The first thing I noticed was the pain.
Not sharp. Not sudden.
It crept through me slowly, like my bones were remembering something they had once been and resented being forced to forget.
I woke with a gasp, fingers clawing at the ground beneath me.
Dirt.
Leaves.
The scent of earth filled my lungs, rich and overwhelming. My heartbeat thundered wildly as I pushed myself upright, disoriented, panic blooming in my chest.
This wasn't my apartment.
This wasn't the city.
Moonlight poured down through towering trees, silver and heavy, illuminating the clearing around me. Stone pillars rose in a circle, ancient symbols glowing faintly along their surfaces like embers refusing to die.
The sanctuary.
Memory snapped into place.
Kael.
The wolves.
The truth I hadn't wanted.
I staggered to my feet, a wave of dizziness rolling through me. My senses felt… wrong. Too sharp. Every sound was louder, every smell layered and intense—pine, moss, damp stone, something wild and alive.
Fear curled low in my stomach.
I wasn't alone.
I could feel him before I saw him.
Kael stood at the edge of the clearing, back straight, arms crossed tightly over his chest like he was holding himself together through sheer force of will. His gaze snapped to me the instant I moved.
"You're awake," he said.
Something in his voice made my pulse stutter.
"How long was I out?" I asked.
"Long enough," he replied carefully. "How do you feel?"
I opened my mouth to answer—and winced as a sudden ache flared along my spine. Heat followed, spreading outward like wildfire beneath my skin.
"I feel like I'm breaking," I admitted.
Kael swore under his breath.
"You shouldn't be," he said. "Not yet."
Not yet.
The words echoed ominously.
"What's happening to me?" I demanded, panic rising. "Kael, something is wrong."
He crossed the clearing in three long strides and stopped just short of touching me. His presence was overwhelming up close—steady, grounding, dangerous.
"The bond is activating," he said quietly. "The moon recognized you."
"I didn't ask it to."
"The moon doesn't ask," he replied grimly.
Another wave hit—stronger this time. I cried out, dropping to my knees as my muscles clenched painfully. My fingers dug into the dirt, nails scraping stone beneath the soil.
"Make it stop," I gasped.
Kael knelt in front of me, hands hovering uselessly at his sides. "I can't."
Fear flared into anger. "You said you were supposed to protect me!"
"I am," he snapped—and then softened instantly. "But I can't stop what you are."
A low sound tore from my throat, half-sob, half-growl.
Kael froze.
His eyes burned gold.
"That sound," he whispered. "You heard yourself, didn't you?"
I shook my head, breath ragged. "No. No, I didn't—"
Another growl rippled out of me, deeper this time, vibrating in my chest.
Kael inhaled sharply.
"You're shifting," he said.
Terror slammed into me. "I can't. I'm not— I don't know how!"
"You're not fully shifting," he corrected. "Your body is responding to the blood."
My bones ached as if something inside them was stretching, reshaping. My heartbeat thundered wildly, matching the rhythm of something vast and ancient overhead.
The moon.
It felt closer than it should have.
"I need you to breathe," Kael said firmly. "Look at me."
I did—because somehow, I trusted him more than the ground beneath me.
His eyes locked onto mine, steady and unyielding.
"You're safe," he said. "I won't let anything happen to you."
"How can you promise that?" I whispered.
"Because you are mine to protect."
The words settled deep in my chest, warm and terrifying.
My breathing slowed.
The pain eased—just enough.
Kael exhaled slowly, relief flickering across his face before he masked it.
"That helped," he said quietly.
I laughed weakly. "You're saying that like it's bad news."
"It is," he admitted. "The bond responded to me."
"What does that mean?"
"It means," he said carefully, "your blood recognizes Alpha authority."
My heart skipped. "Yours."
"Yes."
The air thickened between us.
"I don't like the sound of that," I said.
"You're not supposed to," he replied. "The Council forbade this kind of connection centuries ago."
"Why?"
"Because it creates loyalty stronger than law," he said. "And power that can't be controlled."
A howl echoed through the forest—closer than before.
Kael stiffened instantly.
"They're testing the borders," he muttered.
"Who?"
"The Hollow Fang," he said. "They felt your awakening."
Cold fear seeped into my veins. "You said this place was shielded."
"It is," he said. "But shields can be strained."
Another howl answered the first.
This one wasn't curious.
It was hungry.
Kael rose to his feet, scanning the treeline. "We don't have much time."
"For what?"
"For you to choose," he said.
I stared at him. "Choose what?"
He turned back to me, eyes blazing.
"Whether you keep running from what you are," he said, "or stand and claim it."
"I don't even know what it is!"
"You are the Moonbound heir," he said. "Your blood commands wolves. Your presence anchors the pact."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then others will claim that power for you," he said darkly. "And they won't care if you survive it."
The forest rustled violently.
A shadow moved between the trees.
Then another.
My heart raced. "They're coming."
"Yes."
Kael extended his hand toward me. "Avelyn, listen to me carefully."
I took it without thinking.
The moment our skin touched, heat flared—sharp and electric. My breath hitched as something snapped into place inside me, like a lock finally turning.
Kael's eyes flared brilliant gold.
"By blood and moon," he said hoarsely, "I anchor you."
The pain vanished.
Not completely—but enough that I could stand.
Strength surged through me, unfamiliar and intoxicating. I could hear everything now—heartbeats, footsteps, the whispered intent of predators closing in.
My eyes widened.
"I can hear them," I said.
Kael nodded. "Good."
"Good?" I echoed incredulously.
"Yes," he said grimly. "Because now you can fight."
The shadows broke.
Wolves burst into the clearing, snarling, teeth bared.
Kael shifted beside me—bones cracking, form blurring—until a massive wolf with midnight fur stood where he had been, eyes blazing gold.
Something fierce rose inside me.
Not fear.
Not helplessness.
Fire.
The moon burned bright overhead.
And for the first time, I didn't shrink from it.
I lifted my head—and howled back.
End of Chapter Three