{ Mia }
The training room was colder than I remembered.
Scarlett had reset the temperature to optimal conditions, but there was still a chill in the air — or maybe that was just in my head. The reinforced walls were lined with energy-dampening panels, the kind that could take a shockwave or two without falling apart. We'd only ever used it once. Briefly. Back when I was still afraid of what I'd become if I really let go.
I stood in the center of the room, heart thudding.
Ace leaned against the wall behind the safety glass, arms crossed, eyes sharp. Lex was beside him, fiddling with the power regulator and mumbling to Scarlett about surge protection levels.
No one said a word to me.
Because this was my call.
My test.
I rolled my shoulders and held out a hand.
Nothing happened at first.
No surge. No hum. No shadowy pressure pressing into my chest like before.
Just silence.
I let out a slow breath and reached deeper — past my fear, past the block I'd built inside myself. Into the pulse I'd always felt, even when I didn't understand it.
There.
A flicker.
A whisper of warmth.
It didn't feel like him anymore. It didn't drag me under or twist my thoughts into static. It just… existed. Waiting for me.
I opened my palm fully.
Gold light sparked to life across my fingers — soft, steady, mine.
Scarlett's voice crackled in my ear. "Energy pattern detected. Stable. No anomalies."
Ace straightened.
I moved my fingers slowly, letting the light curl around my hand, then shape into a thin ribbon of glowing energy. I spun it once — it held.
Then I hurled it at the far wall.
Boom.
It cracked the panel, clean and controlled. Not too strong. Not too weak. Just… balanced.
Lex gawked from behind the glass. "She's glowing. Like—literally glowing."
I laughed, half-breathless, half in awe.
"I think I missed this," I said.
Ace pressed the intercom button. "How do you feel?"
I looked at my hands. My body.
My mind.
And for once, the answer came without hesitation.
"Like me."
Ace didn't reply right away. He just looked at me through the glass, and in that quiet moment, something passed between us — something heavy and understood.
"Good," he said finally. "Then let's see if she feels the same."
I knew who he meant.
Ash.
My wolf.
She wasn't gone — not completely. Just… quiet. Watching. Waiting. Not clawing for control like before. Not whispering twisted things in the back of my mind. But still there. A part of me.
I nodded once and stepped back to the center of the room.
"Scarlett," I said, voice steady, "unlock full transformation grid. Prepare for phase shift."
"Confirmed," Scarlett replied. "Warning: structural stress may occur beyond 60% energy sync. Proceed?"
"Proceed," I said.
Behind the glass, Lex muttered, "This is either gonna be amazing… or terrifying."
The lights in the room dimmed slightly as Scarlett rerouted energy to the containment field.
I dropped to my knees.
And I let go.
The shift came faster this time — no resistance, no pain. Like something slipping into place.
Fur rippled across my arms, white and glowing faintly gold. My muscles contracted, reformed, stretched. My spine lengthened. Fingers folded into paws. The hum in my blood grew louder but didn't scare me anymore.
And then I stood — no, she stood — tall, steady, grounded.
Ash.
Not the corrupted version that once lashed out and lost control.
This was different.
She was regal. Silent. Dangerous, still — but in a way that listened now instead of screamed. Her fur was pure snowy white, glowing faintly in the blue-lit room. Her eyes, burning gold, locked onto the safety glass.
Ace took a step forward behind it, jaw tight. "She's beautiful."
Lex was speechless for once. He just stared, awe clear on his face.
I padded forward, my paws silent on the floor. The energy grid shimmered beneath me, reacting to every step. I didn't flinch.
Scarlett's voice chimed in softly. "Vital signs optimal. Neural signatures… merged."
"Merged?" Ace asked.
"Two consciousnesses. One stable core."
I looked at my reflection in the glass wall. The wolf. Me. Ash. One and the same.
I leaned in close, then turned, muscles smooth beneath fur, tail flicking with purpose.
Lex tapped the intercom. "If you're still in there, Mia… give us something wild."
I didn't hesitate.
I coiled my strength, pushed power into my limbs, then surged forward — a blur of white light. I leapt, twisted midair, and slammed a glowing paw into the energy field.
Boom.
The panel rippled — not cracked like before, but warped.
Controlled chaos.
I landed in a crouch, turned, and let out a low, deep howl that echoed through the entire room — not of rage, not of pain.
But of freedom.
Ace's voice was low. "She's not just in control…"
Lex finished the sentence for him.
"…She's evolved."
And as I stood tall, golden eyes burning in the dim light, I realized something else:
Ash wasn't a monster anymore.
She was a weapon.
And now?
She was mine to wield.
Lex looked at me smirking. " How bout we go to the woods and run freely?" He asked raising a brow.
I chuckled. " Sure, but I need a change of clothes first."
Ace just nodded snapping his fingers when a new set of clothes appeared in front of him." Here u go cupcake..."
I smiled at him. " Now both of u go before I shift back ..."
They just smirked walking away while closing the door.
Once the door shut behind them, I let out a small huff and sat back on my haunches, tail sweeping the floor behind me. For a second, I just breathed. The training room still hummed faintly with leftover energy, but it didn't bother me anymore.
Ash stirred — not urgently, not violently. Just… curious.
You sure about this? I asked her silently.
Her answer came not in words, but in the subtle shift of muscle and instinct — like a heartbeat syncing with mine. Yes.
I closed my eyes and shifted back.
It was smoother now. Effortless. Like slipping into my own skin instead of clawing my way through it.
My feet hit the ground bare, and I stood, spine cracking as I stretched my arms overhead. Still a little achey, but nothing like before. No residue. No haze.
Just… normal.
Shaking my head , I pulled the clothes on quickly.
Joggers. Fitted shirt. Lightweight jacket. Everything moved with me like a second skin.
I opened the training room door and found Lex already bouncing on his heels, excitement radiating off him like a kid on sugar.
"Took you long enough," he grinned. "I was this close to going full beast mode without you."
Ace raised a brow, tossing me a protein bar. "You'd get distracted by a squirrel and end up in a ditch."
Lex flipped him off with a smirk. "Only once."
I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the grin tugging at my lips. "Let's go."
We took the tunnel exit that led out of the safehouse and surfaced at the edge of the forest. The sky was still dark — pre-dawn blue with a streak of gold across the horizon. Everything smelled like dew and pine and cold wind.
Perfect.
Lex shifted first — mid-stride, smooth and wild.
His fur was black with silver streaks along his spine, his eyes electric blue as he glanced back at us and let out a bark.
Show-off.
Ace followed — bones cracking slightly as he transformed. His wolf was deep gray with stormy fur, larger than Lex and broader, with golden-brown eyes that locked onto mine like a challenge.
I didn't need an invitation.
Ash surged forward, and I let her take over. My skin shimmered, the change rippling through me — white fur, glowing paws, a tail that swayed like it had missed this.
The cold didn't touch me anymore.
The forest called.
I lunged forward.
Lex darted past me, and I gave chase, paws pounding against the damp earth. Ace cut ahead, weaving through trees like he'd memorized every root and bend. Birds scattered. Leaves crunched. Wind whistled in my ears.
And I ran.
Fast. Free. Unbound.
Ash didn't growl. She didn't claw. She howled — a high, wild sound that rose from deep in our shared chest and tore through the trees like thunder.
Ace howled back.
Lex joined in.
Three voices — three wolves — racing the sunrise.
For once, I wasn't being hunted.
For once… I was just alive.
Suddenly. A sharp roar echoed through the forest stopping us in our tracks.