Eveline's voice dropped. "It hums. That shouldn't happen yet."
Sera's heart skipped. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing," Eveline forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Just… stay dormant until the festival."
Dormant.
Like she was a thing to be kept asleep. That night, Sera couldn't sleep, she didn't stop thinking about it.
The next morning, Rowan found her again in the training hall.He threw her another wooden blade.
"Lesson one, defense."
"I'm a healer."
"You're in Duskfall," he said. "Everyone here learns how to fight."
She tried, but he moved faster and each time she struck, he dodged, smiling like the game meant more to him than it should.
When she missed again, he caught her wrist mid-air. "Too soft," he murmured. "You keep hesitating."
"I don't want to hurt anyone."
"Then you'll bleed first."His grip tightened… just enough to hurt. Then he let go.
"Lesson over," he said, stepping back. "You learn fast, maybe too fast."
He left her breathless, confused, and angry. And she wanted to see him again, and that scared her most.
*************************************************Nights grew louder after that. But she started hearing whispers of her name soft as smoke.
Seraphina…
Sometimes it came from the corners of her room, sometimes from her dreams. Anytime she wakes, her pulse races and the mark on her wrist would glow faintly in her skin.
Eveline noticed her shaking during prayers. "Control it," she hissed.
"I'm trying."
"Try harder."
Rowan saw her later, sitting by the fountain, staring into the water.
"Looks like you're losing sleep," he said, squatting beside her.
"I hear things."
He glanced at her.
"Voices?"She nodded. "Then stop listening."
She almost laughed. "You make it sound as if it's easy."
"It never is," he said quietly. "But it's better than losing yourself."His tone softened, she wanted to ask what he had experienced but his expression changed before she could.
*************************************************
By the seventh day, the fortress changed. Torches lined the halls, drums echoed through the stones, and when she stepped outside, the air burned red.
"Blood Moon," Eveline said. "The night of remembrance. Stay close and don't speak unless spoken to."
Sera followed through the crowded courtyard. The whole pack was there, faces painted Blood red, chanting in low incantations.
The moon hung huge above them dripping red light. Rowan stood near the altar as his eyes searched for hers through the crowd.
And for a second, his expression broke, like a warning immediately.But she didn't understand.
Eveline pulled her forward. "Kneel, watch, and learn."
As the drums moved quickly, the chants deepened and something moved in her veins again like fire waking up.
And then… there was a scream.It cut through the music, raw and terrified. Everyone froze. From the ridge outside the gate came the sound of growls, dozens of them. Then, howls… wild and furious.
A rival pack.Chaos broke loose. Flames bursts near the altar as guards shouted orders.
People ran, and the moonlight turned bloodier. Eveline cursed under her breath.
"They've crossed the boundary!"Sera's heart hammered.A small child that was terrified ran into the open, as a shadow leaped in from the dark, Sera didn't think she just moved.
Her feet hit the dirt and her hands went up.And the everything slowed.
The mark on her wrist glowed white and something inside her cracked open. Like air, heat, and fire at the same time.
The beast froze mid-air, held by light that came from her hands.
Everyone stared. Even Rowan. Eveline's whisper reached her through the noise.
"No. Not now."