Astra's POV
Astra hit the ground hard, pain shooting through her shoulder. The full moon run had been a disaster. While the other wolves raced through the forest with grace and power, she had tripped and fallen, unable to keep up.
"Again," Alaric ordered, standing over her with his arms crossed. His blue eyes were cold as ice. "A proper Luna must be able to lead the pack, not fall behind like a pup."
Astra gritted her teeth and pushed herself up. Her body ached from the night's run, and her head was still spinning with questions. After the run, she hadn't been able to meet with Elysia at the willow tree or leave with either Kael or Damon. Alaric had kept her close, watching her every move.
"I wasn't raised in a pack," she snapped. "I didn't have anyone to teach me."
"That's why we're here now," Alaric said. "To fix your... deficiencies."
They stood in a training circle behind the castle. The morning sun was barely up, but Alaric had dragged her here before dawn. A small crowd of pack members had come to watch, including Selene, who smirked every time Astra fell.
"I didn't ask for this," Astra mumbled.
"But you bear my mark," Alaric reminded her. "And that means you will learn to be worthy of it, or—"
"Or what?" Astra challenged, anger giving her bravery. "You'll kill me at the Blood Moon ritual?"
A flash of surprise crossed Alaric's face before his mask returned. "Don't believe everything you hear, little wolf."
Before Astra could reply, a new voice called out.
"Maybe she needs a different teacher."
Damon walked into the circle, his familiar face a welcome sight despite everything. He wore simple workout clothes, and his dark hair was tied back.
"Someone who understands what it's like to be an outsider," he added, looking directly at Astra.
Alaric's jaw stiffened. "This is pack business, Damon. You're only here because I allow it."
"And I'm grateful for your... hospitality," Damon said with a slight bow that somehow managed to seem mocking. "But Astra needs to learn fighting skills that work for her size and strength. Not everyone can rely on brute force like an Alpha."
Whispers spread through the watching crowd. No one spoke to Alaric that way.
To Astra's surprise, Alaric didn't argue. Instead, he stepped back with a cold smile. "Very well. Show us your methods. But remember, if she fails, it reflects on you."
Damon turned to Astra, his eyes relaxing. "Ready?"
She nodded, though her body screamed for rest. As Damon circled her, she whispered, "What are you doing?"
"Helping you survive," he whispered back. "And making a chance to talk. Follow my lead."
Louder, he said, "An Alpha uses strength. But you need to use speed and smarts. When I strike, don't try to block me. Move away and find an opening."
He lunged forward suddenly. Astra dodged, remembering the countless times they'd practiced together during her years in exile. Damon had always protected her, taught her to defend herself. Had that all been part of some plan too?
"Good," he praised. "Now, when you find an opening, strike fast and hard."
They continued training, with Damon striking and Astra evading. Each time, she got better at anticipating his moves. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Alaric watching intently, his face unreadable.
"Now," Damon said after twenty minutes of practice, "let's see you attack me."
Astra paused. She was tired, and hitting Damon felt wrong after years of friendship. But she told herself of his betrayal, of his secrets.
With a sudden burst of speed, she charged forward. Damon moved to stop, but at the last second, Astra changed direction. Using a move he'd taught her years ago, she swept his legs from under him.
Damon hit the ground with a shocked grunt. The watching pack members fell silent.
"Where did you learn that?" Damon asked, looking truly shocked.
"From you," Astra said. "Three years ago, when you were teaching me to hunt."
Damon smiled slowly as he got up. "I didn't think you were paying attention."
"I always pay attention," she responded. "Especially to people I don't fully trust."
The smile disappeared from his face. Before he could reply, Alaric stepped back into the circle.
"Enough warm-up," he said. "Now face a real opponent."
Astra expected him to take Damon's place, but instead, Lyra walked into the circle. Her sister wore a confident smile, her golden hair tied back from her face.
"Sister," Lyra said sweetly. "Let's see what you've learned."
Alarm bells rang in Astra's mind. This was bad. Lyra had been taught properly, and if what Elysia said was true, someone was controlling her mind—making her dangerous and unpredictable.
"Begin," Alaric ordered.
Lyra attacked instantly, moving with the grace and speed of a trained fighter. Astra barely dodged the first blow, feeling it brush past her cheek.
"Too slow," Lyra mocked. "You always were the weak one."
The words stung more than any physical blow. This wasn't the sweet sister Astra remembered.
Lyra attacked again, a rush of strikes that drove Astra backward. One caught her shoulder, sending sharp pain down her arm.
"Stop holding back," Alaric called out. "Show us what you can really do."
But Astra wasn't holding back—she was losing. Lyra was stronger, faster, better trained.
As Lyra prepared for another attack, Astra caught Damon's eye. He gave her a small nod and mouthed one word: "Remember."
And suddenly, Astra did remember. Not just the fighting skills Damon had taught her, but something deeper. A feeling she'd had as a child, when she would run through the forest with her sister. A power that had always been inside her, waiting.
When Lyra charged again, Astra didn't move away. Instead, she stood her ground and reached for that secret power. It surged through her blood like fire, making her skin tingle.
Lyra's fist came toward her face—and Astra caught it mid-air.
Gasps spread through the crowd. Even Alaric looked surprised.
With strength she didn't know she had, Astra pushed back, sending Lyra falling. Then she moved forward, her body acting on instinct. Her movements became fluid and strong. Each strike was accurate, each block perfect.
Lyra's confident smile vanished, replaced by confusion and then anger. She fought back harder, but Astra matched her blow for blow.
Finally, with a move she'd never practiced before, Astra flipped Lyra onto her back and pinned her to the ground.
"How?" Lyra gasped, fighting against Astra's grip.
Astra didn't know how to answer. The power running through her was both familiar and strange. It felt right, like a part of herself she'd lost long ago.
"Enough," Alaric said, his voice strange.
Astra released Lyra and stood up, surprised by her own movements. The watching pack members stared at her with new eyes—some with respect, others with fear.
Selene pushed through the crowd, her face dark with anger. "She cheated! No one can learn that fast."
"She didn't cheat," Damon said. "She remembered."
"Remembered what?" Alaric demanded.
Before Damon could answer, Kael appeared at the edge of the circle. "Alpha, you're needed in the great hall. Visitors have arrived."
"What visitors?" Alaric asked sharply.
"The Shadow Pack," Kael answered. "They're asking for Astra."
A chill ran down Astra's spine. The Shadow Pack was feared even among werewolves—a group of rejects and rogues who followed their own rules.
"Why would they ask for me?" she wondered aloud.
"Because," a deep voice said from behind the crowd, "you belong to us."
The pack members parted to show a tall man with silver-streaked black hair. His eyes were a strange amber color that seemed to glow in the morning light.
"Ezra," Damon whispered, his face pale.
The stranger—Ezra—smiled at Astra. "Hello, little moon. It's been a long time."
"I don't know you," Astra said, though something about him seemed familiar.
"But I know you," Ezra answered. "I know the power you just showed. I know who you really are." He looked at Alaric with contempt. "And I know what he plans to do to you at the Blood Moon."
"That's enough," Alaric growled, stepping between them. "State your business and leave."
Ezra's smile widened. "My work is with Astra. The true Alpha of the Shadow Pack." He stretched his hand toward her. "It's time to come home, daughter."
The world seemed to freeze around Astra. Daughter? This couldn't be right. Her father had been the Alpha of her birth pack—the man who had turned his back on her when Lyra vanished.
But as she looked into Ezra's amber eyes, something deep inside her replied. The same power that had helped her beat Lyra stirred again, stronger this time.
And in that moment, Astra understood a terrible truth: everything she thought she knew about herself might be a lie.