✨ Chapter 42 – Awakening the Wolf
Ariana barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the cracked seal…
the red energy spilling out…
the student running away…
and the Moonbeast's muffled growl echoing through her bones.
By dawn, her wolf was pacing inside her chest with restless fury.
"Change coming.
Change rising.
You must shift."
Ariana clutched her head as another pulse of silver energy hit her ribs.
Her bracelet glowed—hotter, brighter—struggling to contain something far too big.
"Ariana!"
Kai burst into her room, breathless and shirt half-buttoned like he'd run straight from training.
"You're glowing—again—are you okay?"
Ariana tried to speak, but the energy surged again.
A white-silver aura exploded around her body.
Her knees buckled.
Kai lunged forward and caught her instantly.
"Ariana—Ariana—look at me," he said urgently. "Don't fight it alone. Let me help."
Ariana gripped his shirt tightly.
"Kai… something's wrong. My wolf—she's changing—I can feel her. She wants to break free."
Kai's eyes shifted gold.
"Then let her."
Ariana stared at him.
"I can't! If I lose control—"
She gasped as a violent shudder tore through her chest.
Her wolf's voice thundered inside her mind—clear now, almost a second consciousness.
"The world changes.
You must change too."
Ariana's breath hitched.
"Kai, I'm scared."
Kai didn't hesitate.
He pulled her into a strong embrace, pressing his forehead to hers.
"You're not doing this alone."
The contact steadied her breath.
Her wolf… calmed.
Just a little.
"Let me anchor you," Kai murmured. "Let your power rise. I'll keep you steady."
Ariana trembled.
"You promise you won't let me hurt anyone?"
Kai cupped her face with both hands.
"I'd let the world burn before I let you hurt yourself."
Her heart stuttered.
Then—the change surged again.
Silver flared in her eyes.
Her wolf roared.
Kai held her tighter.
"Breathe with me," he whispered.
Ariana inhaled.
Exhaled.
Silver energy crackled around them like white fire.
Kai's wolf aura wrapped around hers—gold and silver weaving together, steadying her.
After long, shaking minutes—
The energy receded.
Ariana collapsed against him, exhausted.
Kai stroked her hair gently.
"You did it. You stayed in control."
Ariana leaned into his chest, shaking.
"I think… I think my wolf just evolved."
Kai swallowed.
"Yeah," he whispered, voice thick. "I felt it."
Their auras still tangled, glowing faintly.
Neither moved.
Until—
A small knock sounded.
"Ariana?"
Aster's trembling voice.
Ariana and Kai pulled apart quickly—faces red, hearts racing.
Kai opened the door.
Aster stood there, pale and frightened.
"Ariana… I know who the student is."
Both Ariana and Kai froze.
Ariana dropped to her knees to meet Aster's eye level.
"Aster… who is it?"
Aster swallowed.
"It's… someone you know."
Ariana's heart stopped.
Aster continued quietly:
"It's a Prefect."
Ariana felt ice crawl up her spine.
Kai growled.
"Which Prefect?"
Aster squeezed Ariana's hand.
"The quiet one."
Ariana's mind raced through every Prefect she knew.
Not Loren—he'd been framed.
Not the loud, arrogant ones.
Quiet.
Silent.
Unassuming.
Her wolf whispered:
"Shadow student."
Aster whispered:
"It's…
Lira."
Ariana's breath stilled.
"Lira Vale?" she asked faintly.
Seraphina's younger cousin.
The one who never spoke.
The one always studying alone.
The one with the shadow-based charm abilities.
Aster nodded.
"Yes. I saw her aura in the vision. Red shadows around her hands. She was feeding the seal."
Ariana covered her mouth in shock.
Kai cursed.
"Seraphina is going to break."
Aster added quietly:
"She's not evil. Her mind is cracked. The corruption is whispering to her… like it tried with me."
Ariana's eyes widened.
"So she's being controlled."
Aster nodded hard.
"Yes."
Ariana stood.
Seraphina needed to know.
Telling Seraphina
They found Seraphina in the central courtyard, reinforcing barrier markers with golden charm-light.
She looked relieved when she saw them.
"Oh good, I've been looking for—"
Ariana couldn't speak.
Her throat closed.
Kai stepped forward.
"Seraphina… we found the student."
Seraphina blinked.
"Oh. Good! Who is—?"
Ariana grabbed her hands.
"Seraphina… I'm so sorry."
Seraphina's smile faded.
"What do you mean…?"
Ariana tried again, voice breaking.
"It's Lira."
Silence.
Seraphina went still like stone.
"…no," she said quietly.
Ariana squeezed her hands.
"She's being controlled. Aster saw her—at the seal—"
"No," Seraphina said louder, voice trembling.
"Lira wouldn't… she wouldn't… she's sweet and shy and—"
Ariana pulled her into a hug.
Seraphina broke.
Tears hit Ariana's shoulder.
Kai looked away, jaw clenched.
Aster hugged Seraphina's side, whispering softly.
"She's not gone. She's just lost. We can still save her."
Seraphina sobbed harder.
"I have to find her," she whispered.
Ariana nodded.
"We will."
Kai stepped forward.
"Together."
Seraphina looked up with red, shaking eyes.
"Promise me you won't hurt her."
Ariana whispered back:
"I promise."
The Moonbeast Beneath
As they returned toward the academy, Ariana suddenly froze.
Her wolf surged.
A cold wind hit her chest.
Her silver aura flared again.
Kai grabbed her.
"Ariana—?!"
She stared at the ground beneath the forest.
No—
Beneath the world.
A deep, monstrous aura pulsed beneath the earth.
Slow.
Ancient.
Hungry.
The Moonbeast.
Ariana whispered:
"I can feel it breathing."
Kai's face drained of color.
"What?"
Ariana clutched his shirt tightly.
"It's not just dreaming anymore, Kai…
it's waking up."
Her wolf's voice boomed:
"Moonbeast rises.
Full moon near.
War dawns."
Ariana trembled.
Kai pulled her into a fierce embrace.
"We'll stop it," he whispered against her hair.
"We'll stop everything that wants to hurt you."
Ariana shook her head.
"This isn't just about me anymore," she whispered.
Kai nodded slowly.
"I know."
Ariana closed her eyes and said the words she'd been avoiding:
"Kai… when the time comes…
I'll have to take off the bracelet."
Kai's breath caught.
"No," he whispered.
"No, Ariana—"
"It's the only way I'll be strong enough to stop all this."
Kai pressed his forehead to hers.
His voice broke.
"Then I'll be right there holding you when you do."
Ariana's heart pounded.
Her wolf whispered softly:
"Mate. Heart. Home."
Ariana pressed closer.
She didn't say it.
Not yet.
But she felt it.