The silence the rogues left behind felt heavier than their presence.
I stood frozen, staring at the tree line long after they disappeared. My ears strained for movement, my body coiled tight, ready for another attack.
"They're gone," Kael said quietly.
"For now," I replied.
The wind shifted again, carrying the fading scent of them—wild, bitter, wrong. My wolf didn't relax. She paced inside me, restless and alert.
"They called me the hidden silver," I said slowly. "What does that mean?"
Kael didn't answer immediately. His gaze swept the forest once more before turning to me.
"It means," he began carefully, "that your existence was never meant to be public."
"Public to who? Wolves have newspapers now?"
Despite everything, the corner of his mouth twitched.
"To other packs," he corrected. "To rival Alphas. To rogues who seek power."
I folded my arms tightly. "Why would I matter to them?"
His golden eyes held mine steadily.
"Because silver wolves are not ordinary."
I swallowed. "You keep saying that. Stop speaking in riddles."
Kael stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Silver wolves are tied to old bloodlines. Leadership lines. Some say the first Luna was silver."
The words settled like dust in my mind.
"I don't want leadership," I said quickly. "I didn't ask for any of this."
"No one ever asks for power," he replied. "But power rarely cares."
The trees rustled again—not in threat this time, but in movement. Familiar movement.
Within seconds, members of the Midnight Pack emerged from the shadows. Unlike the rogues, their presence didn't scrape against my nerves. It felt… aligned.
They shifted into human form as they approached.
A tall woman with braided dark hair stepped forward first. Her eyes were sharp but respectful.
"Alpha," she greeted, then her gaze moved to me. She bowed her head slightly. "Silver."
I blinked. "Do I have a name now, or—?"
A few of them exchanged faint smiles.
"This is Mira, my Beta," Kael said. "And they felt the disturbance."
"I felt it too," Mira admitted. "The surge."
My hand instinctively touched my collarbone where the mark had appeared the night before.
"You're stronger tonight," she observed.
"I don't know how to control any of it," I confessed.
Mira's expression softened just slightly. "Control comes after acceptance."
Kael's jaw tightened at that, but he didn't argue.
One of the younger wolves stepped forward. "The rogues won't stop, Alpha. If they've scented her, others will."
Her.
Not Aria. Not Luna.
Her.
I lifted my chin. "Then teach me."
All eyes turned to me.
Kael studied my face carefully. "Teach you what?"
"How to fight. How to shift without losing myself. How to use whatever this silver thing is."
Mira looked impressed.
Kael looked conflicted.
"If you train," he said slowly, "you become visible. Visible wolves become targets."
"I already am one," I replied sharply. "You said it yourself. They came for me."
The truth hung between us.
Kael exhaled slowly. "Training begins tomorrow night."
Relief and fear mixed in my chest.
Mira nodded approvingly. "We'll set the perimeter tighter."
One by one, the pack members retreated into the forest again, melting into shadow like guardians returning to post.
Soon it was just Kael and me.
"You didn't hesitate," he said quietly.
"About what?"
"Standing beside me."
I hesitated now.
"I wasn't standing beside you," I corrected. "I was standing for myself."
His eyes gleamed with something unreadable.
"That's what makes you dangerous," he murmured.
The word should have scared me.
Instead, it felt right.
A distant echo of the rogue's voice returned to my mind.
She's already awakening.
"What happens if I fully awaken?" I asked.
Kael's expression darkened slightly. "Then the balance shifts."
"Balance of what?"
"Power among the packs. Authority. Territory."
I stared at him. "So this isn't just about us."
"It was never just about us."
The night felt colder suddenly.
"And the mate bond?" I asked carefully. "Is that politics too?"
His gaze softened for the first time since the rogues left.
"No," he said firmly. "That part is real."
The honesty in his voice unsettled me more than if he had lied.
A breeze brushed past us, gentler now.
My wolf slowly settled.
But deep inside, something had changed.
The fear that ruled me the night I first shifted was fading.
In its place was awareness.
Strength.
Purpose.
"I won't run," I said finally.
Kael stepped closer, not dominating, not claiming—just near enough that I could feel his warmth.
"I know."
The moon climbed higher above us, bright and steady.
Somewhere in the distance, another howl echoed—not rogue, not threatening.
Midnight Pack.
A signal.
A promise.
Kael tilted his head slightly, listening. Then he looked at me.
"They're acknowledging you."
"Why?"
"Because tonight," he said quietly, "you didn't hide."
I looked toward the forest—the place I once feared.
It no longer felt like something waiting to swallow me whole.
It felt like something waiting to test me.
And I was done being prey.
The Night of the First Howl had awakened the wolf inside me.
But this night—
This was the night I chose to become her.