Thalia's POV
The day after my training was the happiest I have ever been in my life. I didn't train, instead I rested and ate a whole buffet.
The highlight of the day was by evening. Where we sat down around the fire and made friends and connection with people. In my pack I was laughed at and scorned. I didn't know what family and friendship looked like. But today, I had a real family and friends that really loved, respected and cared for me.
I sat near the central hearth of the camp grounds, the flames danced like old spirits whispering in languages only wolves could understand as it kept us warm and illuminated the grounds. The earthen walls of the sanctuary rose high behind me, carved with ancient runes, glowing faintly under the pale twilight sky. The stones beneath my feet were warm and worn, smooth by countless feet and pawprints, that tells stories of those who came before. The gentle night breeze swept around me, carrying the scent of rain-soaked earth, whispering secrets through the trees and brushing against my skin like a lover.
In the direlands everything was heightened. Your senses of smile and touch. You could feel the fire in your bones from a distance and smell the rain from afar. A tiny gush of air would make your hairs stand on your skin and the earths and trees was strong and dominating in the direlands. This is a strange land, a strange place but today I was a part of them. I belonged among supernatural wolves with heightened powers that was far below my expectations..
Around the fire, elemental wolves slowly gathered. Elemental wolves, my comrades, my strange, unexpected second family. I watched them settle in, each one carrying a piece of this sanctuary with them, each one having seen me through my training and trials. This was the first night I'd truly rested since arriving in the Direlands. The first night I'd let my shoulders drop without fear of what came next.
Zephyr saw me first. The Air Wolf lounged across a flat stone, one leg propped up, a mischievous grin playing on his lips. He tossed a spark into the air with a flick of wind, watching it swirl like a dancing firefly.
"Look who decided to show up," he said, flashing his usual boyish grin. "Did the firestorm tire you out, Firebrand?"
I rolled my eyes at the nickname. "Do your jokes ever tire you out? Or do you save them for dramatic entrances?"
Zephyr tucked a lock of golden hair behind his ear, chuckling. "Touché. But I landed safely unlike you, who nearly leveled the training grounds in your trainings."
A reluctant laugh bubbled from my lips. He had a way of tugging laughter out of me, even when I was determined to be serious. It was infuriating and comforting.
Not far from him, Flint stood with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against a stone pillar. He gave me a simple nod. Nothing more, nothing less. He was always like that. Earthy and dependable, as unshakable as the stones he called home.
"You held steady during your trials," he said in a quiet, gravel-deep voice. "you're stronger than you give yourself credit for."
I blinked and gave a low laugh. "Oh please. I'm just the weak omega."
"That was your past life fiamma. You're now a reborn "
I blinked at him, surprised by his words. A nod was all I could return, but inside, something eased. His words stayed with me, pressing like a gentle weight on my chest. A reminder that not all strength had to roar.
On the far side of the fire, Pyra laughed, bright and untamed as usual. Her hair shimmered like fire under the starlight, and her presence blazed like the fires that possessed her.
"I swear, the prophecy scroll glowed brighter when you stepped into the sanctuary," she called out, elbowing Zephyr. "Fiamma's aura was practically burning a hole through the parchment."
Then she looked at me, eyes sparkling. "And you're owning it now, aren't you? The rising fire-born."
I opened my mouth to argue but she threw her head back and laughed again, the sound echoing through the fields.
Off to the side, Nia, the Water Wolf, watched us with soft eyes. She sat cross-legged near a pool of moonlit water, her fingers dancing above its surface. A thin veil of liquid curled and shimmered, forming patterns I couldn't decipher.
She smiled when our eyes met and reached for my hand. "I thought I'd find you here."
"I needed this," I said quietly, grateful for her calm.
"your mother prayed for this for you," she whispered. "That you'd find people who choose you. That you'd feel safe."
"I have." I said slowly. As if the realization just hit me.
Nia squeezed my fingers gently. "You were always meant to find your place. And now that you have, don't let anyone take it from you."
The firelight pulsed like a heartbeat as more of us gathered. There was no ceremony, no instruction. Just stories shared, laughter spilled, and embers rising into the dark.
Zephyr kicked things off, naturally. "During my Trial, I flew so high I thought I'd tip over the sky. I screamed the whole way up, just me and the wind."
Pyra snorted. "Yeah, and then you passed out and fell like a rag doll. Took you days to live that down."
Everyone laughed, even Flint, who mumbled something about falling asleep mid-trial.
