Morning came too fast.
Lyla woke in the guest quarters, sunlight streaming through the windows, her body humming with unfamiliar energy. The twins were already up, sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring at her with matching expressions of fascination.
"You're glowing," Luna announced.
"I'm what?"
"Glowing. Like a light bulb. But prettier. Like the moon."
Lyla looked down at her hands. They looked normal. But when she concentrated, she could see it—a faint silver luminescence beneath her skin, pulsing gently like a heartbeat.
"Mommy's becoming a wolf," Leo said calmly. "Like us. But different. Her wolf is older."
"Not a wolf. A Moon Spirit." Lyla tested the words. "Apparently."
A knock at the door. Kael's voice: "Breakfast. And then training."
"Training?" Lyla called back.
"For you. For them. Everyone needs to learn. The sooner you can control your power, the safer you'll be."
The training grounds were a cleared area in the forest, marked with targets and obstacle courses. Several pack members were already there, exercising in wolf form, their fur gleaming in the morning light.
Kael stood at the center, Marcus beside him.
"Lyla, Luna, Leo—meet your instructors. Marcus will handle combat training for the children. I'll work with Lyla on awakening her Spirit."
Luna bounced excitedly. "We get to fight?"
"You get to learn control. There's a difference." Marcus's stern expression softened slightly. "But yes. Eventually, you'll fight. When you're ready."
Leo studied Marcus with those silver eyes. "You're scared of us."
Marcus blinked. "I'm not—"
"You are. You're scared because we're small but we're powerful. You don't know if you can protect us if something goes wrong. You're afraid we'll hurt someone by accident."
The clearing went silent. Lyla held her breath.
Marcus slowly knelt to Leo's level. "You're right. I am scared. Not of you—for you. You're the Alpha's children. That makes you targets. My job is to make sure you can protect yourselves until help arrives."
Leo considered this. Then he nodded. "Okay. That's acceptable. You're honest. I like that."
Luna snorted. "You're so weird, Leo."
"I'm observant."
"Same thing!"
While Marcus worked with the twins, Kael led Lyla deeper into the forest.
"The first step is connecting with your wolf," he explained. "She's been dormant your whole life. You need to wake her up fully, not just when the moon calls."
"How?"
"Close your eyes. Feel the earth beneath you. The air. The moon—even in daylight, it's there, pulling at your blood. Call to her. Let her know you're ready."
Lyla closed her eyes. Felt the earth. Felt the air. Felt the faint pull of the moon somewhere beyond the blue sky.
Nothing.
"This is stupid."
"It's not stupid. It's instinct. Try again."
She tried. And tried. And tried.
Nothing.
"Maybe I'm not a Moon Spirit. Maybe Leo was wrong."
"He's not wrong. I can feel your power. It's like standing next to a furnace. You're blocking it."
"I'm not blocking anything."
"You are." Kael moved closer. "You've spent five years hiding. Hiding your children, hiding your fear, hiding yourself. You've built walls so high that even your own wolf can't reach you."
Lyla's eyes stung. "I had to protect them."
"I know. But you don't have to hide anymore. I'm here. The pack is here. Let the walls down."
She wanted to. Goddess, she wanted to. But the walls had been up so long...
"Lyla." His voice was soft. "Trust me."
She looked at him—this man who'd left her, who'd searched for her, who'd killed for her, who'd brought her here and promised to stay.
And she let go.
The walls crumbled.
Power exploded through her. Silver light burst from her skin, her eyes, her very bones. She felt her wolf—ancient, wild, magnificent—rise from centuries of sleep.
Sister.
The voice was hers and not hers. Ancient. Joyful.
Finally.
Lyla's body shifted. Not painfully—beautifully. Like stepping into a body she'd always worn. She stood on four legs, silver fur rippling, eyes blazing like stars.
She was magnificent.
Kael stared at her, golden eyes wide with awe. Around them, every wolf in the territory felt the shift. Felt the Moon Spirit awaken.
Lyla, Kael breathed into her mind. You're here.
I'm here.
Can you shift back?
She tried. Nothing happened.
I... I don't know how.
Kael's panic flickered through the bond. Focus on your human form. Remember what it feels like. Your hands, your face, your voice. You are Lyla. You are human and wolf and something more.
Lyla concentrated. Thought of her children. Her apartment. Her life before all this. Thought of her hands, her face, her voice.
The shift reversed, flowing like water. She stood before him, human again, naked and unashamed.
"I did it."
"You did it." Kael wrapped his coat around her, pulling her close. "You're amazing."
"I'm cold."
"I'll get you inside."
He carried her back to the lodge, her head against his chest, his heart beating beneath her ear.
Mate, her wolf purred. Alpha.
Ours.