"No…"
The word slipped from my lips, barely more than a breath.
The Luna Queen.
The prophecy.
It echoed in my head like a curse I couldn't escape.
"This isn't real," I whispered, shaking my head. "You're wrong. All of you are wrong."
No one argued.
No one reassured me.
Because the truth was written all over their faces.
Fear.
Not fear of me.
Fear of what I was becoming.
The elders stepped back like I was something dangerous.
Something unstable.
Something that could destroy them.
"I want to go back," I said, my voice trembling now. "I want to go home."
"You don't have a home anymore."
Darius.
His voice cut through everything.
Cold.
Certain.
I turned to him, anger rising through the fear.
"You don't get to decide that!"
"I already did."
"Then undo it!" I snapped. "Send me back!"
His jaw tightened.
"That's not possible."
"Why not?!"
"Because now they know."
A chill ran down my spine.
"They?"
His gaze darkened.
"The other Alphas."
My heart stuttered.
"No one else knows about me."
"They will."
"How?!"
He didn't answer.
He didn't have to.
Because at that exact moment—
A deafening howl echoed through the night.
Not from nearby.
From far away.
But strong.
Powerful.
A signal.
My breath caught.
Another howl answered.
Then another.
From different directions.
Spreading.
Like a chain reaction.
The elders exchanged grim looks.
"It's begun," the silver-haired one muttered.
My chest tightened.
"What has?"
Darius's gaze locked onto mine.
"Your existence just woke up the entire werewolf world."
Panic surged through me.
"That's not possible—"
"It is."
"I didn't do anything!"
"You didn't have to."
The room felt too small.
Too tight.
"I don't understand!"
"You will."
"No!" I shouted. "I don't want to!"
The energy inside me pulsed violently.
Stronger than before.
Uncontrolled.
My breath hitched.
Something wasn't right.
"I don't feel—"
Pain exploded through me.
I gasped, doubling over as heat surged beneath my skin.
It was worse than before.
So much worse.
"Lucia—"
Darius moved instantly, catching me before I collapsed.
My hands clutched his shirt as my body shook.
"It hurts," I choked.
"I know."
"No, you don't—!"
Another wave hit.
Stronger.
My back arched as a scream tore from my throat.
It felt like my bones were trying to break from the inside.
Like something was forcing its way out.
The elders stepped back further.
"She's losing control," the woman said sharply.
"She hasn't been trained," another added.
My vision blurred.
I could barely see.
But I felt everything.
Every nerve.
Every pulse.
Every second of agony.
"Make it stop!" I cried.
Darius's arms tightened around me.
"Look at me."
I shook my head, tears streaming down my face.
"I can't—"
"Look at me, Lucia."
His voice was different now.
Commanding.
Powerful.
My eyes snapped to his.
Golden.
Burning.
Steady.
"Breathe."
I tried.
Failed.
Another wave of pain hit, and I screamed again.
My nails dug into his chest, but he didn't react.
Didn't let go.
"Focus on me," he said.
"I can't!"
"You can."
"I don't know how!"
"Yes, you do."
His voice dropped lower.
Deeper.
"Your wolf knows."
My breath hitched.
"I don't have a wolf—"
"You do."
The words hit something inside me.
Something buried.
Something… awake.
The pain surged again.
But this time—
Something answered it.
A presence.
Inside me.
Wild.
Powerful.
Terrifying.
My breath stilled.
For a split second…
Everything went quiet.
Then—
My eyes snapped open.
The world shifted.
Sharpened.
Changed.
I could hear everything.
The crackle of the fire outside.
The heartbeat of every person in the room.
The wind brushing against the trees miles away.
And beneath it all—
A low, steady rhythm.
Mine.
But not just mine.
My breath trembled.
"What… is happening to me…"
Darius didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Because I felt it.
The truth.
Something inside me had awakened.
And it wasn't human.
The elders stared at me in shock.
"She stabilized," one whispered.
"Impossible…"
The silver-haired elder shook his head slowly.
"No… not impossible."
His gaze darkened.
"Inevitable."
Fear crawled up my spine.
I looked down at my hands.
They were trembling.
