Morning came without warmth.
I woke before dawn, the stone ceiling of the chamber looming above me like a silent reminder that I was no longer in Moonfall Pack. The fire in the hearth had burned low, casting faint shadows across the walls. For a brief moment, I lay still, listening to the steady rhythm of my breathing.
Then reality settled in.
Rejected.
Exiled.
Claimed by the enemy.
My wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless and alert. She no longer whimpered the way she had after the rejection. Something in her had changed.
This place is dangerous, she whispered.
"I know," I murmured, swinging my legs off the bed. "But so is going back."
I had barely stood when the door opened.
Auren entered without hesitation, his presence filling the room instantly. He wore dark leather fitted to his broad frame, ancient runes faintly glowing along his sleeves. His silver eyes swept over me, sharp and assessing.
"You're awake," he said.
"I don't sleep easily," I replied.
A flicker of amusement crossed his face. "Good. You'll need awareness more than rest."
He turned and walked back toward the corridor, already expecting me to follow.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"To see what you're made of."
We descended deep into the fortress, passing through narrow corridors carved directly into the mountain. The air grew warmer with each step, heavy with a strange, humming energy that made my skin prickle.
My wolf growled softly.
Power, she said.
Finally, we entered a vast underground chamber.
The space was enormous, circular, and carved with ancient symbols that glowed faintly against the stone floor. Torches burned along the walls, their flames steady and unnatural. At the center of the chamber stood a wide circle etched with runes unlike any I had ever seen.
My breath caught.
"What is this place?" I asked quietly.
"The awakening chamber," Auren replied. "Built long before packs bowed to Alphas."
I swallowed. "Awakening what?"
He turned to face me. "You."
My heart thudded painfully in my chest.
"I won't force you," he continued. "But understand this—without strength, you will not survive what's coming."
"What's coming?" I asked.
His gaze sharpened. "The world discovering what Kael threw away."
Anger flared inside me, sharp and hot. "Fine," I said. "Do it."
Auren studied me for a long moment, then nodded.
"Step into the circle."
The moment my bare feet touched the etched stone, heat surged upward, violent and overwhelming. I cried out, clutching my chest as the runes beneath me flared bright silver.
"What is this?" I gasped.
"Truth," Auren said calmly. "The chamber removes suppression."
Pain tore through me.
Memories flooded my mind without mercy—Kael's cold eyes, the laughter in the Great Hall, Selene's satisfied smile, the gates slamming shut behind me. My wolf screamed, thrashing wildly.
"I can't—" I sobbed.
"Yes, you can," Auren snapped. "Face it."
The heat intensified, crushing and relentless. Something deep inside me cracked—not shattered, but split open.
Power surged outward.
Silver light erupted from my skin, flooding the chamber and forcing me to scream as it burned through my veins. My wolf rose inside me, no longer cowering, no longer broken.
We were never weak, she growled.
The runes flared blindingly bright.
Then everything went still.
I collapsed to my knees, gasping for air, my body trembling as the light slowly faded. Sweat soaked my skin, and my heart hammered wildly in my chest.
Silence followed.
When I looked up, Auren was staring at me—not with dominance or amusement, but something close to respect.
"Well," he said quietly, "that explains everything."
My voice shook. "What did you do to me?"
"I removed the chains your pack placed on you," he replied. "They suppressed your wolf."
I laughed weakly. "Of course they did."
He extended his hand. After a brief hesitation, I took it.
The moment our skin touched, a sharp spark shot through me, stronger than before. My wolf stirred eagerly, responding to his presence in a way that unsettled me.
Auren's jaw tightened.
"This power," he said slowly, "will draw attention."
"I'm already used to being watched," I replied bitterly.
Training began immediately.
Auren did not go easy on me—not once. He pushed me through endurance drills that left my muscles screaming and combat exercises that tested every instinct I had.
"You hesitate," he snapped as I stumbled during a sparring drill.
"You attack like a tyrant," I shot back.
A corner of his mouth lifted. "Anger fuels strength. Use it."
Again and again, he knocked me down—and again and again, I forced myself to rise. Sweat soaked my clothes, and my lungs burned, but something inside me refused to break.
Hours passed in a blur.
When we finally stopped, I collapsed onto the stone floor, my body shaking from exhaustion.
Auren crouched beside me. "You did well."
The words stunned me more than the training.
"I hate you," I muttered.
He chuckled softly. "Most do."
Servants appeared silently, bringing water and food. I drank greedily, my body demanding fuel.
"Why help me?" I asked suddenly. "Why not kill me?"
Auren leaned back against the wall. "Because rejected wolves are dangerous," he said. "They either fade… or become something unstoppable."
I stared at him. "And you think I'll become the latter?"
"I know it," he replied.
That night, as I lay awake in my chamber, my body humming with unfamiliar energy, I felt it again.
A pull.
Not like the mate bond I had lost. This was deeper. Darker. Heavy with intent.
I sat up sharply.
Auren stood in the doorway, his silver eyes glowing faintly.
"You feel it," he said.
"What is it?" I asked.
"A claim," he replied.
My heart raced. "I didn't agree to that."
"No," he said calmly. "But fate rarely asks."
The pull tightened, wrapping around my chest, settling into my bones.
Enemies.
Power.
A bond not yet formed—but already demanding acknowledgment.
As Auren turned to leave, my wolf whispered something that terrified me more than rejection ever had.
We don't want to fight it.