TYLER'S POV
The moment it hit, I felt it.
A violent pulse of energy blasted through the house—hot, sharp, silver. Every wolf in the room snapped upright instantly. Liam growled low, the three girls stiffening as if sensing an unseen enemy.
Then a second pulse followed. Stronger.
Too strong.
"Emily," I breathed.
I didn't wait.
Didn't think.
I sprinted down the hallway so fast the doors rattled behind me.
Before I reached her room, the air around me warped—like gravity was twisting. My wolf roared inside my chest, claws scraping to get out.
"TYLER!" Mason shouted behind me. "Something's wrong—DO NOT RUSH IN—"
I ignored him.
I burst into the room.
---
EMILY'S POV
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't feel.
I couldn't sense.
My entire body vibrated violently, silver light crackling off my skin like static lightning. My vision trembled. The world dipped and tilted.
"Emily, listen to me!" Grandma shouted, gripping my face. "Your blood is awakening too fast—your mind can't control it—"
"I CAN'T—" I gasped, choking on air. "I can't feel anything—I can't hear—I can't—"
My heartbeat pounded against my skull.
I felt like I was burning from the inside out.
Then Tyler crashed into the room.
"EMILY!"
His voice tore through my panic. I felt him before I saw him—his presence bursting into my collapsing senses like a shock.
He grabbed my shoulders, grounding me, anchoring me. His hands were warm, his scent sharp and familiar.
"Stay with me," he growled. "Emily, OPEN YOUR EYES."
"I can't—" I whispered, shaking uncontrollably. "I can't stop it—"
A wave of silver energy exploded from me.
Tyler was thrown back into the wall.
Mason and the wolves shouted in pain.
The floor cracked.
Grandma clutched her chest, but she forced herself up.
"She's breaking," Grandma gasped. "Her power is fighting itself—Tyler! Mason! Hold her still!"
---
TYLER'S POV
I forced myself to my feet, body trembling from the blast. " what do we do?!"
"A stabilization circle!" she shouted. "I need salt, sage, and the pendant—NOW!"
Mason darted into action, grabbing the supplies with supernatural speed.
I dropped to my knees, wrapping my arms around Emily from behind as she thrashed, glowing blinding silver. My wolf howled inside me, desperate to protect her.
"Emily, breathe," I whispered into her ear. "I'm here. I'm right here."
Her body convulsed again.
---
HUNTERS POV
Miles away, deep in the forest, a hunter jerked his head up.
The silver light ripped through the sky like a crack in reality. Birds scattered. Trees shook.
He inhaled sharply.
"The First Blood…" he whispered.
Another hunter stepped beside him, eyes narrowing.
"Prepare the others."
The leader smirked beneath his mask.
"It's time."
---
TYLER'S POV
Emily's grandma began chanting, voice trembling, hands glowing faint gold despite her exhaustion. She sprinkled salt in a circle around Emily's trembling body, the light forming a boundary.
"Hold her steady!" she yelled.
"I AM!" I shouted back, straining as another pulse shook the room.
Mason grabbed Emily's legs, pinning them gently but firmly. "Bro—she's like a literal generator—what—WHAT EVEN IS SHE?!"
"The First Blood," Grandma said urgently. "Old magic. Old blood. Too much power for a human body to contain unless trained."
Emily screamed—raw, heartbreaking, tearing through me like claws.
I held her tighter, pressing my forehead against the back of her neck, whispering, "You're not dying. Do you hear me? You're staying with me."
Emily's grandma raised the pendant, her voice cracking.
"In the name of the old bloodlines… bind… balance… stabilize…"
Light shot from her hands into Emily's chest.
Emily's glow flickered.
Then glitched.
Then went out all at once—
And she collapsed into my arms, limp, breath shallow.
My heart stopped.
"EMILY!" I shook her. "Emily—PLEASE—"
Emily's grandma stumbled forward, exhausted but steady.
"She's alive," she whispered. "But stabilizing her… drained her completely. She needs time. And training."
I held Emily against me, feeling her heartbeat—weak but there.
Mason slumped onto the floor, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Tyler…" he whispered, stunned. "She's not just powerful… she's dangerous."
I clenched my jaw.
"No," I murmured, brushing her hair away from her face. "She's mine."
Grandma's eyes softened with a strange knowing look.
"And the world," she said quietly, "will soon know that too."