The morning after the full moon left Luna weak. Her body ached, her senses dulled back to human limits, but her memory was sharp.
She could not forget the glowing eyes, the pounding heartbeat of Damien she heard so clearly, the claws pressing through her fingertips.
At work, she carried herself as if nothing happened. But when she caught her reflection in the glass doors of Carrington Group, she whispered to herself, "You are not normal anymore. You need to learn.
That evening, she slipped out of the office early. Damien had offered to walk her home, but she insisted on being alone.
She needed space, and more than that, she needed privacy.
Inside her apartment, she locked the door, pulled the curtains, and stood in the center of her living room. Her heart raced.
"Alright, Luna," she muttered under her breath.
"You cannot keep pretending this is not real. If this is a part of you, then you have to face it.
She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and tried to recall the rush from last night.
Her hearing sharpened first.
The steady hum of the refrigerator grew louder, the faint tick of the clock echoed, and she could even hear a couple arguing faintly two floors down.
Her eyes snapped open. "There it is again.
She moved to the mirror in her hallway.
"Show me," she whispered. She stared at her own reflection, forcing herself to focus.
At first, nothing happened, but then her pupils dilated unnaturally, her eyes glowing faintly gold.
Her breath caught. "That is me.
Her fingers curled, nails sharpening just a little. She gasped and stumbled back.
The glow vanished, the nails retracted.
"No, do not panic. Breathe. Stay calm.
She tried again, slower this time. She remembered Damien's voice from last night.
Do not lose yourself. Hold on to who you are.
Her reflection flickered again, wolf-like for a second before returning to normal.
"Better," she muttered.
An hour passed. Luna paced the room, practicing.
Each time she pushed herself, the wolf instincts answered.
Her senses sharpened, her body shifted slightly, her voice even dropped lower when she growled softly under her breath.
By the third attempt, she held the golden glow in her eyes for nearly a full minute before it faded.
A laugh broke from her lips.
"I did it. I am controlling it.
But control did not come without struggle. At one point, the instincts surged stronger than she expected. She felt her teeth sharpen slightly, a growl escaping her throat.
She clutched her stomach and dropped to her knees.
"Not too much," she whispered urgently.
"Do not give in.
Her breath shook as she crawled to the couch and leaned against it. Her entire body trembled as if she had run miles. Sweat coated her forehead.
"You can do this," she told herself firmly. "You have to do this.
If you cannot control it, you will hurt someone.
The next night, she returned to training. She switched off the lights and let the moonlight through the window guide her.
She wanted to test how much of the wolf reacted naturally to the moon.
Her senses sharpened faster this time.
She could smell the detergent on her clothes, the faint perfume still lingering from Jenna's hug that morning, even the scent of coffee from the café down the street.
"Focus, Luna. Narrow it down.
She forced her senses to isolate one sound at a time, one scent at a time. First the clock, then the distant music outside, then the neighbor's dog.
She trained herself like she once trained in the office, separating reports into neat categories.
"Good," she said softly, sweat dripping down her temple. "Control is focus.
By the end of the week, Luna had a rhythm.
She trained in silence each night, sometimes practicing balance by standing perfectly still while her wolf instincts tried to push her forward. Other times, she tested her hearing by identifying every sound around her apartment.
When her claws extended, she practiced retracting them quickly.
Sometimes it worked, sometimes it left her bleeding from the tips of her fingers.
She bandaged herself quietly and kept going.
One night, her phone buzzed. Damien.
She ignored it. She could not let him see her like this, not yet.
On the fifth night, she finally whispered something she had been too afraid to admit.
"Maybe this is not only a curse.
The words surprised her. She had been terrified since the full moon, but in training, she felt strength too. Her body moved faster, sharper. Her reflexes improved.
She felt powerful in a way she never had before.
But fear still lingered. She sat on the floor, hugging her knees.
"What if I hurt someone?" she whispered to the empty room.
"What if Selina finds out?
The thought of Selina imitating her life, and then somehow using this wolf side against her, made her shiver.
She decided to test herself outside. One night, near midnight, she jogged to the park two blocks away. The air was crisp, the moon faint behind drifting clouds.
She moved deeper into the shadows where no one could see. Closing her eyes, she let the wolf instincts rise again.
Her body felt alive. Her hearing sharpened, catching the rustle of squirrels in the trees. Her muscles coiled tight, ready to spring.
She crouched low and then sprinted forward, faster than she thought possible.
The rush was intoxicating. She leapt over a bench with ease and landed lightly, barely making a sound. She laughed breathlessly.
"I really can do this.
But then she heard footsteps behind her. She froze, spinning quickly.
A man was walking his dog on the far path, staring at her with confusion.
"Sorry," Luna called awkwardly, forcing a casual smile. "Late night exercise.
The man nodded uncertainly and walked on.
Luna pressed a hand against her chest, her heart racing.
"You cannot lose control in public. Not ever.
She ran back home, promising herself she would be more careful.
By the end of her week of training, Luna stood in front of her mirror again. Her eyes glowed gold steadily now, not flickering.
Her claws extended smoothly, then retracted when she told them to.
She smiled faintly at her reflection. "I am not helpless anymore.
But even as pride filled her, a voice in the back of her mind whispered, This is only the beginning.