Kira's POV
I woke up to the sound of wolves screaming.
For a second, I thought I was still dreaming. But then I sat up and realized the screaming was real. It was coming from downstairs.
I ran out of my room and down the stairs.
The main floor of the Den was chaos. Wolves were thrashing on the ground, clawing at their own skin. Some were half-shifted, stuck between human and wolf form. Their eyes were wild. Terrified.
"What's happening?" I shouted.
Maya was trying to hold down a young wolf who was convulsing. "The curse! It's getting worse!"
I looked around frantically. "Where's Mei? She said she could help!"
"She's working on a temporary solution," Maya said through gritted teeth. "But it'll only buy us time."
I spotted Dane across the room. He was on his knees, his whole body shaking. Sweat poured down his face.
I ran to him and dropped down beside him. "Dane! Look at me!"
His eyes found mine. They were still gold, but there was something else there now. Something wild and dangerous.
"Can't... control it," he gasped. "The wolf... wants out."
Through the Kindred bond, I could feel what he was feeling. It was like there were two minds fighting inside him. The human Dane, trying to stay in control. And the wolf, trying to take over completely.
"Fight it," I said. I grabbed his hands. "You're stronger than this curse."
"Not... strong enough," Dane said. His bones started to crack. Fur sprouted on his arms.
He was shifting. Without meaning to.
"No!" I squeezed his hands tighter. "Stay with me. Stay human."
Green light flared from my palms.
I hadn't meant to use my magic. It just happened. The light poured into Dane like water filling a cup.
He gasped. The fur on his arms receded. His bones stopped cracking.
The wild look in his eyes faded.
"Kira," he breathed. "How did you..."
"I don't know," I said. My hands were still glowing. "I just wanted to help you and it... it worked."
Mei appeared beside us. She was carrying a tray with small cups on it. Each cup held a glowing blue liquid.
"Everyone drink this," she ordered. "It'll suppress the curse. For about twelve hours."
The wolves who could still move crawled over and grabbed cups. They drank the blue liquid and immediately looked better. Their shaking stopped. Their eyes cleared.
Dane took a cup and drank it. Within seconds, he looked normal again.
"What is that stuff?" I asked Mei.
"Wolfsbane tea," Mei said. "Mixed with a binding spell. It weakens the wolf side temporarily, which weakens the curse's hold."
"But it only lasts twelve hours?" Maya asked.
"Yes," Mei said grimly. "Which means you'll all need to drink it twice a day until we can perform the ritual. And each dose will be less effective than the last. By day seven, it won't work at all."
"Then we do the ritual before day seven," I said.
Mei shook her head. "You're not ready. You barely know how to control your magic. If you try the ritual now, you'll kill everyone."
"So what do we do?" I asked desperately. "Just wait and hope I learn fast enough?"
"That's exactly what we do," Mei said. "Starting today, you train. Every hour of every day. No breaks. No rest. You have six days to master what normally takes months to learn."
My stomach dropped. "That's impossible."
"It has to be possible," Mei said. "Because the alternative is watching everyone you care about turn into mindless monsters."
She walked away, leaving me alone with Dane.
"I can't do this," I said quietly. "I'm not strong enough. Not smart enough. I'm just... me."
Dane put his hand on my cheek, making me look at him. "You broke silver chains with your bare hands. You healed a room full of dying wolves. You pulled me back from the edge of going feral. You're stronger than you think."
"What if I fail?" I whispered.
"Then we fail together," Dane said. "But I don't think you will. I believe in you, Kira."
Nobody had ever said that to me before. Nobody had ever believed in me.
It made my chest feel tight.
"Okay," I said. "I'll try."
Dane smiled. "That's all I ask."
The rest of the morning was a blur. Mei took me to a back room and started teaching me basic magic control. It was harder than I expected.
"Magic is like a muscle," Mei explained. "You have to exercise it to make it stronger. Right now, your magic only works when you're emotional. Scared or angry or desperate. But for the ritual, you need to be calm. Focused. In complete control."
She had me practice on small things first. Lighting candles with my mind. Moving objects without touching them. Creating shields of green light.
I failed at all of it.
Every time I tried to use magic calmly, nothing happened. But the moment I got frustrated, green light would explode everywhere, knocking over furniture and setting things on fire.
"This isn't working," I said after my tenth failed attempt. "I can't control it."
"You will," Mei said patiently. "It just takes practice."
"We don't have time for practice!" I shouted. "We have six days! Six!"
