EMILY'S POV
My grandmother sat quietly for a moment, watching me, studying me like she was memorizing every expression on my face. I could hear her heartbeat—steady but weaker than before. Her body was still draining from that massive spell she'd cast… the spell that dragged Tyler, four wolves, and me across distance to safety.
"I suppose," she finally said, folding her hands in her lap, "it's time you know what I am."
I blinked. My senses were still buzzing wildly—every shift of the wind outside the window, every soft breath from the wolves in the living room, every whisper of magic lingering around Grandma's body.
"What you are?" I repeated, confused.
She nodded slowly. "Emily… I'm a witch."
I swallowed hard. "But… how? Since when? Why didn't you ever tell me?"
She touched my cheek gently. "Because you were never meant to grow up in this world. Your parents wanted you safe—far from hunters, far from packs, far from everything that might have sensed your bloodline too early."
"My bloodline…" I whispered.
Her eyes softened with something ancient, something almost painful. "You weren't just adopted because I wanted a grandchild. You were entrusted to me. Hidden with me. Protected by me."
My heart thudded. I could feel the sincerity in her words.
"You're the First Blood, Emily," she said. "And I am the last surviving witch of the old coven. My duty has always been to keep you alive until the day your powers awaken."
I felt my breath hitch. "What powers?"
"You'll learn," she murmured. "But for now—your senses, your connection to wolves, your aura—those are only the beginning. You were born to unite two worlds. Human and supernatural. Witch and wolf."
Witch and wolf.
My skin prickled. Something inside me shifted—recognition, maybe. Destiny. A truth that had always been sleeping inside me.
"And Tyler?" I whispered.
Grandma nodded knowingly. "Tyler is part of it. He's known about me for years. And now… whether he's ready or not, he's part of your path too."
My heart fluttered sharply. I didn't know if it was fear or something dangerously close to desire.
"Rest for now," Grandma said gently. "Your journey is only beginning."
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TYLER'S POV
I stood near the window, arms crossed, staring into the forest behind the cabin. The girls—the three female wolves—were curled together on the couch, half-asleep, half-alert. Liam, the fourth, sat on the floor polishing a knife, muttering about how witches made him uncomfortable.
My phone buzzed violently in my pocket.
I didn't even need to check the caller ID.
Mason.
Damn.
I exhaled and answered.
"Tyler!" Mason roared so loud I had to pull the phone from my ear. "Are you freaking insane? You disappeared! One moment you're in the clearing surrounded by hunters and flashing lights and power—what happened? Where did you go?!"
I rubbed my temple. "I didn't disappear on purpose."
"Oh really?" Mason snapped.
I rolled my eyes. "Calm down. It was a witch's teleportation spell."
Silence.
"…a what?" Mason said flatly.
"A spell," I repeated. "Emily's grandmother. She dragged us all here."
"HER GRANDMA IS A WITCH?" Mason shrieked.
"Not just a witch," I muttered. "The last of an old coven."
Another beat of silence.
Then—
"You better be joking," Mason said. "Please. Tell me you're joking."
"I'm not." I leaned against the wall. "Listen, Mason. Emily awakened. Hunters recognized her. Everything went to hell, and her grandmother intervened."
I could hear him breathing hard on the other end.
"You need to come here," I added. "There's a lot you need to see."
After several seconds, he exhaled sharply. "Fine. "
I stared toward the hallway where Emily rested with her grandmother.
I hung up, heart pounding.
Emily's awakening wasn't slowing down.
It was escalating.
And the entire supernatural world was about to feel it