The forest still trembled.
Broken branches hung low, leaves drifting slowly through the air like the aftermath of a storm.
In the middle of the destruction, Nancy lay motionless.
Her hair spilled across the cracked earth, chest rising in shallow, fragile breaths.
The silence after the scream was worse than the scream itself.
Then—
A presence.
Heavy.
Commanding.
Dangerous.
Bootsteps crushed fallen branches.
Slow.
Measured.
Certain.
A shadow stepped through the trees.
The Alpha.
His sharp eyes swept across the destruction—the bent trunks, splintered wood, the raw imprint of power still lingering in the air.
Then his gaze landed on her.
For the first time, his expression shifted.
Not anger.
Not control.
Something darker.
Fear.
"Nancy."
Her name left his lips low and rough.
He crossed the distance in seconds and dropped to one knee beside her.
His hand hovered above her face for a moment before finally touching her cheek.
Warm.
Too warm.
Residual power still crackled faintly against her skin.
His jaw tightened.
"What did they let happen to you?"
There was no answer.
Only the weak sound of her breathing.
He slid one arm beneath her carefully and lifted her into his arms.
The moment he touched her fully—
Something hit him.
A pulse.
Sharp.
Violent.
His eyes widened.
Her power wasn't fading.
It was changing.
Moving.
As if something inside her had awakened and was still… feeding.
A dark flicker passed behind her closed eyelids.
The Alpha's expression hardened instantly.
"No."
He started moving.
Fast.
Back toward the pack house.
But then—
A growl stopped him.
Kai stepped out first.
Leo and Evan close behind.
All three froze when they saw Nancy unconscious in the Alpha's arms.
Kai's face changed instantly.
Rage.
Pure and immediate.
"Put her down."
The Alpha's gaze turned ice cold.
"You're in no position to give orders."
Kai moved forward.
Fast.
Leo caught his arm before he could lunge.
"Nancy first," Leo said sharply, though his own eyes burned.
Evan looked at the shattered forest around them and swore under his breath.
"She did all this?"
The Alpha's voice cut through the air.
"She lost control."
Kai's eyes snapped to him.
"And where were you?"
The Alpha stepped closer, unflinching.
"Here before you."
That landed like a blade.
Kai's jaw clenched so hard the muscle ticked.
Nancy stirred weakly in the Alpha's arms.
A soft sound escaped her lips.
Not quite a word.
More like a whisper dragged from somewhere deep inside.
"…don't…"
Everyone froze.
Her eyes fluttered open.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Her eyes—
They weren't the same.
For one terrifying second, they glowed.
Not their usual color.
A strange silver threaded with darkness.
Ancient.
Unfamiliar.
Leo's breath caught.
"…that's not normal."
Nancy blinked slowly.
Her gaze moved across each of them.
The Alpha.
Kai.
Leo.
Evan.
And yet—
There was no recognition.
Only emptiness.
"Who…" she whispered hoarsely, "…are you?"
Silence.
No one moved.
Kai went pale.
"Nancy?"
She stared at him blankly.
No warmth.
No bond.
No reaction.
As if the connection had been cut.
Or buried.
The Alpha's expression darkened.
"It's worse than I thought."
Nancy's breathing quickened.
Her eyes suddenly widened, pupils dilating.
Images flashed through her mind—
The terrified boy.
The scream.
The explosion.
A voice.
A voice that was not hers.
You are finally awake.
Nancy gasped violently.
Her hands shot to her head.
"No—no—get out!"
A pulse of energy burst from her again, throwing everyone backward.
The Alpha held his ground.
Barely.
"Nancy, listen to me!"
She looked up.
But this time—
The silver darkness in her eyes stayed.
Steady.
Alive.
And when she spoke—
Her voice carried two tones.
Her own.
And something beneath it.
"I told you…"
A slow, unsettling smile touched her lips.
"…I'm not alone anymore."