The morning after the fever broke, Kael announced I needed training.
"Training for what?" I asked, still weak but stubborn.
"Being Luna. Being connected to the pack. Controlling the bond." He handed me clothes practical ones, for moving. "You're part of us now. Really part. That comes with responsibilities."
"What kind of responsibilities?"
"Protecting the pack. Leading them. Feeling them." His eyes softened. "The bond goes both ways, Elena. They feel you too. If you're scared, they're scared. If you're strong, they're strong."
I swallowed. "That's a lot of pressure."
"I know." He kissed my forehead. "That's why we train."
Jax was waiting in the clearing.
He looked different today,more serious, more focused. No easy smile. Just a warrior preparing for work.
"Luna." He inclined his head. "Ready?"
"For what exactly?"
"To fight."
I stared at him. "I can't fight. I'm human."
"You're not just human anymore. The bond has changed you. Strengthened you." He gestured to the clearing. "We're going to find out how much."
Kael stood at the edge, watching. His expression was unreadable, but through the bond I felt his tension. His worry. His trust.
You can do this, he sent. I believe in you.
I took a breath. Turned to Jax.
"Show me."
He started slow.
Basic stances. How to stand, how to move, how to shift weight. Simple things that felt foreign to my body.
But my body surprised me.
I was faster than I'd ever been. Stronger. When Jax threw a practice punch, I dodged without thinking. When he swept my legs, I jumped instead of fell.
"Good," Jax grunted. "Again."
We went for hours.
By midday, I was exhausted but exhilarated. I'd landed hits. Avoided hits. Learned things I never knew I could learn.
Kael approached as Jax finally called a halt.
"Well?" he asked.
"She's a natural." Jax wiped sweat from his brow. "The bond is strong in her. Stronger than most human mates."
"Good." Kael pulled me close. "Proud of you."
"I didn't do much."
"You did everything." He kissed my sweaty forehead. "You showed up. You tried. That's all I ask."
That afternoon, Sasha found me resting.
"How was training?"
"Brutal. Amazing. I don't know." I laughed. "All of it."
She sat beside me. "Jax is tough, but fair. He'll push you because he knows you can handle it."
"Can I?"
"You already are." She looked at me. "You're stronger than you know, Elena. The bond didn't give you that. It just unlocked it."
I thought about that. About all the years I'd spent feeling weak. Feeling small. Feeling like nothing.
Maybe that wasn't who I really was. Maybe that was just who Derek had made me.
"Thank you," I said.
"For what?"
"For being here. For helping. For….." I shook my head. "For everything."
She smiled. "That's what pack does."
That night, Kael showed me another kind of training.
Slower. Gentler. His hands tracing paths of fire across my skin. His mouth following.
"Feel that?" he murmured against my throat.
"Feel what?"
"The bond. How it responds when I touch you." His hand slid lower. "When I make you feel good."
I gasped as he found the center of me.
"Kael"
"Shh. Just feel."
I did.
The bond blazed as he worked me, slow and thorough, bringing me to the edge and back again. By the time he finally entered me, I was trembling, desperate, completely his.
"Look at me," he commanded.
I did.
Gold eyes burned into mine as he moved inside me. The bond amplified everything—his pleasure, mine, the connection between us that went deeper than words.
"I love you," I gasped.
"I love you too." He thrust deeper. "Always."
We came together, the bond exploding with light, and I understood for the first time what it meant to be truly, completely, utterly claimed.