The next morning, Lucien led me to the fortress library—a massive chamber carved into the mountain itself. Shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, filled with scrolls and tomes older than any pack I'd known.
"This place… it's incredible," I whispered, running my fingers along the ancient wood.
"Focus," Lucien said, voice calm. "You need to understand what you are."
I sat, and he carefully opened a leather-bound tome. "The First Luna," he began. "She wasn't just a mate. She commanded packs, controlled bonds, even influenced Alpha dominance. Your bloodline carries fragments of that power."
My chest tightened. "Fragments? I just… I barely understand my own mark."
Lucien's eyes were serious. "Tonight proved you're more than fragments. You forced an entire Alpha pack to kneel. That's not accidental. That's legacy."
I swallowed hard. "Legacy? I've only ever been rejected, laughed at, dismissed. And now… they're all after me?"
"Yes," he said, flipping through the pages. "Power attracts attention. It can save you—or kill you."
I looked down at my hands. Light pulsed faintly beneath my skin, as if acknowledging him.
"Will Kaiden come back?" I asked quietly.
Lucien's gaze softened, just a fraction. "Yes. But not for the reasons you think. He fears losing control… over you, over the power you carry."
I shivered. Fear mixed with something else—frustration, longing, and a tiny spark of curiosity about the Alpha who once rejected me.
"Then what do I do?" I asked.
"Learn," Lucien said. "Control. Hide when necessary. Strike when required. And never underestimate your enemies… or your allies."
Outside, distant howls echoed, sharp and warning. I realized then that survival wasn't just about running—it was about mastering myself, mastering the power that had awakened.