I hesitated, then joined in. "I nearly burned the training grounds. Again. Lost control. I… I thought the fire would swallow me whole."
The laughter paused. They stared at me, not in fear, not in judgment. Just silent understanding.
Then Pyra slung her arm around my shoulders. "And yet, here you are. So either you're extra powerful or you're too stubborn to die."
Zephyr leaned in. "Or just damn lucky."
Nia giggled, and even Flint cracked a rare grin. That was when I felt it. Belonging. Like a thread had stitched me into their stories, and now I couldn't be unwoven.
Later, when the others where immensed in laughter and small jokes, I was alone with Azure walking toward a small spring behind the sanctuary. The moon above was round and full, casting silver light across the rippling water. It was soothing.
I knelt beside the spring and dipped my fingers in. "You know," I said, watching the ripples, "I never thought I'd belong anywhere after Greenwood."
Azure sat beside me, resting her chin on her knees. "You were born in a normal pack. In the civil world, I think you're lucky. I've never left the direlands before. I know nothing of the food you eat over there or how the normal werewolves behaves. But you belong in two worlds now. You belong here."
"My father disowned me," I whispered. "Then… be burned me alive."
Azure touched my arm gently. "You were reborn in those flames, Thaila. The Moon goddess works is far beyond our understanding. It always works In our favour."
I stared at the water. " Sometime I feel like she's wicked. I'm so scared I'll lose this."
"You won't," she said. "We never abandon one of our own."
When I returned to the fire, Nyx stood at the edge of the flames, his face half-shadowed. He always looked like he belonged more to the dark than the light.
"Your fire was meant to destroy," he said softly, "but you forged it into hope. Still, storms lie ahead."
I sighed. "You always speak in riddles."
Nyx stepped closer, eyes unreadable. "Ashes hide secrets. Even silence burns truths."
Then he disappeared into the shadows, leaving me with more questions than answers.
A low rumble in the earth alerted me to Agalaya's arrival. The leader of the firewolves stepped into the firelight with quiet grace. Her presence commanded silence without a single word.
"You're all up late," she said, casting her gaze over us. Pyra snored softly behind me. Zephyr lifted a lazy hand. Flint bowed his head.
"Agalaya?" I asked, standing as she met my eyes.
She smiled warmly, the way I imagined a mother might smile. "You've done well, Thalia. We are happy to have you here."
Emotion caught in my throat. Just hearing those words healed me from the trauma I got from my family.
She turned to the others. "Thank you for being her family. She needed you."
They looked at one another, suddenly solemn.
"But," Agalaya added gently, "your time in the Direlands is nearing its end."
I blinked, panic blooming in my chest. "What?"
She stepped closer, cupping my face in her hands. "You wanted to know what's next for you after your trainings. The world outside calls you now. Your next steps lie beyond these stones."
"I just got here," I whispered, my voice tight with emotion. "I am not ready. I'm not powerful enough."
"You are," she said. "And you'll return. Stronger and wiser. You must go and fulfill your destiny, for your time is nearly upon us."
I gasped. "My time?"
Zephyr clutched his chest, interrupting me. "Dramatic exits again, Firebrand?"
Flint gave a rare, almost-smile. "Walk your path well."
Pyra grabbed me in a bone-crushing hug. "Go set the world on fire. And come back when you're done."
Nia smiled and her smile reached her eyes as she stared at me.
Azure just pulled me into her arms, tears in her eyes. She didn't say anything. She didn't have to.
Nyx stepped from the shadows again, and patted my back. He spoke no words, just a solemn nod.
Agalaya reached out to hold my shoulder. "We are always with you. Never forget that."
I swallowed hard. "I won't forget."
They nodded. One by one, they turned and faded into the night.
I stayed by the fire long after the others had gone. Embers glowed red beneath the ash. Smoke curled into the sky like memory. I traced my fingers along the pendant around my neck, each edge familiar. Air, Water, Fire, and Earth.
I whispered into the quiet, "Thank you."
The fire crackled gently.
Later, I curled up in my quarters waiting for the next dawn. When I'll be sent back to the world that burned me. The first time I slept here, I was terrified and broken. But tonight, I felt held.
Somewhere in my blood, the fire still roared. But something was forged here.
It was Family. Chosen and true.
As I drifted into sleep, I whispered one last promise into the silence:
"I won't forget this. I promise. No matter where I go I'll always remember my family."
And the ember within me burned—not with destruction, but with belonging.