The moon hung low over Crescent Peak, a pale silver coin pressed against a star-scattered sky. Sera sat on the balcony of the Alpha's residence, wrapped in a blanket Lucien had left behind. It still carried his scent—dark forest, storm wind, and something fiercely Alpha that always made her pulse skip.
But tonight, even his scent couldn't calm the storm inside her.
Everything felt wrong.
Everything felt off.
It had started with the way Kieran had looked at her earlier—too knowing, too amused. Then the strange energy that kept pulsing beneath her skin, sometimes warm, sometimes sharp like a needle dragging against her soul.
Lucien hadn't returned from the border patrol.
And for the first time in a long time… Sera felt truly alone.
A sharp knock broke through her thoughts.
"Sera." Ava's urgent whisper slipped under the door. "Please open."
Sera stood quickly, folding the blanket. She opened the door and immediately saw panic written across Ava's usually calm face.
"What happened?" Sera asked.
Ava shut the door and pressed her back to it. "We have a problem. A big one."
Sera's heart dropped.
"Lucien—?"
"He's fine," Ava answered quickly, though her eyes flickered with something that didn't match her reassurance. "At least for now. But that's not why I'm here. There's… there's something you need to know. Something Lucien didn't want you to learn yet."
Sera's breath hitched.
"About what?"
Ava swallowed hard. "About you."
Silence crashed between them.
Sera frowned. "Ava, what are you talking about?"
Ava hesitated, glancing at the door as if someone could be listening. "I shouldn't be telling you this, but after what happened at the border, I think you need to hear it before things explode."
Sera stepped closer, voice low and trembling. "Please. Just tell me."
Ava exhaled shakily.
"You're not just Lucien's mate, Sera. You're something much rarer—something dangerous if handled the wrong way."
Sera blinked. "Dangerous? How?"
Ava looked at her with a mixture of fear and pity.
"You're not a regular human. You're a dormant hybrid."
Sera's mind blanked.
"What?"
Ava nodded slowly. "Half-human. Half-werewolf. And not just any werewolf lineage… Your wolf comes from an ancient bloodline—one that disappeared centuries ago."
Sera stared at her, heart pounding so hard it echoed in her ears. "Ava, that's impossible. I've never shifted. I've never felt a wolf. I grew up like a normal human!"
Ava stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Because your wolf hasn't awakened yet. But she's close, Sera. Very close."
Sera stepped back, shaking her head. "No… no, that can't be right. My mother was human. My father—"
Her voice cracked.
She had never known her father.
Ava's expression softened. "Lucien found something. Documents. Letters. Old pack records. They all pointed to one thing: your father was a rogue Alpha. One whose bloodline was thought extinct."
Sera froze.
"My father… was an Alpha?"
Ava nodded. "A very powerful one."
A cold shiver ran through her.
"So why didn't Lucien tell me?"
Ava bit her lip. "Because awakened hybrids are unpredictable. And if word spreads… rival packs will try to take you. Or kill you. Or use you against Lucien."
Sera's knees weakened. She sat on the edge of the bed, breathing unevenly.
"I can't be this," she whispered. "I don't want to be some hidden weapon or rare thing people fight over."
Ava knelt beside her. "You're not a weapon, Sera. But you are extraordinary. Your wolf is stronger than most because dormant hybrids, once awakened, break every rule of normal pack strength."
Sera felt the room tilt.
Her hands trembled.
"Ava… this is too much."
"I know." Ava squeezed her hand. "But there's something else you need to know. Something more urgent."
Sera lifted her head, dread settling deep in her gut.
"Kieran knows," Ava whispered.
Sera's stomach turned. "How?"
"He was spying when Lucien and the Beta saw the documents. He overheard everything."
Sera's blood ran cold.
"So what does he want from me?"
Ava's expression hardened. "Your power. Or rather, the power your wolf will have when she awakens. He wants to claim it. And you."
Sera stumbled to her feet. "No. He can't—"
"He already tried." Ava stood too. "Tonight at the border. He confronted Lucien. He told him you should've been his mate. That fate made a mistake."