Green light burst from my hands and shattered a window.
Mei sighed. "See? Your emotions make the magic stronger but wilder. You need to find balance."
"How?" I asked.
"By learning to be at peace with yourself," Mei said. "Your whole life, you've felt unwanted. Unloved. That pain fuels your magic but also makes it unstable. You need to let go of that pain."
"I don't know how to do that," I said.
"Then figure it out," Mei said. "Because if you can't, everyone dies."
She left me alone in the room.
I sat down on the floor and put my head in my hands. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to run away and pretend none of this was happening.
But I couldn't.
Too many people were counting on me.
I spent the next few hours practicing until my head hurt. By the time Mei called for a lunch break, I could barely stand.
I walked out into the main room and immediately noticed something was wrong.
Every exit had a guard standing in front of it. Big, serious-looking wolves who watched everyone with sharp eyes.
"What's going on?" I asked Maya.
"Extra security," she said. "After what happened last night with the curse, Dane wants to make sure nobody gets in or out without permission."
"Nobody gets out?" I repeated. "Like... nobody at all?"
"Not until the ritual is done," Maya said. "It's for everyone's safety."
I looked around at all the wolves. They were trapped here. And so was I.
"I need some air," I said.
I walked to the nearest exit. One of the guards stepped in front of me.
"Sorry," he said. "Alpha's orders. Nobody leaves."
"I'm just going to step outside for a minute," I said. "I need to clear my head."
"Can't let you do that," the guard said. "The Coalition could be watching the building. If they see you, they'll attack."
"Then I'll go out the back door," I said.
"All the doors are blocked," the guard said. "For your protection."
My protection. Right.
I felt my chest getting tight. The walls felt like they were closing in.
I turned and walked toward another exit. Same result. A guard blocked my way.
I tried a third exit. Then a fourth.
Every single one was guarded.
I was trapped.
I found Dane in his office on the second floor. He was looking at maps and making plans.
"I want to leave," I said.
Dane looked up. "What?"
"I want to leave the Den. Just for a little while. I need... I need space."
Dane's expression softened. "I know this is hard. But it's not safe out there. The Coalition—"
"I know about the Coalition," I cut him off. "I know they're hunting me. But I can't breathe in here, Dane. I feel like I'm suffocating."
"It's just for a few more days," Dane said. "Once the ritual is done and the wolves are human again, the Coalition will have no reason to hunt us. You'll be free to go wherever you want."
"And what if I don't want to wait a few more days?" I asked. "What if I want to leave now?"
Dane stood up. "Then I'd have to stop you."
His words hit me like a slap.
"Stop me?" I repeated. "Like... physically stop me?"
"If I have to," Dane said. His voice was gentle but firm. "I won't let you walk into danger, Kira. Even if you hate me for it."
"This is insane," I said. "You can't keep me prisoner!"
"I'm not keeping you prisoner," Dane said. "I'm keeping you alive."
"What's the difference?" I shouted.
Through the bond, I felt Dane's emotions. Guilt. Frustration. And underneath it all, fear. He was terrified of losing me.
But that didn't make this okay.
"I grew up in an orphanage," I said quietly. "Do you know what that's like? Having no freedom. No choices. No control over your own life. I swore when I left that place that I'd never let anyone control me again. And now here you are, doing exactly that."
Dane flinched. "Kira, I'm sorry. But I can't let you"
"Don't," I said. "Don't apologize while you're still doing it."
I turned and walked out of his office.
I went back to my room and slammed the door.
For the first time since I got to the Den, I let myself cry.
I cried for my parents, who I'd never know. I cried for my lost freedom. I cried for the impossible task ahead of me.
And I cried because part of me knew Dane was right.
Going outside would get me killed.
But staying here felt like dying in a different way.
I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, someone was shaking me awake.
"Kira! Kira, wake up!"
It was Maya. She looked terrified.
"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting up quickly.
"It's one of the pack members," Maya said. "A young wolf named Tommy. He couldn't handle being trapped in here. He... he tried to escape."
My stomach dropped. "What happened?"
"He made it outside," Maya said. "But the Coalition was waiting. They shot him with silver bullets."
"Is he alive?" I asked.
"Barely," Maya said. "Mei is trying to heal him, but the silver is in his bloodstream. It's poisoning him. She says only Jade Court magic can save him now."
I jumped out of bed. "Take me to him."
Maya led me downstairs to a back room. Tommy was lying on a table, his skin gray and clammy. He couldn't have been more than eighteen years old.
