The ancestral lands were different with Selene there.
More... alive.
The ruins that had felt like echoes of the past now hummed with power. The symbols on the walls glowed brighter. The very air felt charged with ancient magic.
*Welcome home,* Selene said simply, as we walked into the main hall. *Or welcome back, I suppose. You've been here before.*
*Once.* I looked around, remembering the first time—when Astrid had brought me here, pregnant and terrified. *It feels different now.*
*Because you're different now.* Selene smiled. *More powerful. More aware. More... more.*
*More what?*
*More everything.* She gestured toward the training grounds. *Shall we begin?*
*Now?* I was surprised. *Don't we need to rest? Settle in? Get the children—**
*The children will be fine.* Selene nodded toward Astrid, who was already herding Felix, Darius, and Lucian toward a smaller building. *Astrid will watch them. This is just for you. And me.*
*Just us.*
*Just us.*
I followed her out to the training grounds—the same grounds where I'd spent three years training with Astrid. Where I'd learned to fight, to shift, to control the hunger.
*What do you know about your powers?* Selene asked, stopping in the center of the clearing.
*The basics.* I listed them. *Enhanced strength. Enhanced speed. The Royal Voice. The Lycan shift. The connection to the pack bond. The healing factor.*
*Good.* Selene nodded. *And what do you know about the limits of your powers?*
*I don't have limits?* I guessed.
*Everyone has limits, Elena.* Selene's voice was patient. *The question is: do you know yours?*
*I... no.* I admitted. *I've never really tested them. Never pushed myself to see where they end.*
*Then that's where we start.* Selene positioned herself across from me. *Attack me.*
*What?* I stared at her. *You want me to attack you?*
*I want to see what you can do.* Selene's expression was calm. *Don't hold back. Don't worry about hurting me. Just... let go.*
*I don't want to hurt you.*
*You won't.* Selene smiled. *I promise. Now attack.*
I shifted.
Lycan form exploding outward, and I lunged—claws extended, teeth bared, moving at full speed.
Selene didn't move.
I swiped at her throat—and she caught my wrist.
Not just caught. Held.
Stopped my momentum cold.
*You're strong,* she observed. *But you're relying too much on physical force. Lycan powers aren't just about strength. They're about energy. About magic. About—**
*About what?*
*About will.* Selene twisted my wrist—gently—and I found myself flipping onto my back. *About intention. About focus.*
*I don't understand.*
*You will.* Selene released me and stepped back. *Try again. But this time, don't just attack with your body. Attack with your mind. With your power. With everything.*
*Everything?*
*Everything.*
I stood, shook myself off, and this time—this time I reached for something deeper.
For the connection Selene had shown me yesterday. The Lycan network. The flow of power between all living things.
I grabbed it.
Pulled it.
Directed it.
And attacked.
Selene dodged—but barely.
*Better,* she called out. *Much better. Again.*
We fought for hours.
Or what felt like hours.
Time was different here, in the ancestral lands, with the magic humming in the air and the power flowing through my veins.
By the time Selene finally called a halt, I was exhausted. Dripping sweat. Muscles trembling.
