The rift split the night sky like a wound.
Black. Bleeding shadows. Stretching across the stars in a jagged crack that pulsed with unnatural light.
Wolves dropped to their knees.
Some whimpered.
Some snarled.
Some bowed their heads as if crushed by a weight I couldn't see.
The air thickened—like trying to breathe through fog and pressure and vibrating magic all at once.
Owain's father stared upward, face turning gray.
"Impossible…" he whispered. "He shouldn't be able to reach this far."
Owain's voice lowered defensively. "He's reaching through the seal."
Gerrin stepped forward, markings glowing faintly on his neck and arms. "This is not a normal breach. It's partially conscious."
Meaning someone was doing this on purpose.
Helion muttered, "Or something."
Yllas' eyes darkened. "No. This is will. Intent. The Beast King is searching."
"And he found us?" I asked, voice small.
"He found you." Owain said it as if the words caused him pain.
The rune over my heart throbbed painfully—like a heartbeat that wasn't mine.
I grabbed Owain's arm. "What's happening?"
He caught my wrist, steadying me. "Your rune is responding. It feels the pressure from the rift."
"Pressure?"
"Instinct," Helion said. "Magic. A command. A call."
"A call for what?"
All three males answered at once.
"For you."
My blood ran cold.
Owain pulled me behind him as the rift widened further, shadows dripping like liquid darkness into the sky.
Every wolf in the valley lowered themselves reflexively, bodies stiff, ears pinned back. Their instincts were being pressed on—like an invisible command forcing them low.
Owain resisted it. Barely.
But I wasn't a wolf.
So the pressure didn't push me down.
It pushed inward.
Into the rune.
Pain flashed through my chest—sharp, searing.
I gasped and dropped to my knees.
Owain was there instantly, grabbing my shoulders. "Kanah!"
The others surrounded us, forming a tight circle.
Yllas crouched, frost spiraling around him. "Her rune is reacting. She's in pain."
Gerrin reached toward me—then stopped, remembering the rune's tendency to reject.
"Kanah, tell me what it feels like."
I clutched my chest. "Burning—like it's drawing something—pulling—"
"Pulling what?" Owain demanded.
"…me."
That shut everyone up.
Helion leaned forward, eyes sharp. "She's being pulled toward the rift."
I staggered. "I'm not going anywhere!"
"You won't." Owain's voice shook with anger—the controlled kind that meant he was seconds away from shifting. "I won't let you."
Gerrin stood and spoke sharply. "Your reactions are making it worse. All of you, step back."
Owain growled, "No."
"Yes," Gerrin snapped. "Now."
Shockingly, Yllas obeyed first. He rose silently and backed a few steps away, wings half-summoned and trembling with frost.
Helion followed reluctantly, slipping into the shadows behind them.
Owain remained kneeling with me.
Gerrin sighed. "Owain—"
"No." His voice was final. "She stays with me."
The rune surged again.
A burst of light shot across my chest—so bright it lit the valley.
The wolves howled as the shockwave hit them like a physical force.
The ground trembled.
The bonfires flickered violently.
Owain held me tighter. "Stay with me. Stay here."
"I—I'm trying—!"
But my body felt like it was being pulled out of itself.
The rift in the sky flashed again.
And in that split second—
I saw something.
A silhouette.
Tall. Vast. Monster and man at once. With a crown of bone. With eyes that were not eyes at all.
Watching me.
Knowing me.
Calling me.
My breath froze in my chest.
"I saw him," I whispered. "The Beast King."
Owain snarled and wrapped his arms around me, shielding me with his entire body. "Don't look at him!"
Gerrin looked horrified. "You saw his form?"
"Yes."
Yllas swore—a word I didn't know, but the tone told me everything.
Helion murmured, "She shouldn't be able to see through the rift."
Gerrin's voice was low. "The rune is unlocking faster than expected."
Owain's father stepped close, as much as he dared. "The Beast King can see her because her rune is unguarded."
"Guard it!" Owain barked.
Gerrin shook his head. "We can't. Only she can do that."
Only me.
The thought made my stomach twist.
Owain cupped my face—firm, grounding. "Kanah. Listen. You have to breathe."
"I—I can't—"
"Yes, you can." He pressed his forehead to mine. "In through your nose. Slowly."
I tried.
Failed.
The rune pulsed harder.
Owain growled. "Kanah!"
My lungs finally obeyed.
Air rushed in.
The burning eased slightly.
Gerrin knelt beside us. His hands hovered, never touching. "Channel the panic outward. Push it away from the rune."
"How?!"
"Want," Gerrin said calmly. "Want it to stop. Want the connection broken. Instinct listens to desire."
Yllas's frost coiled around him like a shield. "Focus. Sever the feeling."
Helion's voice was behind me. "Push back. Push like you did in the courtyard."
Owain held me steady.
"Kanah… fight him."
I clenched my eyes shut and—
WANTED.
I wanted the link gone.
