Aria awoke with the taste of iron on her tongue. Her body ached in ways she had never known—muscles torn, bruised, and stretched. Her hands were clawed, her nails blackened at the tips. She didn't remember falling asleep; her last memory was the chaos of the Hollow, the fight with the rogues, and Lucian's gold-fanged roar shaking the cavern.
She pushed herself up, her back pressing against cold stone. The glow from the crystals pulsed gently now, illuminating her reflection in the shallow stream. Her eyes had changed—faintly golden at the edges, pupils slightly elongated. Her mark burned softly on her neck, silver light like molten metal beneath her skin.
Lucian lay nearby, leaning against a wall, his chest rising and falling with ragged breath. His black fur had receded, leaving him in his human form, though the scars across his torso glistened with blood and moonlight. He didn't wake as she approached, and for the first time, Aria felt the quiet weight of fear.
"What… am I now?" she whispered to herself, curling her hands into fists. Her nails caught the crystal light, sharp as daggers.
Lucian's voice came from behind her, low and wary. "What you've always been capable of. Something neither fully human nor fully wolf. You're the first."
Aria froze, turning slowly to face him. His eyes glinted gold, catching the faint light. "The first? You mean… there could be more like me?"
"No," he said, voice rough. "I mean you're a new breed. Something born of the blood of an Alpha and the body of a human. The Hollow chose you. That makes you… dangerous."
She wanted to laugh at the absurdity. Dangerous? She had survived the Hollow and the rogues. She had killed. But the sound that escaped her throat was a growl, low and unfamiliar. She stumbled, startled by her own strength, the new instincts twisting through her.
Lucian rose, cautious now, but his expression softened. "You're not yourself yet," he said. "The bond between us—it's still forming. Your heartbeat echoes mine, and mine echoes yours. Every time you kill, every time you fight, the Hollow strengthens that connection. The bond is tied to life, death, and blood."
Aria's eyes narrowed. "So every time we fight, I get stronger… and closer to you."
"Yes," he admitted. "Closer than either of us might want."
She didn't know whether to be frightened or exhilarated. She could feel him—his heartbeat, his anger, his protective hunger—like a shadow inside her own chest. Her instincts screamed at her to surrender to it, to let go of fear. But she also knew if she let the pull win completely, she might never return to being human.
Outside, the wind rattled the cavern entrance. The night had returned. She caught a faint scent in the air—wolves, far off but moving toward the Hollow. Rogues. The fight had not gone unnoticed.
Lucian stiffened, his jaw tight. "They're coming back. The council will hear of this."
"They'll see me too," Aria said, the words tasting like smoke. Her mark glowed stronger as she spoke. She flexed her claws, testing strength and agility. The new power was intoxicating. A thrill that mingled with fear, with desire, with something primal she couldn't name.
Lucian's gaze softened. "You're not just marked. You're part of me now. My blood runs in you. The wolves who come—your enemies—will not only have to face me… they'll face you too."
The thought should have terrified her. But instead, it filled her with a dark elation. She felt the first stirrings of control over her new body—the surge of power that had nearly consumed her in the Hollow.
"Show me," she said, voice low, daring. "Teach me to fight. To survive. To… be what I am."
Lucian's lips twitched. For a moment, he almost smiled. "Do you know what you're asking?"
"Yes," she said. "I want it. All of it. Even if it hurts."
His hands hovered near hers, unsure if touching her would ignite something uncontrollable. "It will hurt," he warned. "Every time you push the mark, every time you fight, every time you kill—it will hurt. But it will also teach you. And it will tie you to me further. Irrevocably."
She stepped closer, letting their knees nearly touch. Her pulse thrummed in tandem with his. "Then tie me," she whispered.
Lucian's gaze softened, almost tender, though a spark of wild hunger flared in his eyes. "You asked for it," he murmured, brushing a hand against her jaw. His touch burned against her skin, and the mark flared in response. "And now… you have it."
The first lesson was brutal. He taught her to move, to fight, to anticipate, and to strike without mercy. The Hollow echoed with the sound of claws scraping stone, bodies crashing, guttural growls, and whispered commands. Aria's senses expanded; she felt the pulse of life around her—the movement of air, the heartbeat of the water, the rhythm of Lucian's blood through his veins.
Hours—or maybe minutes, time had no meaning here—passed. Aria stood panting, chest heaving, covered in a thin sheen of sweat and crystal dust. She looked at Lucian, eyes bright with excitement and something darker.
"You're ready," he said softly.
Aria flexed her fingers into claws. "Ready for what?"
Lucian's smile was dangerous, predatory. "To face the council. To face your destiny. To face what comes with the Blood Moon."
Outside, the wind carried a new sound—howls in the distance. More wolves approaching. Not just rogue hunters this time, but an entire pack, alerted to their presence. The Blood Moon would rise in a few nights, and with it, a reckoning.
Aria's mark pulsed, brighter than ever. Her body hummed with raw, untamed power. Her bond with Lucian had deepened. Fear mingled with desire, hunger with longing.
She was no longer human. Not entirely.
And she would never be the same.