Mei was working over him, but I could see the desperation in her eyes.
"Can you save him?" I asked.
"I'm not strong enough," Mei said. "But you might be."
"I don't know how," I said. "I can barely control my magic."
"You healed Dane this morning," Mei said. "You did it instinctively. Do it again."
I moved to Tommy's side and put my hands on his chest.
"What do I do?" I asked.
"Feel for the silver," Mei said. "It's like poison in his blood. Use your magic to pull it out."
I closed my eyes and reached for my power.
At first, I felt nothing. Then slowly, I began to sense the silver. It was like black threads woven through Tommy's veins.
I grabbed those threads with my magic and pulled.
Tommy screamed.
"Keep going!" Mei said. "You're doing it!"
I pulled harder. The silver threads started to move, crawling toward my hands like living things.
Green light poured from my palms. The silver threads gathered into a ball and floated out of Tommy's chest.
The moment it was free, the silver turned to dust and disappeared.
Tommy gasped and opened his eyes.
"Did it work?" he asked weakly.
"You're alive," I said, relief flooding through me.
Tommy smiled. Then his eyes rolled back and he passed out.
"He'll be okay," Mei said. "He just needs rest."
I stumbled back, exhausted. Using that much magic had drained me completely.
Dane appeared in the doorway. He must have heard the screaming.
"Is everyone okay?" he asked.
"Tommy's alive," Maya said. "Thanks to Kira."
Dane looked at me. Through the bond, I felt his relief. His gratitude.
But also his guilt.
"We need to talk," he said quietly.
"Not now," I said. "I'm too tired."
I pushed past him and headed for the stairs.
But I didn't make it.
Halfway up, my legs gave out. Everything went black.
I woke up in my bed with Dane sitting in a chair next to me.
"How long was I out?" I asked.
"Four hours," Dane said. "You used too much magic. Mei said you're lucky you didn't kill yourself."
"Great," I muttered.
"Kira, I'm sorry," Dane said. "About earlier. You were right. I was treating you like a prisoner. I was so focused on keeping you safe that I forgot you need freedom too."
"So I can leave?" I asked.
"No," Dane said. "But I'll make you a deal. Once a day, you can go outside. Just for an hour. I'll go with you to make sure you're safe."
It wasn't perfect. But it was better than nothing.
"Okay," I said.
Dane smiled. "Good. Now get some rest. Tomorrow, we start real training."
He stood to leave.
"Dane?" I said.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For trying."
"Thank you for staying," he said.
After he left, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
Six days left until the ritual.
Six days to master my magic.
Six days to save everyone.
I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
But sleep wouldn't come.
Because somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice whispered: What if you're not strong enough?
What if everyone dies because of you?
I pushed the thought away.
I had to be strong enough.
I didn't have a choice.
At midnight, I heard a crash from downstairs.
I ran down to find the wolves going feral again. The wolfsbane tea was wearing off faster than Mei predicted.
"We need more tea!" Maya shouted.
"I'm out of wolfsbane," Mei said. "I used the last of it this morning."
"Then what do we do?" someone yelled.
Mei looked at me. "Kira's magic. It's the only thing that can hold them until morning."
"I can't heal all of them," I said. "I'll pass out again."
"You don't have to heal them," Mei said. "Just... calm them. Use your magic to soothe the wolf inside."
"I don't know how to do that!"
"You'll have to learn," Mei said. "Right now."
I looked around at the thrashing, screaming wolves.
Then I took a deep breath and reached for my power.
Green light exploded from my body, filling the entire room.
And for a moment, everything went quiet.
The wolves stopped screaming. Their eyes cleared. They looked at me with wonder.
Then one by one, they collapsed.
"What happened?" I gasped.
Mei checked their pulses. "They're asleep. Your magic put them to sleep."
"Is that good or bad?"
"Good," Mei said. "They'll rest peacefully until morning. But Kira..." She looked at me seriously. "You just used more magic in ten seconds than most Jade Court members use in a month. At this rate, you'll burn yourself out before the ritual."
"Then I'll just have to be more careful," I said.
But even as I said it, I felt my body swaying.
I was so tired.
So, so tired.
The last thing I remembered before passing out was Dane catching me as I fell.
And through the bond, I felt his fear.
Because we both knew the truth.
I was running out of time.
And running out of strength.
And if I didn't figure out how to control my magic soon, everyone would die.
Including me.