It happened during training.
Damien had decided she was ready for advanced combat drills — something none of the other pups her age had even attempted. Zira moved fast, her strikes sharper than any child's should be, her instincts almost frighteningly perfect. But that day, Damien pushed her harder than usual, his brow furrowed, sensing something restless in her.
"Again," he commanded.
Zira charged. Their blades clashed—not real blades, but enchanted training weapons—yet the moment her foot hit the ground, something inside her cracked open. A rush of ancient energy forced its way upward, slamming into her chest.
Her vision blurred.
Her wolf, Nyx, snarled inside her mind.
"Zira, stop—your seal—!"
She didn't hear the rest.
The air around her rippled like water. A shockwave burst outward, kicking up dust and bending the trees. Damien staggered back, eyes widening—not in fear, but in recognition.
For a heartbeat, just one, he saw her true power through the cracks of the failing seal.
And it terrified him.
Not because she was dangerous…
But because she was so much more than anyone prepared for.
Zira gasped, clutching her chest as the seal snapped back in place with a painful jolt. Damien rushed to her, steadying her before she could fall.
"Zira," he murmured, voice low, "if that seal had broken completely, you would've—"
She cut him off with a shake of her head. "I know."
But she didn't. Not really.
All she knew was the power inside her was no longer content to sleep.
The next day, she arrived at the training grounds only to find the others already whispering — louder than usual.
"There she is," one boy sneered. "The wolfless wonder."
Another laughed. "I bet her wolf ran away. Can't blame it. Who wants a weakling for a host?"
Zira ignored them, walking to her station.
But ignoring only seemed to make them bolder.
A girl stepped in front of her, folding her arms. "Maybe your father trains you so hard because he knows you'll never be strong enough to join us."
Zira felt Nyx growl in her mind.
"Let me out. I'll rip their tongues off."
Not now, Zira whispered back.
But the girl pushed her again — this time physically.
"Say something," she taunted. "Or did your wolf take your voice too?"
Zira stepped back, jaw tight, fingers trembling… not with fear, but with effort. She could feel the seal reacting to her rising anger, cracks threatening to reopen.
Damien appeared out of nowhere, his voice like a blade.
"That's enough."
The trainees instantly straightened. Damien's eyes were cold, far sharper than normal.
"If you spent half as much time training as you do insulting someone stronger than you'll ever be," he said, "perhaps you'd be worth half your parents' expectations."
The group shrank back.
But Zira… she stood frozen.
Stronger than you'll ever be.
Did he say that to protect her?
Or because he had seen the truth yesterday?
Either way, whispers spread again — this time sharper, more poisonous.
Zira walked away from them, her heart pounding, the seal pulsing painfully with every step.
She wasn't sure how much longer it would hold.
And she wasn't sure what would happen when it finally gave way.
That night, Zira lay awake, the moonlight painting silver streaks across her room. She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the faint thrum of the seal beneath her skin.
"Nyx?" she whispered.
Her wolf answered immediately, her voice soft but tense.
"I'm here."
Zira swallowed. What happened earlier? Why did the seal shake like that?
Nyx hesitated — the longest pause Zira had ever felt from her.
"Because you are getting stronger than the seal can contain."
Zira's breath hitched. "So it is breaking."
"Not yet," Nyx replied. "But it will. With or without your permission."
Zira shut her eyes.
"I don't want to hurt anyone," she whispered.
Nyx's voice softened.
"You won't. You were born with this power. It's everyone else who needs to stop underestimating you."
Zira clenched the bedsheets.
"But what if they're right? What if I'm dangerous?"
Nyx growled, low and protective.
"You are dangerous… to those who try to harm you. That is not the same thing."
Zira felt warmth in her chest, Nyx wrapping around her like comforting fire.
"You are more than a weapon, Zira. You are meant for something greater."
Zira didn't reply — but deep inside, something once fearful began to steady.
Meanwhile, in the Alpha's office, Damien stood at the window, staring into the darkness beyond the pack borders. Celeste sat behind her desk, watching him with worried eyes.
"She almost broke through it today," Damien finally said.
Celeste stiffened. "The seal?"
He nodded.
"I saw her energy, Cel. I saw the true extent of it. She's not just powerful—she's…"
He struggled for the right word.
"…ancient."
Celeste's breath caught. "Then our suspicions were right."
"The Chosen," Damien whispered. "Our daughter."
Celeste looked down at her hands, trembling slightly.
"They're already hunting for her," she murmured. "We've sensed the shadow for months… It will come again."
Damien turned to her fully.
"We have to train her harder."
Celeste frowned. "She's just a child."
"And the darkness won't wait for her to grow up," Damien replied. "If the seal breaks before she can control herself—"
"She could kill someone," Celeste said quietly.
Damien nodded.
"Or worse," he added. "She could draw them right to us."
The room filled with a heavy silence.
Not fear for themselves.
Fear for their daughters.
In the deep forest, far beyond the warrior pack's borders, the air shifted—cold, unnatural.
A figure, made of darkness thicker than night, glided between the trees.
It had no face.
No voice.
Only hunger.
The wind around it trembled, whispering secrets it had stolen from the world.
And then—
It stopped.
Its head lifted as if scenting something.
A faint pulse of energy…
A ripple…
A crack in a seal miles away…
Found you.
The whisper slithered across the ground, stretching toward the pack like a shadowy hand.
The seal's weakening had awakened it again.
It moved, faster now.
Not hunting blindly.
Not searching in uncertainty.
This time… it had direction.
This time… it had purpose.
This time… it knew exactly where the Chosen girl slept.