*Good,* she said simply. *You learn fast.*
*I'm exhausted.*
*That's different.* Selene led me toward a bench. *Exhaustion passes. Knowledge remains.*
*What did I learn?*
*That you've been limiting yourself.* Selene sat beside me. *You've been treating your powers like tools. Weapons. Things you pick up and put down. But they're not. They're part of you. Part of your blood. Part of your—*
*Soul?*
*If you want to be dramatic about it.* Selene smiled. *Yes. Your soul. Your essence. Who you are.*
*So how do I stop limiting myself?*
*By accepting them.* Selene's expression turned serious. *All of them. Even the scary ones. Even the ones you don't want to acknowledge.*
*Which ones?*
*The ones that feel wrong.* Selene met my eyes. *The hunger. The urge to dominate. The desire to just... let go. Stop holding back. Become what everyone fears you'll become.*
*I fight those every day.*
*I know.* Selene rested her hand on my arm. *But what if I told you they're not wrong? What if they're just... power? Neutral. Energy. Potential?*
*I'd say you're crazy.*
*Would you?* Selene challenged me. *Think about it, Elena. The hunger—it's just a survival instinct, amplified. The urge to dominate—it's just leadership, taken to an extreme. The desire to let go—that's just freedom from inhibition.*
*But they feel wrong.*
*Because you've been taught they're wrong.* Selene's mental voice was patient. *By society. By the pack. By everyone who told you that power is dangerous. That wanting more is bad. That—*
*That I should be grateful for what I have.*
*Exactly.* Selene nodded. *But you're not just anyone. You're Lycan royalty. You're not supposed to be grateful. You're supposed to be... powerful. In control. Responsible.*
*Responsible.*
*Responsibility is the antidote to corruption,* Selene said. *Not suppressing your power. Not denying who you are. But using your power responsibly. For the right reasons. In the right ways.*
*I'm trying.*
*I know.* Selene squeezed my arm. *But you're still afraid of your own shadow. Still afraid that if you let go, even for a second, you'll become a monster.*
*Won't I?*
*Not unless you choose to.* Selene stood. *Power doesn't corrupt, Elena. Power reveals. It shows you who you really are. What you really want. What you'd do if no one could stop you.*
*And what if I don't like what that reveals?*
*Then you change it.* Selene smiled. *That's the beauty of free will. You're not stuck with who you are. You can choose to be someone else. Someone better. Someone—*
*Stronger.*
*That too.* Selene nodded toward the nursery building. *Now go. Check on your children. Rest. We'll continue tomorrow.*
*What are we going to do tomorrow?*
*Something harder.* Selene's expression was enigmatic. *Something you've been avoiding.*
*Which is?*
*You'll see.*
I walked to the nursery building, my mind still racing with everything Selene had said. About power. About responsibility. About the difference between suppressing and controlling.
Astrid was sitting with the children, reading from an old book—something from the Lycan archives about the history of our bloodline.
*...and so the last Lycan King, Lycaon, ruled for a thousand years before the Inquisition came,* she was reading. *He fought them off for decades, but in the end, they were too many. Too organized. Too—*
*Too hateful?* Felix asked.
*That too.* Astrid closed the book. *But the important thing is, he didn't give up. He fought until the very end. Protected his people. Passed down his bloodline. Made sure the Lycans didn't die with him.*
*We're his descendants,* Darius said. *Me and Felix and Lucian and Mama.*
*You are.* Astrid smiled. *Which means you carry his strength. His power. His—**
*His burden?* Lucian suggested quietly.
*His responsibility.* Astrid corrected him. *There's a difference.*
*Is there?* Lucian challenged her. *Because being a weapon felt like a burden. It felt heavy. Wrong. Like—**
*Like you didn't choose it.* Astrid moved to sit beside him. *But this is different. This isn't about being used. It's about choosing to protect. To lead. To be—*
*To be royalty,* Felix finished. *Like Mama.*
*Exactly.* Astrid ruffled his hair. *Like Mama.*
*How was training?* Darius asked me.
*Exhausting.* I sat on the floor with them. *Selene is... intense.*
*She feels old,* Darius observed. *Like... really old. Older than the mountains. Older than the trees. Older than—**
*Than time?* I guessed.
*Maybe.* Darius frowned. *It's hard to explain. But when she looks at me... it's like she sees everything. My past. My future. My—**
*Your potential.* I pulled him into my lap. *She sees what you could be. What you could become. If you choose right.*
*And if I choose wrong?*
*Then she sees that too.* I kissed the top of his head. *But you're not going to choose wrong, Darius. Because you have something Blackwood never had.*
*What?*
*Love.* I looked at all three of them—Felix, Darius, Lucian. *You have love. You have family. You have people who will help you make the right choices.*
*Not alone,* Felix said.
*Never alone,* I agreed.
*Can I ask you something?* Lucian spoke up. *About... about what comes next?*
*What do you mean?*
*The training.* Lucian's fingers twisted in his lap. *Selene said she'd train me too. To control my powers. To be... to be Lycan without being a monster.*
*She will.*
*But what if I can't?* Lucian's voice rose. *What if I'm too broken? Too corrupted? Too—**
*Hey.* I reached out and took his hands. *Look at me.*
Lucian met my eyes.
*You are not broken,* I said fiercely. *You are not corrupted. You are not a monster. You're a child who was hurt. A victim who survived. A fighter who's still here. That's not broken. That's brave.*
*I don't feel brave.*
*Bravery doesn't feel brave.* I squeezed his hands. *Bravery feels like terror. Like you want to run but you don't. Like you want to hide but you stand your ground anyway.*
*Is that how you felt?* Darius asked. *When you fought Blackwood?*
*I was terrified,* I admitted. *Absolutely terrified. I thought I was going to die. I thought I'd never see you again. Never hold you again. Never—**
*But you did it anyway,* Felix said.
