Chapter 6
Training began at dawn.
Kael had assigned Ronan as her instructor after Dr. Maren's revelation. The Beta didn't go easy on her—if anything, he seemed determined to break her within the first hour.
"Again!" Ronan barked as Sera hit the mat for the fifth time, her body aching.
She gritted her teeth and pushed herself up. Her muscles screamed, but the pulse inside her—that growing, burning power—responded to the exertion. Every time she was knocked down, it flared brighter.
"You're not using your instincts," Ronan said, circling her. "You're thinking too much. Your wolf is there—stop trying to control it and let it guide you."
"My wolf has been silent for twenty-two years," Sera snapped, wiping blood from her split lip. "Forgive me if we're not exactly in sync yet."
Ronan almost smiled. "Fair. But the suppressants are out of your system now. She's waking up whether you're ready or not. Better learn to work with her before she takes over."
They went again. This time, when Ronan lunged, something shifted inside Sera. Time seemed to slow. She felt her body move before her mind caught up—sidestepping his attack, spinning, her elbow catching him in the ribs with a force that sent him stumbling.
Ronan grunted, eyes wide. "There. That. Do that again."
Sera stared at her own hands, breathing hard. The power hummed beneath her skin, satisfied.
---
Kael watched from the second-floor balcony, arms crossed, expression unreadable. But his eyes—silver and sharp—tracked Sera's every movement with an intensity that betrayed his composure.
"She's progressing fast," Dr. Maren said, appearing beside him. "Faster than any wolf I've ever seen come out of suppression."
"The Lunaris bloodline," Kael murmured. "It's not just royal. It's ancient. Primal."
"Are you concerned?"
Kael didn't answer immediately. Below, Sera managed to land another hit on Ronan, and a fierce grin broke across her face—the first real smile he'd seen from her. Something in his chest tightened.
"No," he finally said. "I'm not concerned."
Dr. Maren studied him with knowing eyes but said nothing.
---
That evening, Sera found Kael in his study again, poring over old texts. She knocked on the open door, and he looked up.
"I need answers," she said without preamble. "Someone suppressed my wolf deliberately. That means someone in my old pack knew what I was and wanted to keep me weak. I need to know who."
Kael leaned back in his chair, studying her. "I've already sent inquiries. Your mother—she died when you were young?"
"When I was three. They told me it was illness."
"And your father?"
"Died in a border skirmish when I was twelve. He was the pack Beta."
Kael's expression darkened. "Convenient. Both parents dead, leaving you under the pack's care. Under Dominic's father's authority."
Sera's stomach dropped. "You think the former Alpha—"
"I think someone wanted the Lunaris bloodline buried. And they nearly succeeded." He stood, moving toward her with that predatory grace. "Sera, the Lunaris wolves weren't just queens. They were the balance between packs—mediators, peacekeepers. Their power could unite or destroy entire territories. If Dominic's family knew what you were—"
"They'd want me controlled," Sera finished. "Weak. Dependent."
"Or married to their son," Kael added, his voice hard. "Bound to their pack permanently, your power locked away forever."
The implication hit her like a train. The arranged mating. The years of being told she was nothing. Dominic's rejection—
"He rejected me because I was waking up," she whispered. "The suppressants were failing, and he knew. He rejected me before I could become what I really am."
Kael nodded slowly. "And now that you're free of him, free of the drugs, your power is returning. Which makes you the most dangerous woman in the werewolf world."
Their eyes locked. The air between them crackled with something electric—not just his power or hers, but something deeper. Something that pulled.
"I need to be ready," Sera said. "When they come for me—and they will—I need to be strong enough to face them."
Kael held her gaze. "Then we'll make you ready."
He extended his hand. Not a handshake—an offering. A partnership.
She took it. His fingers closed around hers, warm and solid and sure. The pulse inside her surged, and for one breathtaking moment, she felt her wolf rise to the surface—golden eyes looking out through her own, staring at the Alpha King with a recognition that shook her to her core.
*Mate.*
The word echoed through her like thunder. She yanked her hand back, eyes wide.
Kael's expression didn't change. But his silver eyes burned.