But not weak.
Strong.
Stronger than before.
I clenched them slowly.
"What did you do to me?" I whispered.
Darius's voice was quiet.
"I didn't do anything."
"Then why do I feel like this?!"
"Because you're changing."
My stomach twisted.
"No…"
"Yes."
"I don't want this."
"You don't get to refuse what you are."
Anger flared again.
"I am not one of you!"
The moment the words left my mouth—
The energy inside me snapped.
Violent.
Explosive.
A sudden burst of force shot out from my body.
The room shook.
Glass shattered.
The elders were thrown backward.
Even Darius stumbled slightly, his grip tightening to keep me steady.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Shocked.
My breath came in short gasps.
"I didn't—" I looked around wildly. "I didn't do that—"
"Yes, you did."
My heart pounded.
"How?!"
Darius's eyes burned into mine.
"Power."
Fear gripped me.
"I don't want it."
"That doesn't matter."
Tears blurred my vision.
"I just want my old life back…"
His expression hardened.
"That life was never real."
The words hit harder than the pain.
"What does that mean?"
He didn't answer.
Before I could press further—
The door burst open.
A guard rushed in, breathless.
"Alpha!"
Darius turned sharply.
"What?"
"We've been breached."
The room froze.
My heart dropped.
"What do you mean breached?" one of the elders demanded.
The guard swallowed hard.
"There's another pack at the border."
Darius's eyes darkened instantly.
"Which one?"
The guard hesitated.
And that hesitation said everything.
"Speak."
The man's voice shook.
"The Bloodfang Pack."
The elders went pale.
"No…" the woman whispered.
"They moved too fast…"
My pulse quickened.
"What's happening?"
No one answered me.
Darius's entire presence shifted.
Deadly.
Focused.
"Evacuate the inner grounds," he ordered. "Now."
The guard nodded and rushed out.
The room erupted into motion.
Orders being shouted.
Plans being made.
War.
It felt like war.
I grabbed Darius's arm.
"What's going on?!"
His gaze snapped to mine.
Sharp.
Intense.
"They're here for you."
My stomach dropped.
"No…"
"Yes."
"They don't even know me!"
"They don't need to."
Fear gripped my chest.
"What are they going to do?"
His answer came without hesitation.
"Take you."
My breath shook.
"And if I don't go?"
His eyes darkened.
"Then they'll kill everyone here to get to you."
The words hit like a punch.
"No…"
"Yes."
Panic surged.
"I can't—this is my fault—"
"It's not."
"Yes, it is!"
His hand suddenly gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him.
"Listen to me."
I froze.
"If they take you," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "you won't survive it."
Fear crawled up my spine.
"Why?"
His expression turned cold.
Because the next words he spoke were worse than anything I expected.
"Because they won't be trying to claim you."
My breath caught.
"Then what—"
"They'll try to break you."
Silence crashed over me.
Horror settling deep in my chest.
Before I could respond—
A loud explosion shook the entire building.
The walls trembled.
Screams echoed from outside.
The attack had begun.
Darius released me instantly, turning toward the door.
"Stay here."
"No—wait!"
But he was already moving.
Fast.
Deadly.
Gone.
I stood frozen in the middle of the room.
Alone.
My heart pounded violently in my chest.
Chaos erupted outside.
Shouts.
Crashes.
Wolves howling.
War.
My breath trembled.
I didn't know what to do.
Didn't know where to go.
But I knew one thing.
They were coming.
For me.
And then—
I heard it.
A low growl.
Not from outside.
From behind me.
My blood ran cold.
Slowly…
I turned around.
The room was empty.
Except—
The window.
Open.
The curtains moving slightly in the night air.
And standing just beyond it…
Was a massive black wolf.
Its glowing red eyes locked onto mine.
Unblinking.
Hungry.
My breath caught in my throat.
The wolf took a slow step forward.
And then—
It shifted.
Bones cracking.
Flesh moving.
Until a man stood there.
Tall.
Dark.
Smiling.
His eyes still glowing red.
"Well," he said softly.
"Looks like I found you first."
My heart stopped.
"I've been searching everywhere for you… Luna Queen."