Pain dragged Nyra back into consciousness.
It started as a dull ache behind her eyes before spreading through her entire body. She groaned softly, shifting against something surprisingly soft beneath her.
Not a hospital bed.
The scent hit her first.
Earth. Rain. Smoke. Pinewood.
Her eyes snapped open.
A high wooden ceiling stretched above her, supported by thick beams carved with unfamiliar symbols. Moonlight filtered through tall windows, casting silver shadows across the room.
Nyra bolted upright.
"Where am I?" she whispered, panic clawing up her throat.
"You're safe."
The deep voice came from across the room.
Nyra turned sharply.
Kael leaned against the far wall, arms crossed over his broad chest. He looked freshly showered, dressed in dark clothing that somehow made him look even more intimidating. But his golden eyes were fixed on her with sharp intensity, like he was watching for something to explode.
Nyra scrambled backward across the bed.
"You kidnapped me," she said, her voice shaking with anger.
"I saved you."
"You dragged me into the forest with a bunch of killers chasing me!"
"They were hunters," he corrected calmly.
"That does not make this better!"
Kael pushed himself off the wall and stepped closer. Nyra's heart immediately started racing again, the strange warmth spreading through her chest the closer he got.
"You were seconds away from being slaughtered," he said. "You don't understand what's hunting you."
"Then explain it!" she snapped.
Silence filled the room.
Kael studied her face carefully, like he was weighing how much truth she could survive hearing.
"You're not human," he finally said.
Nyra laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was insane.
"Okay," she said, sliding off the bed. "I'm leaving."
She took two steps toward the door.
Her knees buckled.
Nyra gasped as a sudden burning sensation exploded through her veins, forcing her to grab the nearby wooden post for support. Her skin felt like it was on fire beneath the surface.
Kael stiffened instantly.
"It's starting already…" he muttered.
"What is?!" she cried, clutching her chest as her heartbeat thundered painfully.
Outside the room, wolves began howling.
One by one.
Dozens of them.
The sound vibrated through the air like an alarm.
Nyra froze.
"I didn't do that," she whispered, terrified.
Kael's expression darkened with realization.
"You're calling them."
"I DON'T KNOW HOW!"
The burning intensified. Nyra collapsed to her knees as a strange energy pulsed beneath her skin, glowing faintly through her veins like liquid moonlight.
Kael moved toward her cautiously.
"Nyra… breathe."
"I CAN'T!" she cried, tears blurring her vision.
The door suddenly burst open.
Several werewolves rushed in — some half-shifted, claws extended, eyes glowing with fear and aggression.
"She's triggering them, Alpha!" one of them growled.
Nyra's heart shattered at the way they looked at her.
Like she was a monster.
Kael stepped in front of her instantly, his presence dominating the room.
"Stand down," he ordered.
"She's destabilizing the pack bond," another wolf warned. "We can all feel it."
Nyra shook violently, pressing her hands against the floor as the energy inside her surged uncontrollably. The carved symbols on the wooden beams began glowing faintly in response.
The wolves backed away.
"She's activating the ancient markings," one whispered in horror.
Kael turned slowly toward Nyra.
"Look at me," he commanded.
She lifted her tear-filled eyes to his.
Golden met brown.
"Focus on my voice," he said quietly. "You're not alone right now."
"I'm hurting them," she sobbed.
"No… you're awakening."
The floor beneath Nyra cracked suddenly as a pulse of invisible force exploded outward from her body.
Every wolf in the room dropped to one knee instantly.
Including Kael.
Nyra gasped, staring at him in shock as he struggled against the unseen pressure forcing him downward.
"What is happening?" she whispered.
Kael looked up at her, his expression filled with something she had never seen before.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Reverence.
"The Bloodline…" he said hoarsely. "You're commanding the pack instinct itself."
"I don't want this!" she cried.
The power surged again.
Outside, the howling wolves abruptly fell silent… as if obeying an unspoken order.
Nyra's breath hitched.
The energy flickered wildly around her before suddenly collapsing inward. The glowing veins faded, leaving her trembling and weak as the pressure vanished from the room.
She swayed.
Kael caught her before she hit the ground.
The wolves stared in stunned silence.
"She forced submission without shifting," one whispered.
"That's impossible…"
Kael held Nyra carefully against his chest, his jaw tight with realization.
"No," he said quietly.
"It's forbidden."
Nyra clutched his shirt weakly, her voice barely audible.
"What am I?"
Kael hesitated.
For the first time, the ruthless Alpha looked uncertain.
"You're something the supernatural world buried centuries ago," he said slowly.
"The bloodline that can command every Alpha… every creature… every clan."
Nyra's stomach dropped.
"That's not possible."
Kael's grip tightened slightly, like he was afraid she might disappear.
"They hunted your family to extinction for a reason," he said.
Before Nyra could respond, a chilling voice echoed from the doorway.
"Not extinct, it seems."
Everyone turned.
An older woman stood there, her silver hair braided with bone charms, her pale eyes locked onto Nyra with unsettling recognition.
"The Blood Moon Heir has returned."
Nyra felt dread coil in her stomach.
And deep inside her chest… something ancient stirred awake.