I wanted the pain gone.
I wanted to breathe.
I wanted—
A soft click inside me.
Like a lock snapping shut.
And the rune—
receded.
Not fully.
But enough.
Enough for the pain to ease.
Enough for the rift's pull to weaken.
Enough for me to breathe again.
My chest heaved.
Air rushed in ragged bursts.
My vision steadied.
The rift flickered.
And then—
slowly—
It began to close.
Darkness folded inward.
The jagged crack smoothed.
The pressure eased.
And the Beast King's silhouette vanished.
Owain exhaled hard, pulling me into his chest. His heart pounded so violently I could feel it through his armor.
"You scared the hell out of me," he whispered.
I clung to him, weak with relief. "I scared myself."
Helion's footsteps approached, quiet and smooth. "You did well."
Yllas stepped beside us, frost melting from his hair. "You resisted him. That alone is… extraordinary."
Gerrin studied me carefully, eyes troubled. "Your rune installed a barrier. Temporary, but effective."
I swallowed. "So I'm safe now?"
Owain's father answered this time.
"You are… safer. But the Beast King knows where you are now."
That took every ounce of relief I had and shattered it.
Owain helped me to my feet. "Kanah, listen to me. The Beast King cannot physically reach this realm yet."
"Yet?" I echoed.
Gerrin stepped forward. "When the rift opened, he used his influence—not his body. But each time he tries, the seal weakens."
"Meaning he'll keep trying to break through," Helion said.
Yllas added quietly, "And each time, your rune will respond."
The room tilted slightly.
Owain grabbed my waist, steadying me. "Easy."
"Why is this happening?" I whispered. "What is this rune?"
The valley wolves were still kneeling.
Still quiet.
Still staring.
Owain guided me inside the den again, away from the open sky. The others followed, shutting the door behind us.
Only when the firelight warmed the room did anyone speak again.
Gerrin answered first.
"Your rune is a royal seal."
"A… seal?"
Yllas nodded. "Humans were not born without magic. They had more magic than any race."
Owain sat beside me, voice low but steady. "Human magic nearly destroyed the world once."
Gerrin continued, "So the First Human Queen created runes—marks that controlled and contained human power."
Helion leaned against the wall. "She sealed humans away from the Beast King by sealing their magic too."
"And my rune?" I whispered. "Why do I have it?"
Gerrin met my eyes.
"Because you may be her descendant."
Air left my lungs.
Owain murmured, "It explains your presence. Your aura. The Beast King's reaction."
Helion added, "It explains why the seal cracked when you arrived."
Yllas folded his arms, expression unreadable. "It explains why every Highborn's instincts react to you."
I shook my head. "I'm not important. I'm not… royalty. I'm just—"
Owain touched my hand gently. "You're not just anything."
The rune pulsed again—softly, not painfully.
Helion clicked his tongue. "There it is again."
The glow faded.
Owain exhaled. "It's responding to reassurance."
Gerrin nodded. "Your rune blooms with safety. Contracts with fear."
"So how do I control it?" I asked.
"You learn," Gerrin said. "With time."
"Time we don't have," Yllas muttered.
A heavy silence settled.
Until Owain stood.
Determined. Fierce.
"We're not waiting for the Beast King to strike again. I'm taking her to the Wolf Moon Trials."
Gerrin jolted. "Owain—no."
Yllas' eyes narrowed. "You would expose her to that ceremony?"
Helion rubbed the back of his neck. "That's… ambitious."
I blinked. "What ceremony?"
Owain faced me directly.
"The Wolf Moon Trials test instinct, strength, and aura. They're how wolves choose their leaders… and their mates."
My breath caught.
"M-mates?"
Owain didn't flinch.
"You need stability. Protection. A claim recognized by the entire valley. The Trials will force the rune to settle—at least temporarily."
"Isn't that risky?" I asked quietly.
Helion answered, "Extremely."
Gerrin murmured, "Potentially deadly."
Yllas agreed. "This is reckless, even for him."
Owain stepped closer, voice low and unwavering.
"But it will protect you."
I swallowed. "How?"
"The Wolf Moon Trials bind you temporarily to a wolf's aura," he said. "Not a mate-bond. Not permanent. A protective tie."
Gerrin added, "It will keep the Beast King from forcing your rune open."
Helion smirked. "And it'll piss off every rival clan. Fun."
Yllas ignored him and looked at me. "It will also force Owain to reveal his instincts."
Owain didn't deny it.
He held out a hand.
Not demanding.
Not forcing.
Asking.
"Will you let me protect you?" Owain asked softly.
The room felt still.
The rune pulsed again.
A warm glow beneath my skin.
No pain.
This time—
recognition.
I took his hand.
"Yes."
Owain let out a breath he'd been holding.
"Then we leave before sunrise," he said. "The Wolf Moon Trials await."
And for the first time…
I felt the weight of destiny settling over me.
Not fully.
But enough to know:
There would be no going back.