I turned my attention to the rune magic.
The wild, crackling energy that I'd been fighting against.
Don't fight it, Kael said—or maybe it was his wolf's voice.
They seemed to blend. Show it to your wolf. Let her see it's not an enemy.
Slowly, carefully, I guided my wolf's attention to the rune magic.
She snarled. This was the thing that had poisoned us. The thing that had almost killed Erica.
Not this power, Kael corrected gently.
This power was stolen from you. You're just taking it back. It was always meant to be yours.
That perspective shift changed everything.
The rune magic wasn't foreign. It was mine. Stolen and corrupted by Leighton, but originally drawn from my life force.
I was just… reclaiming it.
My wolf seemed to understand. She approached the crackling storm carefully. Sniffed it. Circled it.
Then, in one fluid motion, she bit down on the energy and swallowed it.
Power exploded through me.
My eyes flew open. Silver light poured from my skin, bright enough to illuminate the entire clearing. I felt my wolf surge forward—not a shift, but a merging. For a moment, I was both human and wolf at the same time.
The rune magic, which had always felt chaotic and dangerous, suddenly made sense. It flowed through my veins like water, responsive to my slightest thought.
I looked down at my hands. They glowed with soft silver light. When I focused, wolf claws extended from my fingernails. When I relaxed, they retracted.
"Kael," I breathed. "I can… I can control it."
He was smiling. "I know. I felt it through the bond."
The silver light faded, but the power remained. Settled. Calm. Ready when I needed it.
"How do you feel?" Kael asked.
"Strong. Forceful." I flexed my fingers, marveling at the sensation. "Is this how you feel all the time?"
"More or less." He stood up and offered me his hand.
"But we're not done yet. Controlling it is step one. Using it effectively in combat is step two."
He pulled me to my feet, and I suddenly realized how close we were standing. His hand was still holding mine. The mate bond hummed between us.
"Combat training," I said, trying to focus.
"Combat training," he agreed. But his eyes said something else entirely.
The air between us felt charged. Electric.
"Kael…"
"I know. Later." He stepped back, putting professional distance between us. "Right now, we train. Because in four weeks, lives will depend on how well you can fight."
He was right. As much as I wanted to pull him close and kiss him senseless, we had work to do.
"Okay. Show me what to do."
For the next three hours, Kael put me through the most intense training session of my life.
We started with basic combat forms—stances and strikes that he'd learned centuries ago. His style was different from anything I'd been taught as Luna. More fluid. More deadly.
"The key," he explained while correcting my stance, "is to never fight the way your enemy expects. Always be water, not stone. Adapt. Flow. Strike from unexpected angles."
He demonstrated, moving so fast I could barely track him. One moment he was in front of me, the next he was behind, his hand gently touching the back of my neck—the killing spot.
"In a real fight, you'd be dead," he said calmly.
"Thanks for the encouragement," I muttered.
He grinned. "Try again. This time, don't watch my feet. Watch my shoulders. They always move first."
We practiced over and over. At first, I couldn't land a single hit. But gradually, I started to see the patterns. Started to predict his movements.
And when I finally managed to tap his chest—not nearly hard enough to hurt, but a clear hit—he looked genuinely pleased.
"Good! Again."
We moved on to incorporating my rune magic. Kael taught me how to channel it through my strikes, adding supernatural speed and strength without losing control.
"Small bursts," he instructed. "Don't try to use all your power at once. That's how you burned out before. Think of it like… breathing. In and out. Use and recover."
It was harder than it sounded. My instinct was to throw everything I had into each attack. But Kael was patient, correcting me again and again until I found the rhythm.
By the time we finished, I was drenched in sweat, and my muscles screamed in protest. But I felt good. Strong. Capable.
"You're a fast learner," Kael said, handing me a water skin.
I drank deeply, then splashed some on my face. "I have a good teacher."
"And a natural talent." He sat down on one of the stones, patting the space beside him. "Rest for a few minutes before we head back."
I sat, grateful for the break. The morning sun was higher now, warming the clearing.
For a while, we just sat in comfortable silence. Birds sang in the trees. A light breeze rustled the leaves.
Then Kael said quietly, "You reminded me of someone today."
"Who?"
"An old friend. She was also a quick learner. Fierce fighter. Refused to give up no matter how many times she got knocked down."
I heard the past tense. "What happened to her?"
"She died. Ninety years ago. Old age." His voice was sad. "One of the hardest things about living this long is watching everyone you care about grow old while you stay the same."
I leaned my head on his shoulder. "At least now you have me. We'll grow old together. Or not grow old, I guess."
