​🩸 Chapter Seven: The Awakening and the Price.Â
​　I woke to darkness, the scent of antiseptic, and the low, frantic rhythm of a heartbeat that wasn't mine.
​　My body felt strangely heavy, yet simultaneously weightless. The pain from the Claiming Bite was a dull throb, but the rest of my aches—the bruises from Shadow Creek, the constant low-level fatigue—were gone. I felt… clean.
​　I blinked, the room slowly coming into focus. I was lying on a cot in the corner of the small lodge, covered by heavy blankets. Kael Blackwood was sitting on the floor beside me, his back propped against the wall. He was shirtless, his shoulders broad and corded with muscle, and he was staring, wide-eyed, at my unconscious hand.
​　I followed his gaze.
​　My hand was clenched. Around my wrist, a delicate, icy cuff of pure silver metal was visible, glinting even in the dim light. It was beautiful, ornate, and clearly magical.
​　"What happened?" I asked, my voice thin and dry.
​　Kael didn't look at me, still staring at the silver cuff. "You should have been out for six hours. It's only been two."
​　"The cuff," I repeated, trying to move my hand. It was fastened tightly, a part of my skin. "What is this?"
​　He finally looked up, and his silver eyes were now troubled, filled with a deep, unsettling fear I hadn't seen before.
​　"That is the problem," he said, his voice flat. "When I bit you, the Shard didn't just activate the Shield. It anchored itself. That cuff is a manifestation of the Shard's energy. It is what connects you to the true power."
​　"It's beautiful," I whispered, touching the cold metal.
​　"It's a shackle," Kael corrected, his face hardening. "It means the activation went further than the prophecy predicted. The Shard didn't just turn you into a Shield, Ember. It also turned you into an Anchor."
​　Lyra entered the room, carrying a bowl of hot broth. She looked at me, then at Kael, her face worried.
​　"Elias and the guards are outside, Alpha," she reported. "The Gamma confirms the Shard's aura is now amplified tenfold. It's visible across our territory's magical sensors."
​　"Lyra, tell her the rest," Kael commanded, rubbing his face tiredly.
​　Lyra knelt by my bedside. "Ember, when you passed out, we thought you were just resting. But Roric, our Head Warrior, came in to check on you. When he reached for your hand—just to check your pulse—the silver cuff manifested immediately. It flashed brilliantly, and Roric was thrown across the room. It shattered his wrist."
​　I stared at the cuff in horror. "I hurt him? But I didn't feel anything!"
​　"That's the price," Kael interrupted, his eyes meeting mine. "The prophecy did not mention this secondary effect. The Anchor mechanism does not just protect the Shard; it protects the Vessel by attacking anyone who gets close. That power you felt when you blacked out? It wasn't a wolf shift. It was the Silver Shard fusing with your body's unformed essence, turning your very being into a physical weapon."
​　He got up and retrieved his shirt. "You are not just my Shield, Ember. You are a walking magical bomb. And there is a final, critical constraint that comes with this Anchor effect."
​　"What is it?"
​　Kael paused, pulling the shirt over his head. His silver eyes were grim. "The prophecy clearly states that the Anchor will only protect its Vessel if the Vessel is completely, magically subjugated by its Alpha. The Claiming Bite was the first step."
​　"The final step?" I asked, dread coiling in my stomach.
​　"The final step is the true, complete Mating. Sex," Kael stated brutally. "The Shard will not recognize the lie. It requires the deepest soul-bond to ensure your absolute loyalty. If you do not accept the bond willingly, the Anchor will misfire. And every single time the Scavengers or the Shadow Cult try to approach you, the Anchor will attack—not them, but you."
​　"You're telling me I have to willingly mate with you to prevent my own magical suicide?" I demanded, the sheer injustice of it making my entire body shake.
​　"I am telling you that you are out of options," Kael confirmed, the hard Alpha tone back in place. "The Shard is fused with you. And until the final step is taken, I cannot allow anyone to touch you, speak to you, or look at you for too long—including your brother. The magic is too unstable."
​　He walked to the door and looked back at me, his gaze cold and possessive.
​　"You asked me to promise Elias would be safe. He is. But he cannot come near you. From this moment on, Ember Thorne, you are mine. And mine means you are isolated, until the bond is complete."
​　The door clicked shut, leaving me alone in the dim light, chained to the power of a dead wolf-witch, a beautiful silver shackle on my wrist, and the grim reality that my only path to survival was surrender.
​　I looked down at my hand, then at the journal. The book felt impossibly heavy now, not just with secrets, but with the terrifying weight of my magical captivity.
​　The blood calls. The cage is weak.
​　I was the blood. The cabin was the cage. And the cage was about to be tested.
​　Just then, a small, desperate scratching sound came from the outside of the cabin wall, directly next to the cot. I sat up, my heart pounding.
​　A tiny piece of wood was pushed through a knothole. Taped to it was a folded piece of paper.
​　Ember - I saw the light. I know this isn't right. I found the rest of Mother's logs. The Shard has a fail-safe. It's called the Silver Thorn. If you are forced to complete the bond, the Thorn activates, and it will kill the Alpha. Find the Thorn. DON'T SUBMIT.
​　I crumpled the note, my eyes widening in shock. Kael was claiming me to save the pack, but if I willingly mated with him, the ancient magic designed by my own lineage would kill him in retaliation.
​　I was trapped between accepting Kael's forced mating and condemning him to death, all while a powerful magical cult was hunting me down.
​Would you like me to continue with the next set of chapters, focusing on Ember's search for the "Silver Thorn" and the growing threat from the Shadow Cult?