The training hall was a cavernous space of cold obsidian and silver-etched wards, designed to withstand the impact of high-ranking shifters.
The three Alphas—Axel, Dante, and Kieran—stood in the center, their presence alone enough to make the air vibrate with predatory energy.
"Again," Axel commanded, his voice a low growl. He was the largest of the three, a wall of muscle and scars.
Mary panted, her knuckles bleeding. They had been at this for three hours. No weapons, no magic—just raw physical combat.
"You're too slow, Mary," Dante remarked, blurring from one side of the room to the other.
His speed was his trademark, a literal streak of lethal intent. "If the Moon Trials started now, you'd be a snack for a Shadow-Stalker in minutes."
Kieran, the tactician with eyes like ice, watched her from the periphery. "The seal is thin, but your mind is cluttered.
You're fighting like a human. Stop thinking about the history books Marvin gave you and start feeling the blood in your veins."
The Awakening: Astraea Speaks
The pressure in the room shifted. Kieran lunged, a strike meant to pin her, but something inside Mary snapped.
The burning between her shoulder blades exploded into a white-hot roar that traveled up her spine.
Time didn't just slow down; it stopped.
"Enough," a voice echoed—not in the room, but inside the minds of everyone present.
It was deep, ancient, and sounded like the grinding of tectonic plates.
Mary's eyes bled from brown to a blinding, ethereal violet. She felt a presence rise within her soul—Astraea, the Primal Wolf.
Suddenly, Mary wasn't just seeing the Alphas; she was inside them.
Axel's mind: She's a liability. If she can't handle a punch, she can't handle the crown.
Dante's mind: Gods, her scent… it's changing. It smells like starlight and ozone.
Kieran's mind: The prophecy was right. She's beautiful. She's terrifying.
"Get out of my head!" Axel roared, stumbling back and clutching his temples.
The Flare of Power
Mary didn't just read their minds; she felt the mage-fire in her palms. Without a word, she flicked her wrist.
A wave of Telekinetic force, invisible and absolute, slammed into Axel and Dante, throwing them twenty feet back into the obsidian walls.
The floor began to crack. Weapons on the racks nearby began to levitate, spinning in a chaotic whirlwind around her.
She was a hurricane of super-strength and magical output, the very air around her glowing with the blue-white light of Aethelgardian sorcery.
"Mary, stop!" Myles shouted from the observation deck.
"You're going to bring the building down!"
She couldn't hear him.
The power was a drug, a wild river of "more" that threatened to drown her.
She saw the Alphas shifting, their fur beginning to sprout as they prepared to defend themselves against her.
The Anchor
Marvin.
The thought hit her like a cooling breeze.
She remembered him sitting in his worn leather chair, a book of Yeats in his lap, looking over his spectacles to tell her that the most important part of history wasn't the wars, but the peace that followed.
"Control the narrative, Mary," his voice echoed in her memory.
"Don't let the story write you."
Mary squeezed her eyes shut, pulling the wild violet energy back into her chest.
The levitating weapons clattered to the floor. The violet glow faded to a dull hum.
She collapsed to her knees, gasping for air, her body trembling from the sudden drain of super-speed and mage-craft.
Reaching Out
While the Alphas recovered, Mary crawled toward her phone, which lay cracked on the floor.
She needed to know. She focused her new, terrifying mental reach, visualizing the small cottage she grew up in.
Dad? she whispered into the void of her mind. Marvin? Do you remember the palace? Do you remember the gold?
For a second, there was a flicker—a flash of a silver helmet, the smell of royal incense, and a heavy sword.
Then, a sharp, painful snap occurred.
A text appeared on her screen almost instantly.
Marvin: Mary? I just had the strangest headache.
I thought I saw a throne. Stay focused on your studies, kid. History is written by the survivors.
I'm locking the doors tonight. Something feels… wrong.
He didn't remember. The Lethe-wipe was holding, but her power was starting to fray the edges of his false reality.
The Hidden Guardians
Myles hurried down to the floor, helping Mary to her feet while Axel and Dante glared at her with newfound respect—and fear.
"We need to talk about Avery and Jada," Mary rasped, leaning against Myles.
"If I'm this… thing… what are they? Why have they always been by my side?"
Myles looked around to ensure the Alphas were out of earshot.
"They aren't just your friends, Mary. In Aethelgard, a Queen is never alone.
They are your Shield-Maidens. Avery carries the blood of the Earth-Walkers, and Jada is a descendant of the Shadow-Weavers."
Mary blinked, stunned. "But they're just… they're normal. Avery likes volleyball and Jada is obsessed with her GPA."
"Their powers are tethered to yours," Myles explained quietly.
"They were sealed just like you were. As your Valkyrie wakes, their seals will shatter too. They don't know it yet, but they are the most dangerous weapons in your arsenal. And once they wake, the Council will have three targets instead of one."