Let me in. I will help you."
Faye closed her eyes and focused—not on the pain, but on the rhythm her wolf offered.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Slowly, the agony softened into pressure, a heavy drumbeat echoing through her bones.
Darian steadied her against the wall. "You're doing great. Keep going."
At the same moment Faye found a shaky balance, a howl tore through the night.
Not a wolf's howl.
Not anything familiar.
A distorted, echoing cry—
like something ancient waking from the earth.
Darian's eyes snapped toward the window. "It's close."
Faye froze mid-breath.
Her wolf growled:
"Voidborn."
Another howl—closer this time—rippled through the forest.
The lights flickered.
The shadows on the walls trembled, drawn toward Faye like iron to a magnet.
Her wolf rose sharply:
"IT COMES FOR US."
Darian's expression hardened. "We need to move. Now."
Darian guided her quickly into the hallway, one arm steadying her as her legs threatened to give out again.
"Where are we going?" Faye asked.
"To the safe chamber under the packhouse," Darian said. "It's reinforced against magic and—"
A deafening crack split the air outside.
Both teens froze.
Windows rattled along the hallway.
The ground vibrated.
Warriors shouted from somewhere below.
Faye's pulse accelerated.
"Darian… what was that?"
He swallowed hard, eyes glowing faintly with his wolf.
"That," he said, voice low and grim, "was the eastern border breaking."
Faye's breath hitched.
"The Voidborn is here."
The pressure inside Faye spiked suddenly—
not pain this time.
Power.
Her wolf surged, snarling:
"LET ME OUT. LET ME PROTECT US."
Faye clutched Darian's arm. "It wants to shift—now—!"
Darian's grip tightened protectively. "Then you shift. I'll protect you."
Faye shook her head frantically. "I don't know if I can—!"
"Yes," he said fiercely. "You can. Because you're not the scared girl they ignored. You're the Shadowborn. And you are not dying tonight."
Faye's wolf howled inside her:
"WE RISE!"
The shadows rushed inward—
Darian braced—
And from the forest outside, the Voidborn screamed back.