Kael froze the second he stepped into the room.
Liana wasn't standing anymore — she was floating, just a few inches off the floor, her head hanging forward, her hair falling around her like a curtain.
But the tips of her hair…
They were changing.
Right before his eyes, her natural color remained at the roots, but the ends slowly turned ash gray, glowing faintly like dying embers.
"Liana…" he whispered.
The air around her rippled, bending like heat waves. A soft humming vibration filled the room, rising in pitch as if something inside her was waking up too fast.
Her fingers twitched.
Her breath hitched.
Then her head jerked up.
Her eyes opened—
One second normal…
The next, glowing with a pale, ancient light that didn't belong to a normal human.
Kael's chest tightened.
This wasn't darkness.
This wasn't corruption.
This was her true self pushing through.
Liana gasped suddenly, like she'd been underwater too long. Her back arched, her hands glowing brighter.
The room trembled.
A quick crack shot across the floor beneath her feet.
"Liana! Look at me!" Kael shouted, stepping closer.
She tried to speak, but her voice came out cracked, echoing as if two tones were layered together.
"Kael… make it stop… I—I can't…"
Her hair whipped around her face as another pulse of energy burst out of her body and slammed into the walls.
Kael shielded himself, teeth gritted.
This wasn't just awakening.
This was overload.
He moved fast, grabbing her shoulders before the next burst.
"Liana, focus. You're here with me. Stay with me."
Her shaking slowed.
Her breathing softened.
For one brief second, her eyes met his—her real eyes, scared but aware.
Then the glow blinked again.
Her knees buckled.
The ash color spread a little more along her hair, shining like moonlight in motion.
And then—
Her body went limp.
Kael caught her before she hit the ground.
"Liana!" he called sharply, patting her cheek gently.
"No, no, stay with me. Liana!"
But her head fell onto his shoulder, eyes closed, breathing shallow.
Unconscious.
Totally gone.
Kael carried Liana in his arms as if she weighed nothing, her newly changed hair flowing over his forearm—half her normal color, half a shimmering ash-gray that glowed faintly under the hall torches. Wolves bowed as he passed, but Kael's eyes were fixed only on her.
His heartbeat was steady… too steady.
Anyone watching would think he was calm.
Inside?
He was burning.
He laid her carefully on his bed—his personal room, the one no one else had ever entered. Dark polished wood, a king's crest above the headboard, the scent of cedar and magic lingering in the air.
Kael sat beside her, brushing a thumb along the ash-tinted ends of her hair.
"Liana…" he whispered, voice thick. "What are you becoming?"
Her breathing was light, steady, almost peaceful—but her aura wasn't. It sharpened and softened with every breath, like something inside her was shifting… choosing.
He stayed there until morning.
Not moving.
Not sleeping.
Just watching her.
Only when her fingers twitched did he rise—and call for a meeting.
---
THE GREAT HALL – THE SUMMONING
The moment Kael entered the main hall, the atmosphere changed. His commanders, elders, and high-ranking wolves stood in rigid formation.
Everyone knew something had happened.
Kael stepped onto the raised platform, eyes dark with purpose.
No greeting.
No hesitation.
Just a command.
"Two weeks from now," Kael said, voice echoing through the hall, "I will marry Liana."
The elders gasped.
The warriors exchanged looks.
A few jealous female wolves stiffened.
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"This is not up for debate."
One of the elders, Elder Rovan, stepped forward. "My lord, she is powerful—yes—but her origins are unknown. Should we not—"
Kael cut him off.
"I know what she is."
He didn't mention the change he witnessed.
He didn't mention the ash-light in her hair.
He didn't mention how her presence nearly shattered the room.
"She is mine."
His voice dropped into his Alpha register—deep, commanding, final.
Silence slammed into the hall.
Even the torches flickered.
Another elder tried again. "But, my king, marriage—"
Kael released a small wave of Alpha power. Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to remind them:
He. Does. Not. Ask. Permission.
"I've made my decision," Kael said calmly. "Prepare the union rites. Double the guards around my chambers. No one goes near her unless I approve it."
His generals bowed.
"As you command."
But not everyone was pleased.
Across the hall, three pairs of eyes burned with quiet hatred.
Female wolves who wanted Kael.
Commanders who feared Liana's power.
And one elder who knew more about Liana's origins than he should.
Trouble was already forming.
---
BACK IN HIS CHAMBERS…
Kael returned to his room hours later.
Liana was still unconscious, curled slightly on her side, her new ash-tipped hair glowing faintly again.
He sat beside her.
For a long time, he said nothing.
Only when she stirred—her fingers brushing the sheets—did he lean closer.
Her eyelashes fluttered.
"Kael…?" she whispered.
He exhaled in relief he didn't know he was holding.
"You're safe," he said softly. "You're in my room."
Her hand moved to her head, touching her hair. "Did… something happen?"
Kael swallowed.
"Everything happened."
Liana tried to sit up, but Kael gently eased her back.
"Not yet. Your body is adjusting."
"To what?" she asked, voice trembling.
Kael stared at her—really stared—and for a second, even he didn't know how to explain what he saw last night.
"I don't know what you are," he said truthfully. "But whatever you're becoming… it's powerful."
She looked away, insecurity flickering in her expression.
"Kael, I didn't ask for any of this."
"I know." His voice softened. "Which is why I won't let anything happen to you."
He paused.
Then said the thing that shocked even her.
"In two weeks," Kael said slowly, "you'll be my wife."
Liana froze.
"What?"
"I've announced it."
Her heartbeat quickened. "Kael… you didn't even ask me."
"I don't need to," he said gently but firmly. "Fate already answered for us."
Her lips parted as she stared at him—confused, terrified, but also something else.
A small, trembling hope.
But Kael wasn't smiling anymore.
His eyes shifted… slightly darker.
Slightly protective.
Slightly possessive.
"There are enemies waiting for you," he said. "In my clan. Outside my clan. In the worlds beyond."
Her breath hitched.
"Because of what I am?"
"Yes." He leaned closer, brushing his fingers through the mix of her two-colored hair. "And I will not lose you to them."
Liana swallowed hard.
"Kael… I don't even know what I'm becoming."
"I do." His hand cupped her cheek. "You're becoming mine."
Her heart thundered wildly.
But before she could speak—
a soft knock sounded at the door.
Kael's eyes snapped toward it, darkening instantly.
He didn't say "come in."
He simply lifted a hand.
The door unlocked and swung open on its own.
A warrior entered, bowing.
"My king… there's something you need to see. Immediately."
Kael's body tensed.
"What is it?"
The warrior swallowed hard.
"One of the elders has made… a declaration."
Kael stood.
"What kind of declaration?"
The warrior hesitated.
"The kind that could threaten your marriage."
Liana's heart dropped.
Kael's eyes burned gold.
"Who dared?"