*I did it anyway.* I nodded. *Because that's what bravery is. Being scared and doing it anyway.*
*So I can be scared?* Lucian asked quietly. *I can be scared and still be... still be strong?*
*Scared and strong aren't opposites,* I said. *You can be both. In fact, the strongest people I know are also the scariest. Because they understand what's at stake.*
*What's at stake?*
*Everything.* I looked at each of them in turn. *Family. Love. Home. Everything that matters.*
*Everything.*
*Everything.*
*Now,* I stood, brushing off my clothes. *Who wants dinner?*
*Me!* Felix jumped up.
*Me too,* Darius said.
*Lucian?*
He hesitated.
*What's wrong?* I crouched back down.
*I... I don't remember the last time I ate,* he admitted. *With Blackwood... there were days. Sometimes weeks. He... he said food made me weak. Said hunger kept me sharp.*
*Lucian.* My heart broke. *That's not true. That's—**
*I know.* Lucian looked at me with those violet-gold eyes. *I know it's not true now. But my body... my body still believes it. Still thinks food is... is wrong.*
*It's not wrong.* I took his hand. *Food is fuel. Energy. Strength. You need to eat, Lucian. You need to rebuild what he broke.*
*It feels like betraying him,* Lucian whispered. *Even though he's dead. Even though he hurt me... it still feels like I'm doing something wrong.*
*That's not betrayal,* I said firmly. *That's recovery. That's healing. That's taking back what he stole from you.*
*What did he steal?*
*Everything.* I squeezed his hand. *Your childhood. Your freedom. Your right to choose. But you're going to get them back. All of them. I promise.*
*Even if it takes a long time?*
*Especially then.*
*Okay.* Lucian took a deep breath. *Okay. I'll... I'll try.*
*That's all anyone can ask.*
I led the children toward the small kitchen attached to the nursery, Astrid following behind.
*You're good with them,* she observed.
*They're my children.* I started pulling out food—simple things, since we were still resupplying. *Of course I'm good with them.*
*You're good with Lucian too.* Astrid's mental voice was thoughtful. *Considering he tried to kill you. Considering he could have—*
*He was a victim.* I set bread on the table. *I don't blame victims for what their abusers made them do.*
*Some people do.*
*Then those people are wrong.*
*You're remarkable, you know that?* Astrid leaned against the doorframe. *Three years ago, you were a servant girl too scared to fight back. Now you're facing torture survivors, battling abominations, training with Elders—**
*I'm just doing what I have to do.*
*No.* Astrid shook her head. *You're doing what most people wouldn't. What most people couldn't. You're rising to every challenge, every threat, every—**
*Every nightmare.*
*That too.*
I looked at my children, who were already eating, Lucian hesitating before taking his first bite.
*He's going to be okay,* I said quietly. *They're all going to be okay.*
*Are they?* Astrid challenged me. *Because the Inquisition is coming, Elena. Selene's not exaggerating. I've read the archives. I know what they did to us last time.*
*So do I.*
*Then you know we're facing genocide.* Astrid's mental voice dropped. *They won't stop until we're all dead. Until every last Lycan is eradicated. Until—**
*Until we stop them.*
*Can we?* Astrid asked quietly. *Can we really stop an organization that's been hunting us for thousands of years?*
*I don't know.* I watched Lucian take another bite, watched Felix laugh at something Darius said, watched my children—my family—being safe for the first time in too long. *But I'm going to try.*
*Why?*
*Because this.* I gestured toward the children. *This is worth fighting for. This is worth dying for. This is everything.*
*Yes.* Astrid smiled. *It is.*
*So we fight.*
*We fight.*
*We prepare.*
*We prepare.*
*And when the Inquisition comes...*
*We'll be ready,* I finished. *We'll be waiting. We'll be—**
*Together.*
*Together.*
And outside, the moon rose over the ancestral lands, over the ruins where my ancestors had ruled, over the training grounds where I was learning to be a Queen, and I felt something settle into place.
Not just power.
Not just responsibility.
Purpose.
I was going to protect my family.
My pack.
My world.
Whatever it took.