Sera felt bile rise in her throat.
"What did Lucien do?" she whispered.
Ava looked away. "He almost killed him."
The words hit Sera like a blow.
Ava continued. "Lucien was furious, Sera. Not just angry. He was in full Alpha rage. If the warriors hadn't pulled him back, Kieran would be dead. And then we'd have a war."
Sera pressed a hand to her mouth.
"I caused this," she whispered painfully.
"No," Ava said firmly. "Kieran caused this. Lucien is protecting you."
"By keeping secrets?" Sera snapped, tears burning her eyes. "By hiding the truth about me?"
Ava said nothing.
Sera paced the room, panic eating through her chest.
"I need to talk to him," she said. "Lucien can't shut me out. I deserve answers."
Ava grabbed her wrist. "He doesn't want you to panic. He wants to keep you safe."
Sera pulled her hand back, voice shaking. "I'm done being protected by being kept in the dark."
A sudden knock pounded at the door—loud, urgent, commanding.
Ava's eyes widened.
"That's Lucien."
Sera's pulse spiked. "Good. Because I'm not running from him."
Ava hesitated. "Sera… he's still in Alpha rage mode. He's barely holding it together. Just—be careful."
Sera squared her shoulders. "I'm tired of being careful."
She walked to the door, fingers trembling as she reached for the handle.
She opened it.
Lucien stood there, injured, breath ragged, shirt torn and streaked with dirt and dried blood. His eyes blazed gold—not warm gold, but the sharp, feral gold of a wolf on the edge of losing control.
"Sera," he growled, voice rough, almost broken. "We need to talk."
She met his wild gaze without flinching.
"Good," she said. "Because I'm done waiting."
His jaw clenched. "You're angry."
"Yes," she whispered. "And you're hiding things."
Lucien stepped inside, shutting the door behind him with a heavy thud.
"I did it to protect you."
"That's not protection," Sera argued, voice trembling. "That's control."
Lucien flinched as if the word burned him.
"You don't understand what you are," he said, stepping closer. "What your blood means. If other packs discover the truth—"
"They already know!" Sera cried. "Kieran knows! That means it's only a matter of time before others find out."
Lucien froze.
His hands balled into fists.
"He told you?"
"No," Sera said sharply. "Ava did."
Lucien turned slowly toward Ava, who stood by the wall like a guilty child.
"Ava," he growled, "this was not your secret to reveal."
Ava swallowed hard. "And letting her walk blind into danger was?"
Lucien's jaw pulsed.
Sera stepped between them.
"Stop fighting because of me," she said softly. "Lucien, I needed to know."
Lucien dragged a hand through his hair, pacing like a caged predator. "You were supposed to have more time. We were supposed to awaken your wolf slowly, safely—"
Sera's eyes widened. "Awaken? You were planning to force it?"
Lucien stopped.
Silence.
Thick, heavy.
"Yes," he admitted, meeting her eyes. "Because if we don't… someone else will. And they will not be gentle."
Sera's heart twisted painfully.
"Lucien… I trusted you."
His expression shattered.
"Sera," he breathed, stepping closer, voice raw. "I'm doing all this because I can't lose you. You are mine. My mate. My heart. And your wolf—she is powerful enough to shift the balance of every pack in this territory."
Sera felt tears spill.
"I didn't ask for power," she whispered. "I just wanted a life."
Lucien cupped her face gently, despite the storm in his eyes. "I know. And I'm trying to give you one. But first… I have to keep you alive."
A sudden crash echoed from outside—the shouts of guards, the sound of a horn, and then—
A howl.
Low.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
Lucien stiffened instantly.
"That's Kieran's pack," he growled. "They're here."
Ava gasped. "Already? But how—?"
Lucien pulled Sera into his arms, protective, fierce.
"Sera, listen to me. Stay behind me. Whatever happens, don't leave my side."
Sera clung to him, fear clawing up her spine.
"Lucien… what do they want?"
Lucien's eyes glowed brighter, deadly.
"You." He kissed her forehead, voice a lethal whisper. "They're here for you, my love."
And then the windows shattered.