He'd felt it too.
Kael had assigned Ronan as her instructor after Dr. Maren's revelation. The Beta didn't go easy on her—if anything, he seemed determined to break her within the first hour.
"Again!" Ronan barked as Sera hit the mat for the fifth time, her body aching.
She gritted her teeth and pushed herself up. Her muscles screamed, but the pulse inside her—that growing, burning power—responded to the exertion. Every time she was knocked down, it flared brighter.
"You're not using your instincts," Ronan said, circling her. "You're thinking too much. Your wolf is there—stop trying to control it and let it guide you."
"My wolf has been silent for twenty-two years," Sera snapped, wiping blood from her split lip. "Forgive me if we're not exactly in sync yet."
Ronan almost smiled. "Fair. But the suppressants are out of your system now. She's waking up whether you're ready or not. Better learn to work with her before she takes over."
They went again. This time, when Ronan lunged, something shifted inside Sera. Time seemed to slow. She felt her body move before her mind caught up—sidestepping his attack, spinning, her elbow catching him in the ribs with a force that sent him stumbling.
Ronan grunted, eyes wide. "There. That. Do that again."
Sera stared at her own hands, breathing hard. The power hummed beneath her skin, satisfied.
---
Kael watched from the second-floor balcony, arms crossed, expression unreadable. But his eyes—silver and sharp—tracked Sera's every movement with an intensity that betrayed his composure.
"She's progressing fast," Dr. Maren said, appearing beside him. "Faster than any wolf I've ever seen come out of suppression."
"The Lunaris bloodline," Kael murmured. "It's not just royal. It's ancient. Primal."
"Are you concerned?"
Kael didn't answer immediately. Below, Sera managed to land another hit on Ronan, and a fierce grin broke across her face—the first real smile he'd seen from her. Something in his chest tightened.
"No," he finally said. "I'm not concerned."
Dr. Maren studied him with knowing eyes but said nothing.
---
That evening, Sera found Kael in his study again, poring over old texts. She knocked on the open door, and he looked up.
"I need answers," she said without preamble. "Someone suppressed my wolf deliberately. That means someone in my old pack knew what I was and wanted to keep me weak. I need to know who."
Kael leaned back in his chair, studying her. "I've already sent inquiries. Your mother—she died when you were young?"
"When I was three. They told me it was illness."
"And your father?"
"Died in a border skirmish when I was twelve. He was the pack Beta."
Kael's expression darkened. "Convenient. Both parents dead, leaving you under the pack's care. Under Dominic's father's authority."
Sera's stomach dropped. "You think the former Alpha—"
"I think someone wanted the Lunaris bloodline buried. And they nearly succeeded." He stood, moving toward her with that predatory grace. "Sera, the Lunaris wolves weren't just queens. They were the balance between packs—mediators, peacekeepers. Their power could unite or destroy entire territories. If Dominic's family knew what you were—"
"They'd want me controlled," Sera finished. "Weak. Dependent."
"Or married to their son," Kael added, his voice hard. "Bound to their pack permanently, your power locked away forever."
The implication hit her like a train. The arranged mating. The years of being told she was nothing. Dominic's rejection—
"He rejected me because I was waking up," she whispered. "The suppressants were failing, and he knew. He rejected me before I could become what I really am."
Kael nodded slowly. "And now that you're free of him, free of the drugs, your power is returning. Which makes you the most dangerous woman in the werewolf world."
Their eyes locked. The air between them crackled with something electric—not just his power or hers, but something deeper. Something that pulled.
"I need to be ready," Sera said. "When they come for me—and they will—I need to be strong enough to face them."
Kael held her gaze. "Then we'll make you ready."
He extended his hand. Not a handshake—an offering. A partnership.
She took it. His fingers closed around hers, warm and solid and sure. The pulse inside her surged, and for one breathtaking moment, she felt her wolf rise to the surface—golden eyes looking out through her own, staring at the Alpha King with a recognition that shook her to her core.
*Mate.*
The word echoed through her like thunder. She yanked her hand back, eyes wide.
Kael's expression didn't change. But his silver eyes burned.
He'd felt it too.