"True." He wrapped an arm around me. "It's different this time. Better. Having a true mate means I won't be alone anymore."
"Never alone," I promised. "Even in two hundred years, I'll still be here. Probably still making you train me."
He chuckled. "I'm counting on it."
We sat there for a few more minutes, then headed back to the pack house.
As we walked through the forest, Kael suddenly stopped.
"Listen," he said quietly.
I strained my ears. At first, I heard nothing unusual. Then—voices. Young voices, calling out commands.
"The youth training field," I realized.
"Want to check on Erica?" Kael asked.
"Desperately."
We changed direction, following the sounds. Soon we emerged at a large open field where about twenty children and teenagers were training.
We changed direction, following the sounds. Soon we emerged at a large open field where about twenty children and teenagers were training.
A lean, muscular woman with short black hair was leading them through drills. Her voice was firm but encouraging.
"Again! Faster this time! Your enemy won't wait for you to get ready!"
The kids reset and repeated the defensive sequence. Most of them were clumsy, stumbling over their feet.
But one girl moved with natural grace.
Erica.
My heart swelled with pride watching her. She blocked and countered with speed that surprised even the instructor.
"Excellent, Erica!" the woman called. "The rest of you—watch her form. See how she stays balanced? That's what I want to see."
Erica's face flushed with pleasure at the praise.
Kael squeezed my hand. "Told you. Natural talent."
The instructor noticed us watching. "Luna Sophia! Join us?"
Several kids turned to stare. I realized I probably looked like a mess—sweaty and disheveled from my training.
"Just observing," I called back. "Don't let me interrupt."
But Erica had spotted me. Her face lit up. "Mom! Did you see? I got it right!"
"I saw, baby. You were wonderful."
"Instructor Lyra says I'm a natural!" Erica bounced on her toes. "Can you believe it? Me! The one Dad said was a failure!"
My throat tightened. "Your father was wrong about plenty of things."
"Very wrong," Kael added. "You're one of the most talented young wolves I've seen."
Erica beamed at him. Then her expression turned thoughtful. "Kael? Please teach me as well. Like you're teaching Mom?"
Kael glanced at me, silently asking permission.
I nodded. "If Kael has time, I think that would be wonderful."
"I'll make time," Kael said. "How about this—after your regular lessons with Instructor Lyra, come find me. I'll teach you some... special techniques."
"Like warrior stuff?"
"Exactly like warrior stuff."
Erica looked like she might explode with excitement. "Really? You promise?"
"I promise."
Instructor Lyra called the kids back to training. Erica reluctantly rejoined the group, but she kept glancing over at us with a gigantic smile.
As Kael and I walked back toward the pack house, I said, "You're good with her."
"She's easy to be good with. Smart kid. Brave."
"She likes you. A lot."
"The feeling's mutual." He paused. "I know I can never replace her father—"
"You already have," I interrupted. "Leighton was never really a father to her. He was just... there. You're the first man who's actually paid attention to her. Encouraged her. Believed in her."
"Then I'm honored to be that person." He stopped walking and turned to face me. "Sophia, I want you to know—I'm not just committed to you. I'm committed to Erica too. She's part of this. Part of us."
Tears stung my eyes. "That means everything to me."
He pulled me into a hug, and I buried my face in his chest. Through our mate bond, I felt his absolute sincerity. He truly did care about Erica as if she were his own.
We stood there for a moment, just holding each other.
Then a familiar voice interrupted. "Well, isn't this sweet."
We pulled apart to find Aunt Helena approaching, a small smile on her face.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said. "But Garrett wants to see you both. And Martha. It's important."
We found them in Garrett's office—Uncle Garrett, Elder Martha, and Marcus. They all looked grim.
"What's wrong?" I asked immediately.
Garrett gestured to the desk, where several papers were spread out. "We've been gathering intelligence on Leighton and the Blood Moon Cult. What we've found is... concerning."
Marcus picked up one of the papers. "I still have contacts in Silver Moon. People who owe me favors. They've been watching Leighton closely."
"And?" Kael prompted.
"He's been making trips. Late at night, with only his most trusted guards. North, into unclaimed territory."
"Where the Blood Moon Cult hides," Kael said quietly.
"Exactly. But that's not the worst part." Marcus put down the paper and picked up another. "Julia has been spotted too. With a group of wolves we don't recognize. All of them were wearing red."
"The cult's color," Helena murmured.
"So Julia joined them," I said. "Not surprising. She always wanted power."
"But there's more." Martha spoke up for the first time. Her expression was haunted. "Before I escaped, I saw something in Leighton's private study. A map."
"What kind of map?" Garrett asked.