Gasps rippled through the training grounds like a wave crashing against stone.
Draven lay face-down in the dirt, unmoving, blood dripping from his split lip. The boy who moments ago had mocked Lyon… now looked like a broken puppet tossed aside.
For a long moment, nobody dared breathe.
Lyon stood over him—steady, expression carved from iron, chest rising with controlled breaths. His knuckles still hummed faintly with power… a power nobody had ever witnessed before.
Even the air around him trembled.
A single leaf drifted down from the training-yard tree. Just before touching the ground, it curled inward—burnt black around the edges, as if the very space near Lyon refused to remain ordinary.
Kael swallowed hard.
He's changing… no—he HAS changed.
The memory of the glowing mark on Lyon's chest returned to him. Only Kael and one Elder had seen it clearly… but even that glimpse was enough to shake them.
There were legends of that mark. Whispers.
Marks belonging to forbidden bloodlines.
Marks that were never supposed to awaken again.
Kael stepped forward, voice low.
"Lyon Kade… that strength… that wasn't normal. What are you?"
Lyon didn't look at him. His eyes were still locked on Draven—not with pity, or remorse, but with something deeper. Something older.
"I'm not sure yet," Lyon answered quietly. "But I know one thing…"
His gaze sharpened.
"I'm not the weakling they think I am anymore."
---
The Elders React
From the high platform, Elder Rovan clenched the railing so hard his fingers whitened.
"That level of force… impossible," he muttered. "A Rankless boy cannot even generate that kind of aura. Unless…"
The other Elder, Mira, stiffened.
"Don't say it." Her voice shook. "That bloodline was erased centuries ago."
"And yet," Rovan breathed, eyes narrowing on Lyon, "I saw the mark when his shirt tore. Mira—this is not a coincidence."
Mira looked pale. "If the Council learns of this…"
"They must NOT learn. Not yet."
"But—"
Rovan cut her off sharply, panic in his voice.
"You don't understand. If that boy truly carries the Requiem Serpent Mark, he is not just a danger to this Pack—he is a threat to the entire Dominion. If word spreads, assassins, hunters, rival houses… they will ALL come for him."
He exhaled shakily.
"And before they come for him… they will come for US."
Mira stared at Lyon, her lips trembling.
"What do we do?"
"We watch," Rovan whispered. "And we pray his awakening stops here."
But he didn't sound hopeful.
---
The Wolves Murmur
The students finally came alive.
"He defeated Draven… with one hit?"
"No—did you SEE the ground? It cracked!"
"That's not beginner strength… that's—what IS that?"
Fear flickered in their eyes.
Not fear of Draven.
Fear of Lyon.
Lyon looked around… and felt it.
He felt every stare pierce his skin.
Every whisper wrap around him like chains.
He had wanted respect.
He had expected doubt.
But he had not expected fear.
A fear so heavy that even those who hated him took a step back when he turned.
---
Lyon Faces Draven's Brother
Shadows shifted on the other side of the yard.
A tall, broad boy—three years older—stepped forward. His amber eyes glowed with restrained fury.
Kade whispered to Kael, "That's Raigor. Draven's older brother."
Raigor cracked his knuckles, each pop echoing like snapping twigs.
"So… the little worm finally learned to bite," he said, voice dripping venom. "You humiliated my brother."
Lyon didn't flinch.
"He challenged me. He lost."
Raigor's grin widened cruelly.
"A loss is temporary. But disgrace… disgrace is permanent."
Students scattered as Raigor stepped closer, aura flaring with predatory intent.
"Let me give you a welcoming gift, Kade," Raigor growled. "A broken rib, maybe two. I'll keep it simple."
Kael panicked.
"Lyon—stop provoking him! He's Rank Two! You're going to get yourself—"
But Lyon wasn't listening.
Something ancient stirred behind his eyes. Not anger… not fear…
Instinct.
Predator instinct.
His shoulder relaxed, his breath steadied. The same eerie calm from earlier wrapped around him.
Raigor froze for a split second, his wolf flinching inside him.
What… what is this aura?
Why does he feel like a damn Alpha—?!
Before Raigor could finish the thought—
"ENOUGH!"
Elder Mira's voice cracked through the air like lightning.
"Raigor, stand down!"
Raigor stiffened but didn't bow. "Elder, he—"
"Do you wish to challenge the authority of the Elders?" she snapped.
Raigor swallowed hard and stepped back, though his glare remained locked on Lyon.
"This isn't over," Raigor growled under his breath.
Lyon didn't respond.
He didn't need to.
Everyone could feel the truth:
Raigor was bluffing.
He was afraid.
---
Something Begins Inside Lyon
Later that night, Lyon sat alone at the training yard, staring at his fists.
Under the moonlight, faint dark lines pulsed beneath his skin—like veins carrying not blood, but shadow.
"What is happening to me…?"
The wind carried a soft whisper.
You were chosen long before your birth…
Lyon's heart stopped.
He spun around.
Nobody.
Just the rustling trees… and a cold shiver crawling up his spine.
The Raven Arrives
Miles away, atop a cliff overlooking the Pack, a cloaked figure crouched silently. Black feathers swirled around their boots.
A single crimson raven perched on their shoulder.
The figure's lips curled.
"So…" the voice whispered darkly, "the Serpent Heir has awakened after all."
A glowing sigil pulsed on the raven's chest.
The figure flicked their finger.
"Inform the Council."
The raven screeched once—then burst into crimson smoke and vanished.
The cloaked figure rose.
"Lyon Kade…"
A smile stretched beneath the hood.
"You will either join us… or you will be erased."
The hunt had begun.